Welcome New Residents – a Letter from the Mayor & Council

January 2021

On behalf of the Mayor and Council, we welcome you to Morris Plains, “The Community of Caring.” To better acquaint you with our Borough, we have prepared the following narrative:

Morris Plains is a picturesque single-family residential community, with a development of condominiums called “Foxwood”, the Highlands at Morris Plains Apartment complex and townhouses at Coventry Park and Signature Place situated in the central part of Morris County near Morristown, the County seat. It is located within the “intermediate ring” of the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Region, approximately twenty-five miles north-west of New York city. The Borough covers an area of 2.5 square miles and has a population of 5,748 residents.

Most of the commercial development in the Borough is found along Speedwell Avenue (Route 202), Routes 10 and 53, and American Road. Honeywell, Weichert Realtor Corporate Headquarters, Atlantic Health System, Coty Inc., Immunomedics, Inc., Charmant, and Temp Time Corporation, are some of the companies in the Borough.

A branch of the New Jersey Transit Railroad traverses the Borough from north to south and provides commuter service to Newark, Hoboken, and New York City for the residents of the Borough and surrounding communities. The passenger station is located at the intersection of Speedwell Avenue and Littleton Road. Bus lines also serve the community, running to the Short Hills, Livingston, and Rockaway Malls. Bus lines to New York City start in Morristown and Denville.
Fire protection is provided by a volunteer organization of seventy-eight members. Our Police Department consists of sixteen members and the Borough is patrolled twenty-four hours a day.
Morris Plains operates a K through 8 School System consisting of two modern elementary schools. Pupils in grades 9 through 12 attend Morristown High School.

In addition to Roberts Garden (an arboretum with gardens) the Borough maintains Morris Plains Community Park as an active recreation area including a swimming pool. There are tennis courts, picnic areas, Little League ball fields, softball fields, and a major league sized ball field at Memorial Park. Winter activities include an adult education program and ice skating. The Community Center and Museum are located on Jim Fear Drive and the Library is housed on Glenbrook Road. Located on Central Avenue is the Borough’s Community Garden and further up is Central Park at Morris County. The Borough offers a variety of Recreation programs, including sports leagues, yoga, art classes, summer music at Roberts Garden, hosting the largest Memorial Day Parade in Morris County and other seasonal community-wide celebrations.

A fully equipped Y.M.C.A. is located nearby as well as the Mennen Sports Arena, which featured sporting events, entertainment and ice arena.

The tax rate of the Borough for the year 2020 is $2.388 per $100.00 based on 91.05% assessment. Taxes include the cost of the sewer system, garbage and recycling.

Twice weekly collection of garbage is Mondays and Thursdays, with Recyclable collection each Tuesday. Water for Morris Plains is supplied by the Southeast Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority. The Borough is completely sewered.

The Borough has a full recycling program with its center located at 263 Tabor Road. The Borough Road Department collects leaves in the fall and garden debris (including brush) from March through September.

There are no hospitals within the limits of the Borough; however there is Morristown Memorial Hospital in Morristown, St. Clare’s in Denville, and St. Barnabas in Livingston. The Borough is served by the Morris Minute Men Ambulance Service, which is comprised of volunteer men and women from this area.

There is shopping in local stores on the main street, Speedwell Avenue and Kohl’s Shopping Center. Morristown has a large shopping area selling all types of merchandise. Other shopping centers in the surrounding area are the Morris County, Rockaway, Short Hills, and Livingston Malls, which can be reached by car in approximately twenty minutes.

There are private schools for all ages in the vicinity, and colleges for day students as well as boarding students. Three churches, Morris Plains Presbyterian, St. Paul’s Episcopal, and Trinity Lutheran are within the limits of the Borough of Morris Plains and other denominations have houses of worship in neighboring towns.

Visit the Borough’s website, morrisplainsboro.org, for meeting dates, programs, events, and services. Also, be sure to sign up for RAVE Alerts, Smart 911 and our weekly email.

Jason C. Karr, Mayor
Joan Goddard, Council President
Art Bruhn, Councilmember
Sal Cortese, Councilmember
Cathie Kelly, Councilmember
Nancy Verga, Councilmember
Dennis Wagner, Councilmember