MORRIS COUNTY, N.J. — Morris County saw a significant increase in multi-family housing proposals and large-scale redevelopment projects in 2025, according to a new report released by the county’s Office of Planning and Preservation.
The annual Development Activity Report highlights trends in housing, commercial development and land use across the county. Planning officials presented an overview of the findings during a recent meeting of the Morris County Board of County Commissioners.
The Morris County Planning Board reviewed 235 development-related applications in 2025, slightly down from 244 the previous year. Parsippany-Troy Hills led municipalities with 26 submissions, followed by Randolph Township with 18 and Hanover Township with 17.
Despite the decline in total applications, the scale of development increased sharply. The board reviewed 26 multi-family and mixed-use applications totaling 2,028 proposed housing units — more than double the 923 units proposed in 2024. A handful of projects accounted for a majority of the new units, with about 14% designated for age-restricted or assisted living housing.
Housing affordability remains a concern, according to the report. The median price for new single-family attached homes reached $773,858 in 2024, while detached homes topped $1 million. Rental costs also remained high, with the median monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment at $2,216. Nearly half of renters spent more than 30% of their income on housing.
Non-residential development also expanded, with submissions totaling about 1.8 million square feet in 2025, up from roughly 726,000 square feet the year before. Much of that growth was driven by the Riverdale Quarry redevelopment project, which alone accounted for nearly 1.2 million square feet of proposed warehouse space.
Officials said the county continues to see a shift toward redeveloping older office campuses and commercial properties into mixed-use developments that combine residential, retail and industrial uses, reflecting changes in workplace trends and market demand.
The report also noted a continued decline in the creation of new single-family residential lots, with just 23 proposed in 2025.
Between 2016 and 2025, the planning board reviewed nearly 17,500 multi-family housing units, with the highest concentrations in municipalities near major highways and rail lines. In 2025, Hanover Township led the county with 405 proposed units.
The full report is available on the Morris County planning website.
