[Added 7-25-2006 by Ord. No. O-17-2006[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed former Article XXI, HC-1 Highway Commercial District, added 12-28-1999 by Ord. No. O-12-99.
The purpose of the HC District is to recognize Delsea Drive (Route 47) and Harding Highway (Route 40 East of Grubb Road) outside of the village areas of Franklinville and Malaga as the traditional commercial corridors in the Township. The objectives of the HC District shall be to promote planned developments that are consistent with the Master Plan; to discourage uncoordinated strip commercial development and conventional residential development within the district; to encourage an aesthetic built-environment that reflects favorably on Franklin Township; to promote sound environmental design; to minimize the number of curb cuts; and to encourage the consolidation of smaller parcels into larger developments.
Permitted uses shall be as follows:
A. 
Principal uses.
(1) 
Business and commercial uses (including but not limited to building materials, hardware, garden centers, general merchandise stores, food stores, apparel and accessory stores, furniture, home furnishings and equipment, miscellaneous retail, special trade contractors).
(2) 
Professional and business offices (depository institutions, nondepository credit institutions, security, commodity brokers and services, insurance carriers, real estate, holding and other investment offices, business services, health services, legal services, educational services, engineering and management services).
(3) 
Personal services establishments.
(4) 
Funeral homes, provided that each funeral home shall be entitled to a residential accessory use.
(5) 
Diners and restaurants, including drive-through restaurants.
(6) 
Bars, pubs and taverns.
(7) 
Government buildings.
(8) 
Public utilities and public utility substations.
(9) 
Mass transit stations and depots.
(10) 
Child-care centers.
(11) 
Houses of worship.
(12) 
Clubs, lodges and fraternal organizations.
(13) 
Pet care services.
(14) 
Self-storage facilities.
B. 
Accessory uses.
(1) 
Indoor storage of goods that are sold on site (not warehousing).
(2) 
Limited manufacturing and assembly incidental to the on-site retail business such as, but not limited to, bakery, silk screening, etc.
(3) 
Parking.
(4) 
Signs.
(5) 
Enclosures for the storage of trash and recyclable materials.
(6) 
Fencing.
(7) 
Accessory solar energy systems
[Added 8-9-2022 by Ord. No. O-18-22]
C. 
Conditional uses.
(1) 
Automobile fueling stations when part of a larger planned development.
(2) 
New automobile sales and service facilities.
(3) 
Kennels.
(4) 
Local communications facilities when part of a larger planned development.
(5) 
Assisted living centers, nursing homes and convalescent centers.
(6) 
Planned villages: Residential uses are permitted as part of a planned village and, in no case, shall any residential use be permitted within 200 feet of the street lines of Delsea Drive or Harding Highway. Villages may include single-family detached, semidetached, townhouses and multifamily dwellings, provided that they are designed in accordance with the conservation subdivision standards provided for in this plan in § 253-107G. Up to 25% of the developed land in a village may be used for nonresidential purposes. A minimum tract area of 50 acres shall be required for a village.
A. 
Prohibited uses are as follows:
(1) 
Automotive salvage and/or junkyards.
(2) 
Check cashing stores.
(3) 
Adult-oriented retail businesses.
Area and bulk requirements shall be as follows:
A. 
Minimum lot area: 1.5 acres.
B. 
Minimum lot frontage: 150 feet.
C. 
Maximum coverage:
(1) 
Buildings and structures: 30%.
(2) 
Total impermeable coverage: 50% of upland areas unless parking is excluded from front yards and buildings are used to screen parking lots, in which case up to 65% of the lot may be covered by impervious materials.
D. 
Maximum building height: 2.5 stories, 35 feet.
E. 
Minimum setbacks.
(1) 
Principal building or structure:
(a) 
Front: 30 feet.
(b) 
Side: 20 feet.
(c) 
Rear: 35 feet.
(2) 
Accessory buildings and structures.
(a) 
Front: not permitted.
(b) 
Side: 10 feet.
(c) 
Rear: 10 feet.
(3) 
Parking:
(a) 
Front: No more than 25% of the total number of required spaces shall be located between the front facade of the principal building and the primary abutting roadway.
(b) 
Side: 10 feet, unless the parking area is part of a shared parking scheme pursuant to § 253-92J.
(c) 
Rear: 10 feet, unless the parking area is part of a shared parking scheme pursuant to § 253-92J.
F. 
Minimum landscaped area: 25%.
(1) 
Landscape plan shall comply with standards included in § 253-50A(22).
G. 
Curb cuts.
(1) 
No more than two curb cuts shall be permitted unless the street frontage equals or exceeds 400 feet, in which case one additional curb cut shall be provided. Driveways and entry roads shall have a minimum separation of 100 feet at the street line, provided, however, that this provision shall not apply to boulevards.
H. 
Design standards. All developments shall be designed with a common architectural theme and shall adhere to the following design standards, landscaping standards, and signage controls as per § 253-50 and § 253-178.
(1) 
Facades. No uninterrupted facades in excess of 100 feet shall be permitted. Facades greater than 100 feet must incorporate recesses and projections along at least 20% of the facade length.
(2) 
Entrances: Each principal building shall have a clearly defined, highly visible customer entrance.
(3) 
Rooflines: Rooflines must use parapet walls to conceal rooftop equipment and utilize eaves or different roof slopes to minimize the appearance of a continuous roof plane.
(4) 
Materials and colors: Exterior building material shall be of attractive and durable materials such as textured concrete, masonry, stone, brick, stucco, glass or finished wood. Unfinished concrete block and prefabricated metal panels shall be prohibited. Facade colors shall be of low reflectance and use neutral or earth tones. Building trim may utilize brighter shades for enhancement of the structures.
(5) 
Dominant exterior building materials may not include:
(a) 
Aluminum siding.
(b) 
Vinyl siding.
(c) 
Smooth-faced CMU.
(d) 
Tilt-up concrete panels.
(e) 
Glass, highly reflective, mirrored.
(6) 
The applicant shall be required to present architectural plans to the Architectural and Landscape Advisory Board prior to submission to the Board.
I. 
Environmental requirements.
(1) 
The applicant shall submit a completed New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Permit Identification Form as part of the application. Proof of submittal to the NJDEP shall also be provided.
(2) 
The applicant will provide a complete listing of all notices of environmental violations issued by the NJDEP, EPA, county and municipal entities for the subject property and for the applicant for a period of 10 years immediately preceding the filing of the development application.
(3) 
The applicant shall provide a list of all NJDEP required permits related to land use management; air quality permits; water supply permits; water quality; and all other required permits.
(4) 
The applicant shall provide a copy of all required permits as a condition of signing of the final site plan.