This chapter shall be known and may be cited
as the "Land Subdivision and Development Ordinance of the Township
of Greenwich."
The purposes of this chapter are as follows:
A.
To provide rules, regulations and standards to guide
the development and subdivision of lands in this Township in a manner
which will promote the public health, safety, morals and general welfare.
B.
To ensure the orderly development, conservation, protection
and proper use of land and adequate provision for circulation, utilities
and services.
C.
To provide adequate light, air and open space.
D.
To ensure the coordination of development within the
Township with the development and general welfare of neighboring municipalities,
the county and the State of New Jersey as a whole.
E.
To encourage the location and design of transportation
routes which will promote the free flow of traffic while discouraging
location of such facilities and routes which will result in congestion
or blight.
F.
To promote a desirable visual environment through
creative development techniques and good civic design and arrangement.
G.
To promote the conservation of open space and valuable
natural resources and to prevent urban sprawl and degradation of the
environment through improper use of land.
H.
To encourage development which incorporates the best
features of design and relates the type, design and layout of residential,
commercial, industrial and recreational development to the particular
site.
I.
To encourage coordination of the various public and
private procedures and activities shaping land development with a
view of lessening the cost of such development and to the more efficient
use of land.
[Amended 11-2-1993 by Ord. No. 20-1993; 4-2-2001 by Ord. No. 7-2001; 7-2-2007 by Ord. No. 14-2007; 8-18-2008 by Ord. No.
14-2008]
A.
Any owner of land within or partly within the Township
of Greenwich shall, prior to subdividing or resubdividing such land,
submit preliminary and final plans of the proposed subdivision or
resubdivisions for review and approval by the Board, as hereafter
provided in this chapter, before such plans shall be filed in the
office of the Clerk of Gloucester County or any construction permits
may be issued for lots shown on such plans.
B.
Any owner of land within or partly within the Township
of Greenwich shall prior to the development of any land submit site
plans of the proposed development for review and approval by resolution
of the Greenwich Township Planning/Zoning Board as a condition for
the issuance of a permit for any development, except that subdivision
or individual lot applications for detached one- or two-dwelling-unit
buildings shall be exempt from such site plan review and approval.
C.
Exemption for publicly owned lands; referral. State
and county entities who own lands to be subdivided and/or developed,
are exempt from the requirement of submitting formal subdivision and
site plan applications to the Greenwich Township Planning/Zoning for
formal approval. Such state and county entities shall refer their
plans for development to the Greenwich Township Planning/Zoning Board
for review and recommendation in accordance with N.J.S.A. 40:55D-31(a)
pursuant to state law; such state and county entities are not permitted
to act on the project until 45 days after the plans have been submitted
to the Planning/Zoning Board. Any recommendations made by the Planning/Zoning
Board are advisory in nature, not mandatory. Municipal entities, other
than Greenwich Township, who own land to be subdivided and/or developed
shall be required to make formal subdivision and site plan applications
to the Greenwich Township Planning/Zoning Board for approval.
D.
With the exception of single-family or multifamily
dwelling units, any change of use, ownership, proprietorship or occupancy
within the Township of Greenwich will void the previously issued certificate
of occupancy and require the issuance of a new certificate of occupancy.
In addition, there may be a new site plan review even though no new
construction is planned with the conversion of the use. This new site
plan review shall assure that the existing facilities are adequate
to handle any increased demands upon the site imposed by the change
of use or ownership.
E.
Waiver of review requirement. Notwithstanding the
above, upon submittal of a completed application, the Planning/Zoning
Board may waive formal site plan review if the only change is that
of ownership or the change is from one use to another that has equivalent
demand on facilities.
(1)
Conditions for waiver. Any applicant may request a
waiver from site plan as required under the terms of this chapter,
providing the applicant's site plan involves:
(a)
An existing building;
(b)
No new construction;
(c)
No extension of the on-tract parking requirements
or need;
(d)
No significant change in on-site traffic or
traffic flow;
(e)
Construction of a building or agricultural purposes;
(f)
No off-site improvements;
(g)
No change in the existing drainage;
(h)
No additional utility connections.
(2)
Application. Request for waiver of site plan review
shall be made by completion of an appropriate form provided by the
administrative officer and payment of the requisite fees.
(3)
The Planning/Zoning Board may impose such reasonable
conditions to the granting of a waiver as it deems necessary and/or
proper to insure that the use of the property is in accordance with
previously granted approvals and all federal, state and local laws.
F.
Waivers for change of ownership only. Whenever a waiver of site plan is sought pursuant to Subsection E above solely on the basis of a change of ownership, the applicant shall pay the required fee and complete an affidavit in a form approved by the Planning/Zoning Board which addresses the conditions set forth in Subsection E above. The affidavit shall be reviewed by the Township's Zoning Officer, who shall have the power to grant the waiver upon satisfaction that all the criteria in Subsection E have been fully met. An appeal of the Township Zoning Officer's decision may be brought to the Planning/Zoning Board in accordance with the standard provisions set forth in Subsection E above.
