The basics:

• SJP Properties tapped as conditional redeveloper for 4 downtown Morristown properties
• Plans call for 200 housing units, retail, parking
• Project includes about 120,000 square feet of commercial/office space
• Sites include the former Century 21 building, vacant office space

SJP Properties is gearing up to make its mark on Morristown, again. This time, the developer will tackle vacant properties including the former Century 21 building to bring new housing, office and retail space to downtown.

The Morristown Town Council approved resolutions designating affiliate SJP Morristown Green LLC as conditional redeveloper for several lots along both North Park Place and Washington Street during its Aug. 18 meeting.

The proposals would create a new mixed-use development featuring 200 units and retail along with about 120,000 square feet of commercial/office space. It builds upon SJP Properties’s track-record of success in the Morris County seat, where recent projects have drawn high-profile tenants, such as Deloitte and Sanofi, along with professional recognition.

The latest also highlights momentum within Morristown, which has been busy reinvesting downtown to return underutilized properties to productive use, attract users and bolster the historic Morristown Green area. Efforts to redevelop these latest parcels extend to 2020 and 2022.

“This is an important step forward for a part of downtown that has been waiting for new life,” said Morristown Mayor Timothy Dougherty, calling attention to the visibility of the location and the connections the project seeks to foster “for residents, businesses and visitors.”

According to Morristown Green, the Century 21 store closed in 2020. Meanwhile, it reported law offices in the redevelopment area have sat vacant since 2010.

Reactivation and restoration

Per the meeting packet, the work on North Park Place would comprise 160 residential units, ground floor retail and parking along with the build-to-suit commercial space. On Washington, plans call for approximately 54 residential units, ground-level retail and parking.

Morristown and SJP Properties said additional details regarding architectural plans, site design and potential tenants will come as the project moves through the planning and approval process.

Elsewhere in town, SJP previously developed M Station East and M Station West. According to the company, the projects helped bring about 3,400 employees to town. That includes luring Sanofi from Bridgewater, along with additional retail operators. SJP also transformed vacant space along Speedwell Avenue, where it developed Valley Bank’s headquarters.

At M Station East, global healthcare giant Sanofi intentionally made the move from the suburbs of Somerset County to the transit-oriented and walkable downtown in Morristown. The company has said the transition aimed to support access to mass transit for employees and a walkable area, as well as the environment.

“M Station has been a transformative development for Morristown, and the redevelopment of North Park will advance our long-standing vision for a more vibrant and elevated Morristown Green,” said Steven Pozycki, founder and CEO, SJP Properties. “Through the arrival of a skilled workforce, high-quality retail, and premier housing, we’ll reactivate this area and restore its place at the center of the Town.”

Next steps

Morristown and SJP Properties now have 90 days to enter an acceptable redevelopment agreement. However, that deadline can be extended for 60 days at the discretion of the mayor or the business administrator.

If an agreement is not executed within the established timeframe, the designation will automatically expire, according to the resolution.

Those scenarios have already played out at both parcels. Previous designations granted to North Park Place Holdings, a joint venture of Cannon Hill Capital Partners and TAG Redevelopment LLC, for the properties did not come to fruition.