Land use and development

131 Morristown Road: age-restricted townhouses on an office site

131 Morristown Rd LLC asked the Zoning Board for use and floor-area variances to replace an office complex on Route 202 with age-restricted townhouses: 119 units, then 131, then 125. On Oct. 28, 2026 the motion to approve drew four votes to three; a "d" variance needs five.

Checked against the primary record on . Every figure on this page is sourced at the foot of the article.

Vote fell short of the five needed, Oct. 28, 2026; resolution to come Last moved

What happens next

The Zoning Board adopts a written resolution memorializing its decision at a later public meeting. The township had not posted the Oct. 28 minutes as of Nov. 1, 2026.

The site. 131 Morristown Road (Route 202), Block 801, Lot 2, is an office complex on about 32 acres in the township’s E-5 office zone, where homes are not a permitted use. The owner, 131 Morristown Rd LLC (Sonny Adoni, Adoni Property Group), testified that he bought the building about four years ago and has tried for two years to lease it since a large tenant left.

The application (ZB25-040). The owner asked the Zoning Board of Adjustment for preliminary and final site plan approval, bulk variances and “d” variances for use and floor-area ratio, to remove the office buildings and build two-story townhouses for active adults:

  • Apr. 16, 2026: 119 units in 43 buildings, a clubhouse, pool and pickleball court, with wooded areas and wetlands left undisturbed.
  • May 14: all units for sale, with 20% set aside as affordable.
  • July 16: 131 units, 105 market-rate and 26 affordable; one building and the dog park dropped.
  • Sept. 17: after a straw poll in which most Board members favored garages for the affordable units, the applicant said it would revise the plans to 125 units.

Ten different residents questioned the applicant’s witnesses over the four hearings with minutes, and an attorney appeared for a neighbor on Morristown Road.

The vote. At a special meeting on Oct. 28, 2026, the township’s recording shows the motion to grant the relief received four votes in favor and three against. Under the Municipal Land Use Law a “d” variance needs the affirmative votes of at least five members, so the relief was not granted. NJ Hills reported on Oct. 29 that Chair Lisamarie Baumann, Karl Kraus and Elizabeth Silver voted no, and Beth Pochtar, Benjamin Lindeman, Susan Trapp and John Ladyzinski voted yes. The township had not posted minutes of this meeting as of Nov. 1, 2026; the outcome and roll call will be checked against them once posted.

What residents can do. The Board’s memorializing resolution will be adopted at a public meeting. Zoning changes for the site would be for the Township Committee, with Planning Board review and public hearings. The explainer has the full record. Corrections can be emailed to info@localwhy.org.

The Morristown Road townhouse case, explained

Timeline

Each dated event on this issue, oldest first, linked to the full sourced entry.

  1. Milestone Zoning Board opens hearings on 119 active-adult townhouses at 131 Morristown Road131 Morristown Rd LLC (ZB25-040) proposed removing the office buildings on Route 202 and building 119 two-story active-adult townhouses in 43 buildings, with a clubhouse and pool, seeking use and floor-area variances. Seven residents questioned the engineer.
  2. Milestone Morristown Road townhouse plan revised to 131 units, 26 of them affordableThe revised site plan showed 131 units in lieu of 119, 105 market-rate and 26 affordable, with one building and the dog park removed. The applicant offered a five-year bond in lieu of sidewalks on Route 202.
  3. Milestone Morristown Road applicant agrees to cut the plan to 125 units after a Board straw pollMost Zoning Board members said they preferred garages for the affordable units and no more units per building; the applicant's attorney said the plans would be revised to 125 units. The hearing was carried to Oct. 28.
  4. Resolved Morristown Road townhouses: 4-3 vote falls short of the five a use variance needsThe township's recording shows the motion to approve the 125-unit plan received four votes for and three against. A "d" variance needs at least five affirmative votes, so the relief was not granted.

Explainers

Documents

The township's own records on this issue. Each links to the official copy.

Meetings

  • Zoning Board of Adjustment — October 28, 2026

    Special meeting for the fifth hearing on 131 Morristown Rd LLC's townhouse application (ZB25-040). The township's recording shows the motion to approve received four votes in favor and three against, short of the five a "d" variance requires, so the relief was not granted. The agenda also listed an executive session on the Signature Acquisitions lawsuit. The township had not posted minutes of this meeting as of Nov. 1, 2026.

  • Zoning Board of Adjustment — September 17, 2026

    Special meeting for the fourth hearing on 131 Morristown Rd LLC's townhouse plan (ZB25-040). The applicant's planner testified; after a straw poll in which most members preferred garages for the affordable units, the applicant said it would revise the plan from 131 to 125 units. Five people questioned the witnesses. The hearing was carried to October 28.

  • Zoning Board of Adjustment — July 16, 2026

    Special meeting. At the third hearing on 131 Morristown Rd LLC's plan (ZB25-040), the applicant revised it to 131 units, 105 market-rate and 26 affordable, and offered a five-year bond in lieu of Route 202 sidewalks; three residents asked questions and the hearing was carried to September 17. Millington Baptist Church's application was deemed complete, and the Haley and Vesuvio approvals were memorialized.

  • Zoning Board of Adjustment — May 14, 2026

    Special meeting. At the second hearing on 131 Morristown Rd LLC's townhouse plan (ZB25-040), the applicant's architect testified that all units would be for sale with 20% set aside as affordable housing; three residents asked questions and the hearing was carried to July 16. The Board found Millington Baptist Church's parking-lot application incomplete, 7-0.

  • Zoning Board of Adjustment — April 16, 2026

    Special meeting for the first hearing on 131 Morristown Rd LLC's plan (ZB25-040) to replace two office buildings at 131 Morristown Road with 119 age-restricted townhouses in 43 buildings. The applicant's engineer testified and seven residents questioned him. No vote was taken; the application was carried with a time-to-act extension to July 31.

  • Zoning Board of Adjustment — March 4, 2026

    The Board deemed the 131 Morristown Rd LLC townhouse application (ZB25-040) complete, 7-0, and set its first hearing for April 16. It approved three residential applications and a time extension, all 7-0, found the CIG Mt Airy subdivision incomplete again, and carried the Vesuvio pool hearing to April 8. No members of the public spoke.

  • Zoning Board of Adjustment — February 4, 2026

    The Board found the 131 Morristown Rd LLC townhouse application (ZB25-040) incomplete, 7-0, after granting most waivers; approved a patio and pergola at 367 Grist Mill Drive; and carried the Callanan and Vesuvio pool hearings to March 4. Two Bridgewater neighbors questioned the Vesuvio pool plan. Nancy D'Andrea was sworn in.

Sources for this overview

  1. Zoning Board minutes, Apr. 16, 2026 (first hearing, 119 units)
  2. Zoning Board minutes, July 16, 2026 (131 units, 26 affordable)
  3. Zoning Board minutes, Sept. 17, 2026 (revision to 125 units)
  4. Zoning Board special meeting agenda, Oct. 28, 2026
  5. Township recording of the Zoning Board special meeting, Oct. 28, 2026
  6. ZB25-040 application folder (plans, reports, transcripts)
  7. NJ Hills, Oct. 29, 2026: "Bernards Township townhouse proposal denied"
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