A developer has floated turning the long-vacant Thermoplastics North factory site at 1268 Valley Road into a multistory self-storage facility, presenting the concept to Long Hill Township Committee members as the plan remains far from final. The property has a history of industrial use.
Derek Orth, representing site owner Elite Properties, presented preliminary plans for a self-storage building designed to resemble a commercial office structure rather than a typical warehouse, according to New Jersey Hills Media Group. Elite Properties is proposing a self-storage use for the parcel.
The self-storage proposal remains preliminary.
What the Storage Building Could Look Like
As currently conceived, the facility would be multistory.
The proposal remains preliminary.
Committee Reaction and Lingering Questions
The Self-Storage Proposal Township Committee members heard the preliminary self-storage proposal.
Orth presented a preliminary self-storage proposal, according to the New Jersey Hills Media Group report.
How Redevelopment Plans Work Under State Law
New Jersey's redevelopment statute, Title 40A:12A-7, governs the adoption of redevelopment plans, according to a New Jersey Legislature search result identifying that section's title.
Property records from NJParcels list 1268 Valley Road as Block 11514, Lot 6 in Long Hill Township, Morris County.
A Pattern Playing Out Across New Jersey
Long Hill's proposal arrives amid broader activity in the state's self-storage sector. Real estate experts have described New Jersey's self-storage market as showing signs of growth even as poor economic conditions and weaker job prospects have hurt occupancy rates and slowed transactions and new development, according to Inside Self-Storage.
Elsewhere in the state, a similar project has drawn more public pushback. In Bridgewater, Nan Realty Holdings LLC sought preliminary and final major site-plan approval along with variance relief for a four-story self-storage building with an estimated 630 units, including the basement, at 360 Milltown Road, according to Bridgewater Patch. That applicant reduced the building's footprint to carve out a 24-foot-wide stabilized-turf emergency fire-access area and revised landscaping to depict half of the township's required replacement trees on site, with the zoning board hearing set to continue Nov. 10.
A Separate Township Resolution
Long Hill's interest in the Valley Road corridor extends beyond the self-storage pitch. The Township Committee has a separate resolution, Resolution 26-118, authorizing acquisition steps.
