A single-family property on James Street in Morris Township is set to become 14 homes.
The township Planning Board approved the residential project at 291 James Street on Oct. 5, including three affordable homes, according to an official notice posted Oct. 6, Morristown Minute reported.
The approval allows Executive West LLC to demolish what's on the lot now and build three townhouse buildings. The board closed the public hearing and directed its attorney to prepare a written resolution for adoption at a later meeting. The notice didn't include a construction schedule.
The plan
The property is part of the township's Fourth Round Housing Element and Fair Share Plan, which counts on the site for three units toward Morris Township's affordable housing obligation, according to an Aug. 31 technical review. That report describes a single-family house, a detached garage and a stone driveway on the west side of James Street.
The Fourth Round is the state's current 10-year cycle of affordable housing obligations, running from 2025 to 2035. Every New Jersey town has to show how it will provide its share of homes for low- and moderate-income households, and many are doing it with small sites like this one, where a handful of affordable units are built alongside market-rate homes.
Under the reviewed design, the southern building will hold four market-rate homes, the western building three and the northern building seven. The three affordable units are in the northern building: one townhouse and two stacked flats, meaning apartments on different floors. The technical committee reported two two-bedroom affordable units and one three-bedroom unit.
All the buildings are designed to be two stories. Market-rate homes will have two-car garages and driveways, while the affordable units will use surface parking.
Township reviewers said the revised plan met zoning requirements without bulk variances, the exceptions to dimensional rules like setbacks or building size.
Building around wetlands
The trickiest part of this site is what's on the ground. An Environmental Commission review identifies the property as 2.6 acres, with wetlands in its southern and northwestern sections. The commission noted the state Department of Environmental Protection classified those wetlands as having exceptional resource value because of documented and suitable habitat for endangered or threatened species.
According to the review, the wetlands buffer and conservation easement boundaries were adjusted in the revised plans. The plan calls for removing 15 trees and planting 64 replacements, more than double the 28 required.
The commission also recommended removing invasive bamboo and aiming or shielding lighting to limit glare onto neighboring properties. Its review noted that a stormwater management plan was referenced in the application but wasn't included in the documents the commission received. The board's action notice doesn't say how that issue or the commission's recommendations were handled in the approval.
At the same meeting, the board approved a separate application from Morristown Motors Inc. to demolish existing improvements and build a vehicle storage lot at 173 Ridgedale Avenue. The township's summary describes 68 inventory spaces serving the Toyota and Subaru dealerships on adjoining lots. A written resolution for that project also still needs to be adopted.
Residents can review the James Street application and supporting reports on the township's application page. Maps and exhibits are also available at the Engineering Department, 50 Woodland Avenue, during regular weekday business hours.
No builder has been named for either project.
Why it matters for Contractors
Fourteen two-story homes is a modest job, but it's the kind of work that keeps small and mid-size residential builders busy, and it shows how New Jersey's Fourth Round affordable housing plans are turning into actual projects in towns like Morris Township. The work will include demolition of the existing house and garage, site work, foundations, framing, roofing, exterior work, MEP and finishes, plus garages and driveways for the market-rate units and a surface lot for the affordable ones. The wetlands are the big factor. Exceptional-resource-value wetlands come with strict buffers, so expect tight limits on where crews can stage, store materials and disturb soil, and expect close attention to erosion control and stormwater. The 64 replacement trees also add a meaningful landscaping package. The Ridgedale Avenue storage lot is a separate paving and site job that local excavation and paving contractors may want to track.