DENVILLE — In recent years, corporate development in Parsippany has sparked some debate. However, for many years, residents of Fox Chase Drive cherished the scenic beauty of their backyards, which opened onto what they fondly referred to as the “enchanted forest.” This stretch of wooded, undeveloped land in Denville was a haven for wildlife, where animals would wander, linger, and play.
But that came to an abrupt end a few years ago, when residents found themselves on the losing side of an approval granted by Denville for the Weiss-Aug Group to construct their metal stamping factory on the long-time forested site.
Parsippany resident Amit Mitra said “Wild turkey, coyotes, deer, Fox cubs, and other animals often played right here,” while pointing down toward the ground.
This property sits on the border of Denville and Parsippany, with a section of the land sited in Parsippany. “The development not only destroys the beautiful, peaceful ambiance we had, and negatively impacts the values of our homes, but also impacts our safety and security,” added Mitra.
During the factory’s construction, residents said they endured months of a diminished quality of life. “After the construction started, our homes were shaking. Wall hangings were knocked off walls, and the rafters on our roofs were rattling. Afraid of our safety, we complained to both Parsippany Mayor James Barberio and Denville Mayor Tom Andes. Mayor Barberio did not respond,” Mitra contended.
Parsippany-Troy Hills Councilman Justin Musella was alerted about the matter during the final phase of the factory’s construction and vowed to provide any assistance possible to the impacted Parsippany residents.
Musella contacted local businesses Cerbo’s Greenhouse and Wall Landscaping and collaborated with them to provide impacted residents with donated trees and planting at discounted pricing, funded by Musella.
Area residents responded joyfully to this week’s tree delivery. Over 20 neighbors gathered to thank Cerbo Greenhouse, Wall Landscaping, and Councilman Musella for coming together to do something nice for the community.
Parsippany resident Snigdha Mitra’s smile beamed ear-to-ear as he noted that the tree line would restore some semblance of privacy and security in the neighborhood. While it will take many years to regrow the natural buffer that once existed, the saplings will continue to grow and, in 5-10 years, can provide ample natural protection to the manufacturing site.
Mitra publicly thanked Councilman Musella for being “the only councilman and township official to listen to our concerns and come to see the situation in person. This construction and destruction of habitat should never have been permitted. But given where we are, Councilman Musella was proactive in partnering with local businesses to resolve the problem. I wish he had been our mayor two years ago! We need more local representatives like Justin who listen and solve issues for ordinary citizens, rather than being under the thumbs and in the pockets of large developers and big businesses.”
