A proposal calling for a mixed-use development to be constructed on a nearly three-acre former industrial site in the Morris County borough of Wharton could be approved this week.
During a Zoom meeting this Tuesday, October 20 at 7:00 p.m., the Wharton Borough Planning Board is scheduled to hear the plans that were submitted by Ashour Investment Group Wharton, LLC.
The Parsippany-based company is seeking to construct a four-story complex with 75 residential units and eight commercial units at 170 North Main Street, according to their application, which also notes that the firm “is the contract purchaser of the property” and that the purchase price is $1.5 million.
The application states that the residential portion of the development would reportedly include a 15 percent “affordable set-aside.”
The building would contain two restaurants, 7,819 square feet of retail space, 54 one-bedroom units, 12 two-bedroom units, and nine three-bedroom units, according to a traffic and parking study from Dolan & Dean Consulting Engineers, LLC that was released by Wharton’s municipal government.
The application’s ownership disclosure list shows that Magdi Ashour holds 50 percent interest in Ashour Investment Group Wharton, LLC while Waleed and Yasmine Ashour each hold 25 percent interest.
The site is located near the Wharton Rail Trail between Ross Street and the upcoming North Main Street extension.
The EPA’s cleanup map shows that the premises are also situated in the vicinity of the Dayco Corp./L.E. Carpenter Company Superfund site. There was a plant nearby that produced vinyl wall coverings from 1943 to 1987 and generated “various solid and liquid wastes that were disposed of in unlined, on-site lagoons located approximately 20 feet from the Rockaway River,” according to the EPA’s website.
“As a result of these disposal practices, the site groundwater is contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are potentially harmful contaminants that easily evaporate into the air,” the EPA’s site description states.
The news of this proposed project comes just over three months after Jersey Digs first reported on plans for another four-story mixed-use project along North Main Street in Wharton. This other proposal, which was subsequently approved, calls for 50 residential units along with a nearby townhome development.
Note to readers: The dates that applications are scheduled to be heard by the Wharton Borough Planning Board and other commissions are subject to change.
