Morris Township Planning Board carries minor-subdivision hearing to Oct. 20 to resolve Schoolhouse Lane right-of-way

The Morris Township Planning Board on Sept. 15 carried a public hearing for minor-subdivision application PBO825 to Oct. 20, 2025, after the applicant’s attorney said additional title and survey work is required to establish the center line of Schoolhouse Lane.

Nancy Lawtenville of the law firm Prime, Veil and Miceli, representing applicants Mark and Lynn Piccolo, told the board that an initial title review showed the property’s lot history is unclear because the original subdivision dates to 1960 and was recorded by deed rather than a plat. Lawtenville said, “we are trying to verify the center line” and that surveyors are working to locate it so the plan can show precisely “what the right of way is and where the subdivision application should begin.”

Lawtenville said the tax map lists Schoolhouse Lane as a 50-foot right-of-way but that she found a 1989 deed indicating a dedication described as a 25-foot half width; she asked to postpone and re-notice the hearing so the width can be plotted and the plans revised. The board confirmed that the item will be carried with further notice to Oct. 20, 2025, at 7 p.m. at the municipal building.

Board members also used the brief meeting to preview a full master plan update. Chair Sonia Santiago said the township’s current references still trace to a 1994 plan and that officials expect to discuss scope and cost with the mayor and planning professionals. A board member noted a statutory deadline in March 2026 for municipalities participating in zoning-compliance efforts and said the board hopes to complete the work by the end of 2025 or, at worst, in the first quarter of 2026.

No members of the public spoke, and the board did not enter closed session. The meeting concluded after a motion to adjourn was made, seconded and approved by voice vote.