'Boutique Hotel' Gets Initial Approval From Parsippany Planning Board

PARSIPPANY, NJ — The Parsippany Planning Board approved plans for a 101-room hotel last week as part of the township's goal of redeveloping unoccupied office buildings in the community.

Following a one-hour meeting on Monday, May 15, the board voted unanimously to approve a site plan for the hotel. According to John Inglesino, the applicant's lawyer, the boutique hotel will include luxury amenities such as a restaurant, meeting rooms and a fitness center.

The applicant, Interstate Office Center, LP, is the owner of the current lot, located at 8 Wood Hollow Road in Parsippany.

Paul Anderson, the project engineer, said that the current lot is set up for an office building, but that it is currently underutilized and is on its way to becoming a vacant building. As a replacement, the applicant is proposing building a boutique hotel, dubbed, The Hotel Troy.

"Our goal is not just to meet, but to exceed every guest's expectations in a professional and gracious manner. We believe that the town needs a luxury boutique hotel. You have great hotels in this city; however, they are all large, they all look alike and they're all brands," hotel operator George Dfouni said.

The board granted conditional approval to the plan, which included a number of ADA requirements.

There was a plan in the initial application to build a rooftop bar and lounge, but it was scrapped before the board meeting. According to Anderson, they were unable to complete the full plan and decided to withdraw it from the application.

A rooftop bar could be in the works in the future, according to officials, but it would need to be submitted as a separate application.

Anderson claimed that there would be no increase in traffic flow in the surrounding areas, asserting that ITE Trip Generation calculations show that the hotel will actually reduce traffic when compared to an office building.

The hotel's ballroom and conference rooms will be available for rent to township residents who are not staying at the hotel, according to officials. Renting out the ballroom for a party or community celebration was mentioned as an example.

The project is part of a strategy to help Parsippany reduce its surplus of vacant office buildings in a commercial real estate market where large corporations and businesses have less need for office space.