A 149-unit apartment building at the eastern gateway of downtown Millburn received Planning Board approval Wednesday, July 15, when the board adopted a resolution on an amended major site plan for Annie Millburn Partners LLC at 249 Millburn Avenue, according to the meeting agenda.

The board also approved a preliminary and final minor site plan for Canoe Brook Country Club at 1108 Morris Turnpike, green-lighting a new tennis facility and court expansion at the private Short Hills club.

The 2.22-acre site, formerly home to the Annie Sez retail store, will become a multi-level residential building with 149 apartments and a five-level, 324-space parking garage. Thirty of the units — 20% — are designated affordable family rentals under the township's RMF-AH4 inclusionary housing zone.

The unit mix, per Planning Board records memorialized in December 2023: seven studios, 53 one-bedrooms, 83 two-bedrooms, and six three-bedrooms. The affordable units are spread across the building rather than concentrated on one floor.

The project replaces a one-story, roughly 29,250-square-foot commercial building and a large asphalt parking lot that covered about 90% of the parcel. The new development will include a 6,000-square-foot internal courtyard and a fenced dog park on the east side. Vehicle access will shift to Essex Street, and the existing curb cut on Millburn Avenue will be replaced with full-height curb.

The Planning Board originally approved the project in September 2023 under Application #22-003. Wednesday's vote, on Application #26-004, approved amendments to that site plan along with associated variances. Committeeman Michael Cohen noted at the Tuesday, May 19, 2026, Township Committee meeting that "setback issues" were expected to arise during Planning Board review of the application. The specific variances granted have not yet been detailed in posted meeting records.

Developer Jonathan Schwartz testified during the original 2023 hearings that the 324-space garage was deliberately "over-parked" to accommodate residents' vehicle ownership and reduce pressure on downtown street parking.

Canoe Brook Country Club, the private club at 1108 Morris Turnpike in Short Hills, won approval for Application #26-005. The preliminary and final minor site plan covers demolition and construction of a new tennis facility building, expansion and rehabilitation of existing courts, and an underground golf cart storage area. The club sought two setback variances for the tennis court extension, according to engineering review documents.

The approval follows other recent capital investment at the club. Canoe Brook opened a two-level, 23-stall practice range in July 2025 at a cost of roughly $3.5 million. General Manager Albert Costantini told Club + Resort Business in March 2026 that the range was "part of our strategic plan" and was funded without a member assessment.

The Planning Board's next scheduled meeting is Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at the Millburn Board of Education, Education Center Building, 434 Millburn Avenue. Full minutes from the July 15 meeting, including vote counts and any conditions of approval, have not yet been posted.