Townhouse Project to go Before Planning Board Monday

A sign outside a fenced-off parking lot on Maple Avenue notes it to be closed as off Oct. 1, 2008, as the DeHart Street Parking Garage had been completed and ready to serve Morristown drivers.

Soon, the empty lot across from 14 Maple Ave. could be the location of 18 new townhouses.

The Planning Board will be holding a special meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday in Room 201 of . Among other items to address, the Planning Board will hear a request for approval of the final amended site plan to construct 18 townhouses, known as the "Maple Avenue Townhouse Project." If approved, the project would go before Town Council–which serves as Morristown's redevelopment entity–in a special Redevelopment Meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers at Town Hall. If approved, Pulte Homes would be named the redeveloper of the project.

According to public documents available from the , the former parking lot on Maple Avenue is part of the "Epstein's Project" site, named for the former Epstein's Department Store, where the 40 Park luxury condominium complex is now located. The "Epstein's Project" site also includes the DeHart Street parking garage, The Metropolitan at 40 Park and 14 Maple Ave., which includes the and

According to the project's resolution, the site plan, which has already been approved, calls for the construction of 18 three-story (plus a loft) townhouses.

According to Councilwoman Rebecca Feldman, whose Ward 1 abuts this redevelopment area (Fourth Ward Councilwoman Alison Deeb represents this area), "This has been in the works for nearly a decade, and it’s very good news that the redeveloper wants to move forward. 

"It’s a testament to Morristown’s economic strength that new residential development can go forward even in this time of economic challenge for the region," she said.

The "Maple Avenue Townhouse Project" plans can be viewed at the Zoning Board office at Town Hall. They currently are not available in the "Planning & Redevelopment" section of the Town of Morristown website.