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Neighbors press Morristown council for transparency and fuller traffic studies on hospital expansion
Summary
Residents raised concerns about traffic, process and lack of community input for a proposed hospital expansion; council members said the project is not a 'done deal' and promised additional public engagement and further study.
Several Morristown residents used the Dec. 10 public hearing to press the council for more transparency and fuller studies before approving a proposed hospital expansion.
Sarah Eddie, a Ward 1 resident, told the council the hospital’s plan appeared incomplete and that community feedback had not been incorporated between presentations. She said a hospital-funded traffic study was limited — conducted on two dates, one of which reflected pandemic-era work-from-home patterns — and did not include key streets south of Madison Avenue. Eddie warned of environmental and construction impacts over a six-year build schedule and said neighbors already face daily accidents and blocked driveways because of current traffic.
"We can't approve this in a vacuum," Eddie said, noting concern that if the hospital goes directly to the Board of Adjustment it could set precedents. Michael Quatro and other neighbors echoed calls for the town to insist on a fuller plan and better public process.
Council members acknowledged the concerns. One administration official said the hospital is "not a done deal," that resident feedback has been shared with the hospital, and that the hospital has engaged professionals to study issues raised; additional public comment and neighborhood meetings are expected before any decision.
No council vote was taken on the hospital plans Dec. 10; councilmembers said they will hold further public meetings and invite all council members to future neighborhood sessions.
