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The following timeline of events highlights how we have come to the point we are at now, with the Township Committee trying to fast track this plan with no debate or oversight. In a word, we are at the brink because of the Township Committee's MALFEASANCE over the past thirteen years.

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⚖️ 1975–2015: Mount Laurel Doctrine and Legal Foundations

  • 🏛️ Mount Laurel I (1975):
    NJ Supreme Court rules towns must provide their “fair share” of affordable housing. Exclusionary zoning declared unconstitutional.

  • ⚖️ Mount Laurel II (1983):
    Reinforces town obligations; enables builder’s remedy lawsuits to override local zoning when towns fail to comply.

  • 🏢 COAH Era (1985–2014):
    NJ creates the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH). Towns submit compliance plans to avoid litigation. Many stall or underperform.

  • 👨‍⚖️ Mount Laurel III (2015):
    NJ Supreme Court rules COAH is defunct. Enforcement shifts to Superior Courts. Towns must settle directly with Fair Share Housing Center (FSHC) or risk legal action.

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🏭 Pre-2012: Honeywell Campus

  • 🏢 Honeywell maintains a large corporate campus in Morris Township.

  • No major affordable housing associated with the site during corporate use.

🏗️ 2012–2014: Honeywell Relocation and Site Redevelopment

  • 🚚 Honeywell announces its move to Morris Plains.

  • 🏘️ Township rezones the site for luxury townhomes and commercial development.

  • ⚠️ Minimal affordable housing is included in redevelopment, creating a housing shortfall under Mount Laurel obligations.

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🏘️ 2017 – Limited Integration of Affordable Housing in the Colgate Redevelopment Plan

  • The 2017 Colgate Redevelopment Plan was a comprehensive proposal to transform the former 49-acre Colgate-Palmolive industrial site into a mixed-use neighborhood featuring retail space, townhomes, and limited affordable housing. It was part of Morris Township's broader strategy to modernize underutilized land while addressing state-mandated affordable housing requirements.

  • While affordable housing was included as a designated component, it represented only a small set-aside within a much larger market-rate townhouse development.

  • The plan focused on low-density, ownership-oriented units, which constrained opportunities for higher-yield affordable options such as mid-rise rental apartments or 100% affordable buildings.

  • Instead of fully leveraging the site’s scale and location to meet a substantial portion of the Township’s Mount Laurel obligations, officials opted to diversify compliance through separate developments—most notably a 50-unit 100% affordable project on Ketch Road, situated offsite.

  • The outcome reflects a missed opportunity to integrate deeper levels of affordability within a large, transit-accessible redevelopment, thereby limiting economic diversity and inclusive growth on the Colgate tract itself.

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🤝 December 5, 2017: Fair Share Housing Settlement Signed

  • Background Context:

    • In 2015, the NJ Supreme Court (in Mount Laurel III) transferred affordable housing enforcement from the now-defunct Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) to the Superior Courts.

    • This launched “Round 3” of affordable housing compliance (covering the period from 1999–2025).

    • Municipalities, including Morris Township, were now required to negotiate directly with the Fair Share Housing Center (FSHC) or face builder’s remedy lawsuits—a legal mechanism where developers could sue to build high-density housing (including affordable units) in zones not otherwise permitted.

  • Why Morris Township Settled:

    • Morris Township, like many towns, had fallen behind on its constitutional obligation to provide affordable housing. Matters would not have progressed to this point if the Township Committee had designated at least portions of the Colgate and Honeywell redevelopment areas for affordable housing units. 

    • To avoid costly litigation and losing control over zoning decisions, the Township opted to enter a court-approved settlement agreement with FSHC on December 5, 2017.

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  • Key Terms of the 2017 Settlement:

    • 📊 256 affordable housing units required to be planned or constructed by 2025 to satisfy Round 3 obligations.

    • 🏘️ Ketch Road Field was designated as a 100% affordable housing site, intended to produce at least 50 units.

    • 🏗️ Other sites, including the Honeywell redevelopment area, contributed only a limited number of affordable units, far below the total requirement.

    • 🧾 The settlement legally insulated the Township from builder’s remedy lawsuits, provided it adhered to the agreed compliance timeline.

    • 🛣️ Township agreed to support the selected sites with necessary zoning changes, infrastructure improvements, and legal facilitation.

    • 🛑 Importantly, the public was not directly notified that Ketch Road Field—an active recreational site—had been designated for redevelopment under the plan.

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  • Consequences of the Settlement:

    • The agreement tied the Township’s hands: failure to meet its 2025 deadline could trigger a revival of builder’s remedy exposure.

    • It also gave the Township broad authority to exempt developers from certain local ordinances, including environmental and design requirements.

    • Years later, as the deadline approached, the Township fast-tracked the Ketch Road project without having previously engaged the public in meaningful discussion about the site’s designation back in 2017.

 

⚽ 2018–2024: Ketch Road Quietly Remains in Use

  • 🧒 Field continues serving as a children’s athletic and recreation space.

  • 🚫 No signage, public hearings, or outreach about its redevelopment status.

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⏩ Mid-2025: Project Resurfaces

  • ⏳ Facing 2025 court deadline, the Township begins fast-tracking Ketch Road approval process.

  • 🏗️ A 50-unit, 100% affordable housing project is formally proposed.

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🗳️ July 16, 2025: Township Committee Redevelopment Vote

  • 🏛️ Township Committee votes unanimously to adopt the redevelopment plan, including Ketch Road.

  • 🗣️ Residents speak out in opposition, but the Township Committee members do not respond to any comments. The Township Attorney Jarrid Kantor makes a statement on their behalf.

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🏗️ July 21, 2025: Planning Board Final Approval

  • 🏛️ Planning Board holds public hearing.

  • ✅ Approves 50-unit Ketch Road plan.

  • 🌳 Despite concerns over environmental impact, traffic, and loss of open space, officials claim they are bound by the 2017 legal settlement.

  • ❗ Residents report being shouted down and intimidated, particularly by Planning Board member Joe Alesso, creating a hostile public environment.

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🚧 Late 2025 (Projected): Construction Begins

  • 🛠️ Construction expected to begin before year-end to meet court-mandated 2025 deadline.

  • ⚖️ Citizens begin exploring legal, environmental, and political avenues to delay or stop the project.

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