A new Article
XVIII, Affordable Housing District 4 is hereby established in this Chapter
210 of the Borough of Saddle River Zoning Ordinance. This zone shall encompass Block 1703 Lot 15 on the Borough of Saddle River Tax Maps.
The purpose of the Affordable Housing District 4 (AH-4) is to
establish a 100% affordable housing development zone encompassing
Block 1703 Block 15 to accommodate very-low-, low- and moderate-income
housing units satisfying the Fair Housing Act and Uniform Housing
Affordability Controls, and in conformance with the applicable procedural
and substantive rules for affordable housing, as determined by the
courts or other applicable authority, by permitting such development
subject to the following regulations.
The AH-4 District shall permit a 100% affordable housing development.
Accessory uses and structures may include the following:
A. Public and private utilities servicing the units;
B. Internal roadways, parking areas and sidewalks;
C. Clubhouses and other recreation buildings;
D. Garage structures that serve the development;
H. Fences and walls, which shall complement the architectural style,
type, and design of the buildings and the overall project design;
I. Stormwater management basins and structures and sanitary sewer systems
and pumps and utilities, when properly screened and landscaped;
J. Swimming pools and tennis courts;
K. Mail boxes or a mail box station;
L. Internal traffic control devices and traffic and directional signs;
N. Passive and active recreation areas;
Q. Snow removal equipment storage;
S. Any other accessory uses and structures approved as part of site
plan review including detention/retention ponds and catch basins or
piping to ensure adequate stormwater management controls;
T. Other accessory uses and structures that are normally considered
customarily incidental to the principal permitted uses, as determined
appropriate by the approving authority.
The following development standards apply to the AH-4 District:
B. Maximum number of units: 16 units.
C. Maximum stories/height: 2.5 stories/35 feet.
D. Minimum front yard setback to Woodcliff Lake Road: 50 feet.
E. Minimum setback to all other lot lines: 30 feet.
F. Minimum landscape buffer along side lot lines: 7.5 feet.
G. Minimum landscape buffer along rear lot line: 10 feet.
H. Maximum building coverage: 15%.
I. Maximum impervious coverage: 30%.
An overall thematic design and architectural motif shall be
utilized within the AH-4 District for the purpose of presenting an
aesthetically pleasing design and an integrated unifying design expression
for development within the zone. To the maximum extent feasible, the
architectural design shall be similar to the single-family dwellings
in the surrounding neighborhoods in Saddle River and Woodcliff Lake.
The following design standards shall be utilized:
A. Facade design.
(1)
For a minimum of every 25 feet of building length, there shall
be one plane-break along the facade, comprised of at least 24 inches
in depth. The offset shall extend from grade to the highest story.
(2)
Buildings with expansive blank walls on any facade are discouraged.
Side and rear elevations should receive architectural treatments comparable
to front facades, specifically with respect to window treatments and
some form of articulation relief, which may be in the form of a belt
course, corner line or similar trim features.
(3)
Decorative architectural features at entrances, cornices, and
windows, and articulation between dwelling units are encouraged, and
shall be architecturally compatible with the overall style, materials,
colors and details of the building.
(4)
Complementary building colors and materials shall be consistent
with the general theme of the development.
B. Materials: Building facades shall be finished in stone veneer, stucco,
brick and/or cast stone. Exterior building materials shall be classified
as either primary, secondary, or accent materials. The facade shall
be designed in accordance with the following:
(1)
The primary material shall cover at least 60% of the building
facade.
(2)
Secondary materials shall cover not more than 40% of the facade.
C. Exterior-mounted mechanical and electrical equipment exposed to the
public view shall be architecturally screened. Roof-mounted equipment
and projections, if applicable, should be painted the same color as
the building, and where possible, located in such a manner as to be
away from public view.
D. Varying architectural embellishments to roofs such as dormers, belvederes,
masonry chimneys and similar elements are encouraged to be incorporated
into the design, provided they are architecturally compatible with
the style, materials, colors and details of the building style.
E. Landscaping standards.
(1)
Landscaping shall be provided to promote a desirable visual
environment, to accentuate building design, define entranceways, and
screen parking areas. Foundation plantings shall be utilized to enhance
the site's visual and aesthetic amenity. Landscape features shall
also be utilized to mitigate adverse visual impacts, provide windbreaks
for winter winds and summer cooling for buildings, and enhance buffer
areas. The impact of any proposed landscaping plan at various seasonal
intervals shall be considered. Plants and other landscaping materials
shall be selected in terms of aesthetic and functional considerations.
The landscape design shall create visual diversity and contrast through
variation in size, shape, texture and color. The selection of plants
in terms of susceptibility to disease and insect damage, wind and
ice damage, habitat (wet-site, drought, sun and shade tolerance),
soil conditions, growth rate, longevity; root pattern, maintenance
requirements, etc., shall be considered. Consideration shall be given
to accenting site entrances and unique areas with special landscaping
treatment. Flowerbed displays are encouraged.
(2)
A landscape plan shall be prepared by a licensed landscape architect,
licensed by the New Jersey State Board of Landscape Architects, or
other qualified individual. Said plan shall be required at the time
of final site plan application.
(3)
All portions of the property not utilized by buildings or paved
surfaces shall be landscaped utilizing such components as shrubbery,
lawn areas, ground cover, existing vegetation, planting of coniferous
and/or deciduous trees native to the area, and fencing. Seating areas
and sculpture(s) shall also be permitted provided they are incorporated
into the design in a comprehensive integrated manner that is consistent
with the overall landscape design.
(4)
Plants and other landscaping materials shall be selected in
terms of its aesthetic and functional considerations, to create visual
diversity and contrast through variation in size, shape, texture,
and color.
(5)
Landscaping shall be designed to achieve the integration of
the various elements of site design, and highlight building and parking
placement and natural features. Consideration shall be given to accenting
site entrances and perimeter site areas with special landscape treatment.
Flowerbed displays are encouraged, as is the use of native tree species
and the Borough tree (flowering dogwood tree).
(6)
Landscaping within sight triangles shall not exceed a mature
height of 30 inches. Shade trees shall be pruned up to an eight-foot
branching height above grade.
(7)
The use of indigenous/native plant material is to be encouraged
to establish sustainable landscapes that blend with the natural environment,
reduce the use of pesticides, and reduce irrigation.
(8)
Water conservation measures such as drip irrigation and soil
moisture-sensing irrigation systems shall be used where practicable.
(9)
Shade trees shall be a minimum of three-inch caliper with a
canopy height of at least the minimum American Nursery and Landscape
Association standards for this caliper.
(10)
Ornamental trees shall be installed at a minimum size of eight
feet in height.
(11)
Shrubs shall be planted at a minimum size of 18 inches to 24
inches.
(12)
All plant material shall meet the minimum latest American Nursery
and Landscape Association standards.
F. Buffer requirements. Buffers shall comply with the following standards:
(1)
Required buffers may be entirely or partially satisfied with
existing growth of evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubbery. Buffers
which do not provide a suitable screen as required above shall be
supplemented by additional evergreen plantings to provide the appropriate
visual screen in order to minimize adverse impacts from a site on
an adjacent property or from adjacent areas, recognizing the intent
here is not to completely screen from view on-site development. Buffer
plantings may consist of evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs,
berms, boulders, mounds, or combinations thereof, as approved by the
Planning Board. While fencing may be installed to delineate the property
line, the use of fencing or walls shall not be relied upon as a primary
source of screening.
(2)
Where required, buffers shall be measured from property lines
and street rights-of-way. Buffer areas may overlap required setbacks.
(3)
Planting shall be installed at a variety of sizes which conform
to the following minimum sizes:
(a)
Shade trees: three-inch caliper and six feet in height.
(b)
Evergreen trees: six feet to eight feet in height.
(c)
Shrubs: 18 inches to 24 inches in height.
(4)
No buildings, structures, accessory structures, parking, or
storage of materials shall be permitted within the required buffer,
except that active and passive recreation areas, fencing, driveways,
retaining walls, lighting, stormwater management facilities and utilities
are permitted in the buffer.
(5)
Existing vegetation within the required buffer shall be preserved
to the extent feasible. It shall be supplemented with shade-tolerant
naturalistic massed plantings where necessary to provide screening
of adjoining land uses.
(6)
Irrigation shall be provided for all buffer plantings and sodded
lawn areas in a manner appropriate for the specific plant species.
A growth guarantee of one year shall be provided and all dead or dying
plants shall be replaced by the applicant, as required, to maintain
the integrity of the site plan.
(7)
Landscape plantings. A minimum of 30% of the plantings proposed
shall be indigenous to the region.
G. Landscape plan content. A landscape plan, which shall be required
at the time of final site plan application, shall include and identify
the following information:
(1)
Existing and proposed underground and aboveground utilities
such as site lighting, transformers, hydrants, manholes, valve boxes,
etc., existing wooded areas, rock outcroppings and existing and proposed
water bodies.
(2)
Location of existing tree areas noted for preservation within
the area of development. All existing tree areas to be saved or removed
shall be identified as such.
(3)
Existing and proposed topography and location of any proposed
landscaped berms.
(4)
Location, species and sizes of all proposed shade trees, ornamental
trees, evergreen trees and shrubs and areas for lawns or any other
ground cover. Different graphic symbols shall be used to show the
location and spacing of shade trees, ornamental trees, evergreen trees,
shrubs and ground cover.
(5)
A plant schedule indicating botanical name, common name, size
at time of planting (caliper, height and spread), quantity, root condition
and any special remarks (spacing, substitutions, etc.) for all plant
material proposed. Plants within the plant schedule shall be keyed
to the landscape plan utilizing the first letter of the botanical
plant name.
(6)
Planting and construction details and specifications.
H. Lighting.
(1)
At the time of final site plan application, lighting fixtures
and footcandle standards shall be provided for all areas of the site,
to property lines, including around buildings, circulation aisles,
parking and recreation areas and open space areas, and shall be consistent
with the standards outlined by the Illuminating Engineering Society
of North America (IESNA) and regulations of the Borough of Saddle
River, and integrated with the overall design theme of the development.
(2)
The Borough light fixture (Hadco Baltimore V651 BPS 70 watt),
with a maximum twelve-foot height, shall be utilized as the streetlight
fixture.
(3)
A lighting plan prepared by a qualified individual, such as
a professional engineer, shall be provided at the time of final site
plan application.
(4)
All freestanding outdoor lighting fixtures shall be appropriately
shielded and "dark sky" compliant, and no taller than 12 feet in height.
(5)
The intensity, shielding, direction and reflecting of lighting
shall be subject to site plan approval by the approving authority.
(6)
All parking areas, walkways, building entrances, and driveways
shall be adequately illuminated during the hours of operation that
occur after sunset. Any adjacent residential zone or use shall be
shielded from the glare of illumination from site lighting and automobile
headlights.
I. Internal circulation: The property shall have a single driveway providing
entrance and exit movements. All two-way vehicular circulation aisles
shall be 24 feet in width. One-way aisles may be 12 feet in width.
J. Parking. The minimum number of off-street parking spaces for multifamily
residential housing shall be as provided for in the Residential Site
Improvement Standards (N.J.A.C. 5:21).
K. Sidewalks. Sidewalks shall be required on site as deemed appropriate
by the Board.
L. Curbing. Curbing for interior roadways shall be Belgian block.
M. Refuse collection. The manner in which refuse material shall be stored
and collected shall be depicted on the site plan. If common refuse
collection areas are to be provided, their location shall be identified,
along with the manner in which the facility(s) shall be screened and
landscaped, how garbage truck circulation and pickup shall be accommodated,
and the manner in which recyclable material will be stored within
the refuse collection area.
N. Fencing. Decorative fencing may be installed along public roads and
along the perimeter of the development, subject to the height limitations
of the Borough code.
O. Signs. A single identification sign shall be permitted, not to exceed
three feet by four feet in dimension, placed upon a decorative stone
wall, or provided as a monument sign. The top of the sign shall not
be more than 4.5 feet from the grade as measured around the sign.
The sign shall be placed within a landscaped setting.
P. Relief from any required site design standard under this section
shall be considered a design standard exception pursuant to N.J.S.A.
40:55D-51(b) and not a variance.
Development within the AH-4 Zone shall be governed by the Saddle River Code, except where the provisions of the Residential Site Improvement Standards supersede or as specified in §§
210-104 through
210-114. Where the standards set forth herein conflict with those set forth in Chapters
37,
179 and
210 those standards set forth in §§
210-104 through
210-114 shall govern. With the exception of §§
210-104 through
210-114, the provisions of Chapter
210 shall apply to development in the AH-4 Zone only where specifically indicated as applicable.