Mountain Lakes OKs Hotel Zoning in Parsippany's Backyard

With a unanimous decision, the Mountain Lakes council voted to amend an ordinance that would make way for the development of a hotel in its business zone on Rt. 46.

Fair enough for that borough, but it’s the residents of Parsippany’s Rainbow Lakes section that will see much of the impact.

A proposed five-story, 60-foot tall hotel can now be considered as an addition to the Villa at Mountain Lakes at 90 US Route 46 in the borough’s business zone after the 7-0 vote to amend the town’s ordinance, according to Borough Manager Robert Tovo. The property, however, backs up to the Rainbow Lakes section of Parsippany.

Separating the two is a railroad line that runs along the border of the neighboring towns.

“This is just the first step in a long process,” Tovo said Tuesday morning. “The applicant still needs to go before the planning board and have everything approved.”

Tovo said this is just phase one of what could be a lengthy process of looking at site plans and getting various approvals from that group.

About 45 people showed up to Monday night’s meeting, Tovo said, many of which gave their opinions for and against the zoning change. There was nothing confrontational about the comments, though, Tovo said.

Two weeks ago residents from Parsippany, including officials like Mayor James Barberio and councilman Robert Peluso, attended the Mountain Lakes council meeting and asked the governing body to hold off one more time on making a vote. The neighboring town obliged, but did not waver in its support this week.

Gerald Frungillo, co-owner of the Villa at Mountain Lakes, told the Daily Record earlier this month, “I’ve got to tell (the council) I’m not going to have runoff, I have to tell them there won’t be more traffic. I have to prove all that before I get a building permit.”