Townhouses Will Replace Vacant School

MORRISTOWN, NJ-The 5.3-acre site housing the George Washington School has been dormant since 1989 when the school closed. Now, city officials have apparently found a use for the site–the Morristown Redevelopment Agency has picked homebuilder Matzel & Mumford to redevelop it as a residential community. The Hazlet, NJ-based M&M is a K. Hovnanian company.

Matzel & Mumford’s proposal to build a 76-unit luxury townhouse community won out over eight other developers who proposed a variety of uses, including offices, a mix of residential and offices, and even a Methodist seminary. Density was an issue.

“The town originally limited the number of units to 130, but during our negotiations, everyone agreed that a smaller number would be appropriate,” according to David Fisher, vice president of land development for M&M. “What we eventually came up with is less density, larger units and a high-end enclave with a sense of community, but that relates well to the area.”