BOROUGH OF HIGHLAND PARK RESIDENTIAL FORM-BASED CODE |
A. Orientation | |
| (1) | The footprint location and front entrance of the dwelling shall be oriented to face toward and relate to the primary street and public sidewalk. |
| (2) | On corner and through lots, the Zoning Official or the Board having jurisdiction shall have the ability to determine which streets shall constitute the primary and secondary streets for the purposes of this subsection. |
B. Public sidewalks. |
| (1) | Public sidewalks shall be provided in the right-of-way along all streets.  |
| (2) | Where such public sidewalk along the street extends beyond the right-of-way onto private property, a public access easement shall be provided for the portion of the public sidewalk located on private property. |
| (3) | The location and width of sidewalks shall be consistent with the location and width of existing public sidewalks adjacent to or near the lot to be developed. |
| (4) | The width of the public sidewalk shall be no less than four feet.  |
C. Private walkways. |
| (1) | Private walkways shall be located on a lot to facilitate pedestrian access between the public sidewalk and the front entrance of the dwelling,  with the following exceptions: |
| | a. | Lots with a front yard setback of 50 feet or greater. |
| | b. | Lots with a U-shaped driveway. |
| (2) | The width of the private walkway shall be no less than three feet.  |
| (3) | The distance between the private walkway and the driveway shall be no less than three feet,  with the exception of the portion of the private walkway providing access between the driveway and the front entrance of the dwelling. |
D. Front wall length. | |
| (1) | The length of any wall facing a street shall not exceed 40 feet.  |
| (2) | Such wall may extend beyond 40 feet in length by stepping inward or outward by an offset distance of no less than four feet.  |
| (3) | The length of any wall facing a street to achieve the required stepping shall be no less than eight feet.  |
E. Front wall fenestration. | |
| (1) | The length of a blank wall not containing windows, doors, garage bay doors or other openings facing a street shall not exceed 15 feet, as measured on each floor.  |
| (2) | The area of any wall facing a street shall consist of no less than 15% openings,  with the exception of garage bay doors and basement windows. |
| (3) | For the purposes of this subsection, walls shall be measured vertically from average finished grade to top of wall and horizontally from edge of framing to edge of framing. Fascia boards and areas behind a roof shall be excluded in the calculation of the total area of walls. Permitted openings shall be measured by the area of their rough openings, exclusive of trim and other decorative features. |
F. Side wall length. |
| (1) | The length of any wall facing a side lot line shall not exceed 40 feet.  |
| (2) | Such wall may extend beyond 40 feet in length by stepping inward or outward by an offset distance of no less than two feet.  |
| (3) | The length of any wall facing the side lot line to achieve the required stepping shall be no less than eight feet.  |
G. Side wall fenestration. | |
| (1) | The length of blank wall not containing windows, doors, garage bay doors or other openings from the dwelling's front facade shall not exceed 10 feet, as measured on each floor.  |
| (2) | The length of blank wall not containing windows, doors, garage bay doors or other openings shall not exceed 25 feet, as measured on each floor.  |
| (3) | The area of any wall facing a side lot line shall consist of no less than 5% openings,  with the exception of garage bay doors and basement windows. |
| (4) | For the purposes of this subsection, walls shall be measured vertically from average finished grade to top of wall and horizontally from edge of framing to edge of framing. Fascia boards and areas behind a roof shall be excluded in the calculation of the total area of walls. Permitted openings shall be measured by the area of their rough openings, exclusive of trim and other decorative features. |
H. Front-entry garage location. | |
| (1) | A one- or two-bay attached front-entry garage facing a street shall be recessed behind the nearest portion of the dwelling's front facade by no less than 16 feet,  exclusive of porches or stoops. | |
| (2) | The required recess may be reduced to no less than eight feet, exclusive of porches and stoops, provided that: | |
| | a. | No less than 50% of the existing single- or two-family detached dwellings located within 200 feet of the lot on the same side of the street shall have attached front-entry garages that are recessed behind the nearest portion of the dwelling's front facade by less than eight feet, exclusive of porches and stoops; or |
| | b. | The portion of the dwelling containing the garage shall be no more than one story and 20 feet in height, as measured from the average finished grade to the top of the roof structure. |
| (3) | The required recess may be reduced to no less than four feet, exclusive of porches and stoops, provided that: |
| | a. | No less than 50% of the existing single- or two-family detached dwellings located within 200 feet of the lot on the same side of the street shall have attached front-entry garages that are recessed behind the nearest portion of the dwelling's front facade by less than four feet, exclusive of porches and stoops; or |
| | b. | The portion of the dwelling containing the garage shall be no more than one story and 15 feet in height, as measured from the average finished grade to the top of the roof structure. |
| (4) | In no case shall the garage bay door(s) be closer to the street than the front entrance of the dwelling. |
| (5) | Up to eight feet of a porch may count towards the sixteen-foot front-entry garage recess requirement,  provided that such porch has the following dimensions: | |
| | a. | The depth of the porch shall be no less than six feet.  |
| | b. | The width of the porch shall be no less than 12 feet.  |
| | c. | The distance between the porch and the recess shall be no more than three feet.  |
| | d. | The portion of the dwelling containing the garage shall be no more than one story and 15 feet in height, as measured from the average finished grade to the top of the roof structure.  |
I. Side or rear-entry garages. | |
| (1) | A garage facing the side or rear of the lot shall be recessed behind the nearest portion of the dwelling's front facade by no less than eight feet,  exclusive of porches or stoops. |
| (2) | The required recess may be reduced to no less than four feet, exclusive of porches and stoops, provided that: |
| | a. | No less than 50% of the existing single- or two-family detached dwellings located within 200 feet of the lot on the same side of the street shall have attached side- or rear-entry garages that are recessed behind the nearest portion of the dwelling's front facade by less than four feet, exclusive of porches and stoops; or |
| | b. | The portion of the dwelling containing the side- or rear-facing garage shall be no more than one story or 20 feet in height, as measured from the average finished grade to the top of the roof structure. |
| (3) | In no case shall the garage bay door(s) be closer to the street than the front entrance of the dwelling. |
J. Additional provisions for garages on corner lots. | |
| (1) | On corner lots, a garage shall be located on the side of the dwelling farthest away from the street intersection.  |
| (2) | On corner lots 60 feet or less in width, the garage shall be accessed by a driveway from the secondary street. |
| (3) | On corner lots 60 feet or less in width,  the garage shall be recessed behind the nearest portion of the dwelling's front facade by no less than eight feet,  exclusive of porches and stoops. |
| (4) | On corner lots 50 feet or less in width,  the garage shall be recessed behind the nearest portion of the dwelling's front facade by no less than four feet,  exclusive of porches and stoops. |
| (5) | On corner and through lots, the Zoning Official or the Board having jurisdiction shall have the ability to determine which streets shall constitute the primary and secondary streets for the purposes of this subsection. |
K. Additional provisions for garages on lots 50 feet or less in width. | |
| (1) | An attached garage, porte-cochere or carport may extend into the side yard setback area and combined side yard setback area,  provided that: |
| | a. | The structure shall extend no more than five feet  into the setback area. |
| | b. | The structure shall be set back no less than five feet  from the side lot line. |
| (2) | The portion of the structure that extends into the setback area shall be no more than 30 feet in length.  |
| (3) | The portion of the structure that extends into the setback area shall be no more than one story and 15 feet in height, as measured from the average finished grade to the top of the roof structure.  |
| (4) | Habitable space may be located above the structure, provided that the habitable space is located within the permissible building envelope and does not extend into the setback area. |
| (5) | Porte-cocheres and carports that extend into the setback area shall be screened from view from the side lot line with evergreen landscaping no less than six feet in height at the time of planting along the entire side of the structure within the side yard setback area. |
L. Garage design. | |
| (1) | The width of the portion of the dwelling containing the garage  shall not exceed 40% of the overall width of the dwelling  or 30 feet, whichever is less. |
| (2) | The height of the portion of the dwelling containing the garage  shall not exceed the height of the remaining portion of the dwelling.  |
| (3) | In the case where the portion of the dwelling containing the garage is no more than one story in height, the vertical distance between the top of the garage bay doors and the bottom of the roof eave  shall not exceed three feet.  |
| (4) | In the case where the portion of the dwelling containing the garage is more than one story in height, a structural shading device (pent roof, trellis or similar device)  shall be provided between the garage bay doors and the second floor windows. The vertical distance between the top of the garage bay doors and the bottom the shading device, between the top of the shading device and the bottom of the second floor windows, and between the top of the second floor windows and the bottom of the roof eave  shall not exceed four feet.  |
| (5) | For the purposes of this subsection, structural shading devices and roof eaves shall be measured to the framing elements, exclusive of trim, supports, brackets and other decorative features Garage bay doors and windows shall be measured to their rough openings, exclusive of trim and other decorative features. |
M. Foundation plantings. | |
| (1) | The base along the front of the dwelling and porch facing a street shall be planted with foundation plantings consisting of deciduous and/or evergreen shrubs. |
| (2) | In the case of a corner or through lot, the base along all sides of the dwelling facing both streets shall be planted with foundation plantings. |
| (3) | The base along the side(s) of the dwelling facing a side lot line shall be planted with foundation plantings consisting of deciduous and/or evergreen shrubs, with the following exceptions: |
| | a. | The portion of the side yard having a side yard setback that is less than eight feet in width. |
| | b. | The portion of the side yard where a permitted driveway, walkways, or patios abutting the side of the dwelling. |
| | c. | The portion of the side yard behind a permitted fence or wall abutting the side of the dwelling. |
| (4) | Such plantings shall be no less than two feet tall at the time of planting, and spaced on average of four feet on center. |
| (5) | A variety of species is required to avoid a monoculture, as follows: |
| | a. | In the case where 10 or more foundation plantings are provided, no more than 1/2 shall be of any single species. |
| | b. | In the case where 15 or more foundation plantings are provided, no more than 1/3 shall be of any single species. |
| | c. | In the case where 20 or more foundation plantings are provided, no more than 1/4 shall be of any single species. |
| | d. | The selection of species shall comply with the Borough's "Do Not Plant" list. |
N. Front yard shade & flowering trees. | |
| (1) | The front yard of the dwelling shall be planted with the following number of shade and flowering trees for each 50 feet of lot width,  or part thereof: |
| (2) | In the case of a corner or through lot, both front yards shall be planted with shade and flowering trees. Where front yards overlap at a street intersection, such portion of the front yard shall only be counted once for the purposes of calculating the required number of trees. |
| (3) | In the case where healthy shade and/or flowering trees in the front yard currently exist and are proposed to be preserved, such trees shall be counted toward satisfying the required number of trees. |
| (4) | Each shade tree shall be a minimum of 2 1/2 inches in DPM and each flowering tree shall be a minimum of 2 inches in DPM at time of planting. |
| (5) | A variety of species is required to avoid a monoculture, as follows: |
| | a. | In the case where four or more shade trees are provided, no more than 1/2 shall be of any single species. |
| | b. | In the case where four or more flowering trees are provided, no more than 1/2 shall be of any single species. |
| (6) | The selection of species shall comply with the Borough's "Do Not Plant" list, latest edition. |
| (7) | Each shade tree shall constitute 1.0 replacement tree and each flowering tree shall constitute 0.75 replacement trees, for the purposes of counting replacement trees as provided by Chapter 388. Tree Removal and Protection. |
O. Street trees. | |
| (1) | Street trees shall be provided at intervals of approximately 25 feet to 40 feet along each side of all streets in consultation with the Shade Tree Advisory Committee.  |
| (2) | Where public sidewalks are present, street trees shall be located as follows: |
| | a. | Street trees shall be planted in a planting strip that is at least five feet in width and set back at least three feet from face of curb or edge of paved street. |
| | b. | Street trees may be located in a planting strip less than five feet in width only at direction of the Shade Tree Advisory Committee; otherwise, they shall be planted three to six feet from the edge of the sidewalk. |
| (3) | Where public sidewalks are not present, street trees shall be located as follows: |
| | a. | Where sidewalks are not present, street trees shall be planted between four feet to 10 feet from the face of curb or edge of the paved street. |
| (4) | No street tree shall be planted in a planting strip within 25 feet of the intersecting curb lines at a street intersection.  |
| (5) | No street tree shall be planted in a planting strip within 10 feet of a driveway opening.  |
| (6) | Such trees shall be a minimum of 2 1/2 inches in DPM at the time of planting. |
| (7) | The selection of species shall comply with the Borough's "Do Not Plant" list, latest edition. In the case where street trees are to be located under or adjacent to overhead utility lines, species selection shall be from PSE&G's "Right Tree, Right Place" list, latest edition, in coordination with the Shade Tree Advisory Committee. |
| (8) | Each street tree shall constitute 1.0 replacement tree, for the purposes of counting replacement trees as provided by Chapter 388. Tree Removal and Protection. |
P. Driveway location and design. |
| (1) | Every lot shall have no more than one driveway opening providing access to a street. | |
| (2) | On adjacent lots that have a common or shared driveway, neither lot shall be permitted to have another driveway opening providing access to a street. |
| (3) | The setback of the driveway from the intersecting lot lines at a street intersection shall be no less than 40 feet.  |
| (4) | The setback of the driveway from a side lot line shall be no less than three feet.  | |
| (5) | On adjacent lots that have a common or shared driveway and lots less than 50 feet in width, there shall be no setback requirement from the side lot line.  |
| (6) | On lots with a driveway having a setback of less than three feet from the side lot line,  the driveway shall be constructed as an inverted crown and/or with a curb edge to prevent stormwater runoff from entering the adjacent lot. | |
| (7) | The width of a driveway at the front lot line shall not exceed 12 feet.  | |
| (8) | A driveway may flare out wider within the front yard  and the width of the driveway within the front yard  shall not exceed 20 feet.  |
| (9) | A driveway shall not exceed 35% impervious coverage of the front yard.  | |