Parsippany Council inks deal with Waterview Developer; Whole Foods coming to town

Nov 11, 2015

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PARSIPPANY — After years of hearings, votes, and heated negotiations, the Parsippany-Troy Hills Township Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to permit a 151,000 square foot shopping center, including a Whole Foods Market on the last vacant lot in the Waterview Office Complex off of Route 46.

Barberio said the urgency of the decision was affected by recent negotiations in which representatives of Whole Foods took part. Those representatives said if the retail development was not approved, they would instead look to occupy the 64,209 square feet Parsippany Pathmark, which is slated to close before Thanksgiving — Barberio said the urgency of the decision was affected by recent negotiations in which representatives of Whole Foods took part. They said if the development was not approved, they would instead look to occupy the 64,209 square feet Parsippany Pathmark, which will close before Thanksgiving

In addition to the nearly 49,000 square foot Whole Foods, the agreement will permit RD Realty, the contract purchaser of the Waterview site, to build a maximum of five buildings, consisting of two partially attached structures and one pad site, which will be a bank.

The rear and western side of the property which totals 10.63 acres will be sold to the Township for $3.5 million. Parsippany will use funds from its Open Space Trust Account to make the purchase. The area of land the Township will purchase will forever be deed restricted from ever being developed.

“I have fought against that area being developed right from the beginning,” said Council President Paul Carifi Jr., who voted down the proposal in 2013. “Do I like our options? No. I don’t like this being forced down our throat, kind-of. But in talking to a lot of residents in town, if you had the option A or B, which way would you rather go, I don’t think anyone wants 500-plus, 450-minimum, possibly up to 660 apartments, and the strain that would put on our town.”

Township Planner Edward Snieckus, who presented drawn plans for both the retail and housing propoals, noted that the housing could result in a net annual loss of more than $1 million to taxpayers

The resolution included negotiations increasing the size of the buffer. In addition to the 49,000-square-foot Whole Foods, the shopping center would include an additional 100,000 square feet of retail space, plus a detached bank pad. It would also restrict tenant sizes to no more than 20,000 square feet in order to restrict “big-box” tenants. In a previous application a 137,000-square-foot “big box” department store (rumored to be Target).

About 70 residents appeared at Tuesdays Council meeting.