[Added 8-24-2000 by Ord. No. 2000-05]
A.
The golf course shall contain a minimum of 18 holes.
The length of the golf course shall not be less than 6,750 yards for
the first 18 holes.
B.
Access to the golf course and clubhouse, other than
restricted access for emergency vehicles, is permitted only from tract
frontage on a state or county road.
C.
The sole principal uses shall be the golf course and
clubhouse. No residential uses, permanent, periodic or overnight,
are permitted, except that one residence may be used as a residence
for a golf course manager and family or one clubhouse staff member
and family. All other existing buildings on the tract shall be converted
to accessory structures or shall be demolished. To ensure compliance
with the nonresidential intent of the permitted golf course use of
the tract, the owner of the tract shall submit and Franklin Township
shall have accepted, prior to issuance of any permit for golf course
or clubhouse construction, a deed merging the lots comprising the
tract, and a deed restriction precluding residential uses on the tract
and precluding future subdivision to create new lots other than a
single lot to encompass the clubhouse. The clubhouse lot need not
meet zone setback requirements, provided that the clubhouse meets
the tract setback standards above.
D.
The clubhouse may contain a restaurant and bar with
a combined seating capacity of 150 seats, a pro shop, administrative
offices, shower and locker facilities and other uses customarily associated
with a golf course and clubhouse. Golf cart storage may be provided
in the clubhouse or in accessory structures.
E.
Permitted accessory uses, in addition to those necessary
for golf course use, may include one unlighted putting green, one
unlighted practice area and one unlighted driving range, provided
that no driving range netting is necessary.
F.
Safety fences and netting for golf ball containment
are not permitted without the approval of the approving agency.
G.
Parking shall be provided at a ratio of one space
per three clubhouse seats, and plans shall propose additional on-site
parking to satisfy the reviewing agency that parking demand shall
be met. No parking shall be located within 200 feet of a tract boundary.
H.
Sewage treatment shall be provided by an on-site septic
disposal system approved by the Hunterdon County Health Department
or by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and shall
serve the clubhouse and golf accessory structures only.
I.
A water use budget and water recycling plan shall
be prepared and submitted as part of any golf course/clubhouse site
plan application. This plan shall detail the source of potable and
irrigation water, the projected amounts which will be required and
the water supply capacity of any aquifer from which such water will
be withdrawn, as outlined in the Water for the 21st Century: The Vital
Resource, New Jersey Statewide Water Supply Master Plan (1996), including
basis and background documents.
J.
The application for golf course/clubhouse approval
shall include a stormwater management plan demonstrating minimization
of aquifer draw and maximization of stormwater retention for irrigation
use.
K.
Runoff collection ponds shall be constructed for use
as stormwater management devices and as sources of aquifer recharge
water or irrigation water.
L.
Best management practices shall be employed to maximize
recharge of surface runoff wherever possible.
M.
Following the installation of any well intended to serve as a water supply source for the golf course, and prior to the issuance of a construction permit, a pump test shall be conducted at the maximum projected pumping rate. The test shall be in accordance with Chapter 365, Wells, and an approved New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Bureau of Water Allocation Aquifer Test Plan and subject to review by the Franklin Township Board of Health to assess the impacts on other well users in the vicinity and effects on stream base flows. If significant well interference (domestic observation well) on an existing well is demonstrated during interference tests, the new well cannot be certified for use. If a significant adverse impact cannot be remedied, the Board of Health will deny certification of the new well.
N.
The golf course application shall include a project-specific
integrated turf management plan and an integrated pest management
plan. The application shall also include a project-specific golf course
operation manual which incorporates the guidelines and best management
practices established by the "Draft Guidance Manual; Best Management
Practices for Golf Course Management for Golf Course Construction
and Operation in New Jersey" published by the New Jersey Department
of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) dated January 2000, and subsequent
amendments and shall take into account guidelines promulgated by the
United States Golf Association (USGA) and the Golf Course Superintendents'
Association (GCSAA).
O.
The golf course application shall include a ground
water and surface water monitoring plan and proposed protocols to
mitigate any adverse impacts. The plan shall be specifically for the
proposed golf course/clubhouse and shall be approved by the approving
authority in consultation with the Franklin Township Board of Health.
Such monitoring program shall detail the type, timing and frequency
of testing and identify the specific chemical parameters to be tested.
The plan must include background preconstruction monitoring and sampling
and a continuing monitoring program and results of such water quality
monitoring shall be submitted by the owner/operator to the Franklin
Township Board of Health within 30 days of receipt of such results.
In addition, continuous water level monitoring equipment (data logger)
shall be installed and maintained as specified by the Board of Health.
Test results of such water quantity monitoring shall be submitted
by the owner/operator to the Board of Health within 30 days of receipt
of such results by the owner/operator.
P.
A vegetated buffer at least 100 feet wide consisting
of native trees, shrubs and ground covers shall be provided and maintained
between any turf area which will be treated with fertilizers or pesticides
and the closest point of any one-hundred-year floodplain or, if there
is no floodplain, the top of bank of any permanent, intermittent stream.
Pond frontage shall be exempt from this requirement upon a showing
of good cause by the applicant.
Q.
Grasses selected for use on a golf course shall be
drought- , pest- and disease-resistant to minimize the use of chemicals
and irrigation.
R.
Soil erosion and sedimentation shall be minimized
through golf course design which minimizes the need for mass grading
for greens, tees and fairways, through coordinated soil erosion and
sediment control measures and through construction phasing that limits
the extent of clearing and soil exposure prior to revegetation.
S.
No portion of any golf tee, fairway or green shall
be located closer than 150 feet to any tract boundary or public road
right-of-way, which distance may be reduced to 100 feet by the approving
agency upon demonstration that the proposed location and alignment
will not threaten golf ball excursions onto adjacent properties or
roads. Golf cart paths may be located no closer than 100 feet to such
boundaries or roads.
T.
Only electric golf carts are allowed.
U.
No more than 35% of wooded areas (as shown on the
most recent aerial photographs available) shall be cleared and priority
shall be given to preservation of larger, healthy, mature trees. Any
clearing beyond 25% of the wooded acreage of the tract shall be mitigated
by replacement with native trees and shrubs elsewhere on the tract.
Priority for such replacement shall be given to locations where stream
corridors are not shaded by vegetation at the time of development.
V.
No clearing, grading or site improvement related to
the golf course/clubhouse shall be conducted in areas of 15% slope
or greater, except that areas of play (tees, greens, bunkers, fairways
and practice facilities) created as part of the golf course which
result in new areas of steep slope shall not be deemed to violate
these requirements.
W.
Wherever a waterway crossing is proposed, such crossing
shall be designed to minimize the removal of trees and other shading
vegetation. All crossings other than access driveways shall be bridged,
not designed with culverts.
X.
Habitat for wildlife species which help control pests
(e.g., bats, bluebirds, purple martins, etc.) should be protected.
Additional habitat for these beneficial species should be created
whenever feasible and environmentally desirable.
Y.
Exterior site lighting shall be limited to parking
lot areas and shall be limited to that necessary for safety and security.
There shall be no spillover of lighting beyond the tract boundaries.
The lighting shall conform to the lighting requirements of the Code
of Franklin Township.
Z.
The golf course/clubhouse shall comply with the noise
control limits established by N.J.A.C. 7:29-1.1 et seq. and shall
not exceed 60 decibels at any tract boundary line.
AA.
The golf course/clubhouse shall be designed to preserve
the rural character of the viewshed and shall minimize the visual
impact on the landscape.
BB.
Major site plan approval shall be required for a golf
course/clubhouse and the site plans shall incorporate GIS format as
applicable.
