Downtown Morristown Building Could Be Expanded Into 26-Unit Development

A one-story building located in the heart of Morristown could undergo a major expansion if a proposal by the owner of the structure is approved.

Plans by Milelli/Morristown, LLC call for turning 23 South Street into a five-story mixed-use development. The existing building, which is also referred to as 23-27 South Street, is known to locals as the former home of Scotti’s Record Shop.

Revised site plans from Studio 1200 that were released by Morristown’s municipal government show that the expanded building would include a 1,960-square-foot roof terrace and 26 residential units, four of which would be designated as “affordable.”

Three of the residential units would be studios, 13 would contain one bedroom, six would include two bedrooms, and four would feature three bedrooms.

This proposal also involves some modifications to the building’s retail space.

Pure Pita would be relocated around the corner to an 824-square-foot space on the DeHart Street side of the building around the area currently occupied by Merci Beauty so that a lobby for residents can be developed, according to the plans from Studio 1200.

Meanwhile, Laboratory Hair Studio would go from taking up 1,849 square feet to 939 square feet and J.C. Reiss Optician, which describes itself as “New Jersey’s oldest independent optical establishment,” would see a slight reduction in space from 1,571 square feet to 1,514 square feet.

The plans indicate that The Laundromat bar and nightclub in the basement along with the 23 South Gift Boutique on the first floor would remain unchanged.

This application was previously scheduled to go before the Morristown Board of Adjustment on November 18. A November 25 letter from Nancy Dougherty of Studio 1200 to Morristown Land Use Administrator James Campbell noted that “based on the feedback at the last hearing, we have updated the design to reflect a decrease in units from 29 to 26.”

This matter is now scheduled to be heard by the board during its next meeting on Wednesday, December 2. The meeting will begin over Zoom at 7:30 p.m.

Note to readers: The dates that applications are scheduled to be heard by the Morristown Board of Adjustment and other commissions are subject to change.

Related:

• ‘Golf-Themed Restaurant and Bar’ Proposed Near Morristown Green
• 40-Unit Mixed-Use Development Proposed Near Morristown’s Vail Mansion
• Construction Underway for New Project Near Morristown Green