The approving authority may require the installation
of applicable improvements and may rely on the specific design standards
listed in Part 5, Subdivision of Land. These improvements shall be
installed in accordance with the standards specifications and engineering
inspection requirements of that Part 5. In addition to the above-cited
required improvement and design standards, the following additional
standards shall apply to site plans. For good and sufficient reasons,
the Planning Board may vary these design details as they may apply
to a specific site plan application.
Adequate off-street parking space, open air
or indoor, shall be provided with all new construction, the creation
of new uses or the extension or alteration of existing uses.
A.
Parking area design standards. All parking areas shall
be designed in accordance with the following standards:
(1)
The minimum parking stall dimension shall be
nine feet in width and 18 feet in length.
(2)
Access driveways to parking areas shall not be less than 10 feet in width for one-way traffic and not less than 20 feet in width for two-way traffic. The location of entrances and exits shall be in accordance with the access provisions of § 130-124. Access driveways shall be separated from parking areas by a buffer strip for a distance of 50 feet from its intersection with a public road or street. Parking spaces shall not be located along access roads except if the road is designed to be wide enough to prevent vehicles from backing into the travel lane.
(3)
Off-street parking areas providing more than
two required spaces shall be designed so that no vehicle would have
occasion to back into any public street.
(4)
Aisles and driveways within parking areas shall
have the following minimum widths:
(a)
For parallel parking: 12 feet.
(b)
For thirty-degree- or less angle parking: 12
feet.
(c)
For forty-five-degree- or less but greater than
thirty-degree-angle parking: 13 feet.
(d)
For sixty-degree- or less but greater than forty-five-degree-angle
parking: 18 feet.
(e)
For ninety-degree- or less but greater than
sixty-degree-angle parking: 25 feet.
(5)
Parking spaces shall be provided in accordance
with the minimum requirements specified in the off-street parking
schedule (Schedule G).[1] When the computation to determine the number of spaces
results in a requirement of a fractional space, any fraction to and
including one-half (1/2) shall be disregarded and fractions exceeding
one-half (1/2) shall require one space. For any other uses or combination
of uses which do not fit one of the categories listed in the schedule,
the approving authority should determine the required number of spaces.
The specified standards are to be the basis of such a determination.
[1]
Editor's Note: Schedule G is included at the end of this chapter.
(6)
In parking areas for major commercial development,
a one-way internal circulation system is encouraged to facilitate
traffic movement and to reduce the number of conflict points.
(7)
Parking stalls, driveways and aisles shall be
clearly marked and delineated. The Planning Board shall require that
certain areas be maintained for fire-fighting or other emergency purposes,
and these areas shall be properly designated.
(8)
All off-street parking areas shall be paved
according to City specifications listed in Part 5, Subdivision of
Land, except if the intensity and frequency of use is limited, in
which case the Planning Board may permit a gravel or stone surface.
(9)
Parking areas shall not be located in the required
side or rear yards nor closer than 10 feet to the street's proposed
right-of-way line in the front yard. This requirement shall be maintained
to permit adequate buffering of the parking area.
(10)
All parking areas shall be suitably landscaped and buffered from adjacent land uses. At least 5% of the parking area shall be landscaped (along walkways, center islands and at the end of bays) to break up the amount of impervious surfaces. This landscaping requirement shall be in addition to the buffering provisions of § 130-126. All double-loaded parking bays with more than 20 total parking spaces shall provide a park strip at least 10 feet in width between aisles. The park strip shall be suitably landscaped and shall include a four-foot sidewalk except if exclusive walkways are provided elsewhere.
(11)
Curbing and guttering shall be required for
all paved parking areas to ensure adequate drainage, to define the
extent of the parking area and to separate parking bays from park
strips or access roads.
B.
Existing off-street parking areas shall not be reduced
or encroached upon in any way which would make them deficient for
the uses served.
C.
The collective provisions of off-street parking by
two or more buildings or uses located on adjacent lots is permitted,
provided that the total of such facilities shall not be less than
the sum required for involved buildings or uses computed separately,
unless it can be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the approving
authority that the periods or need are entirely or partially mutually
exclusive.
D.
All off-street parking is to be provided on lot or
contiguous to the lot and adjacent to the specified principal use.
For nonresidential uses in commercial districts, required parking
may be located within 150 feet of such use, said distance to be measured
from the nearest point of the parking facility to the nearest point
of the building served.
Off-street loading space shall be provided with
all new construction or the creation of new uses in accordance with
the following standards:
A.
An off-street loading space, as defined in this chapter,
shall be required:
(1)
For each 10,000 square feet of gross floor area
in a hospital.
(2)
For each 2,500 square feet of gross floor area
in a funeral home. [dimensions of loading space may be reduced to
thirty-three by twelve (33 X 12) feet.]
(3)
For each 12,000 square feet of gross floor area
in a commercial use or manufacturing establishment.
B.
When the computation to determine the number of required
loading spaces results in a requirement of a fractional space, any
fraction to and including one-half (1/2) shall be disregarded and
fractions exceeding one-half (1/2) shall require one space.
C.
Existing required loading areas, together with their
accessways, shall not be encroached upon or reduced in any manner
or devoted to any other use. The use's certificate of occupancy shall
be declared invalid in the event of such occurrence.
D.
All off-street loading spaces shall be surfaced with
asphaltic or portland cement concrete. The arrangement of off-street
loading space shall be such that no vehicle shall have occasion to
back into any public street or an internal access road of a parking
area.
E.
Off-street loading areas shall be located or screened
so that they cannot be seen from adjacent land uses or from the public
street and shall not encroach on any required yards.
Access shall be designed in accordance with the driveway regulations in § 130-122 as well as with the following additional standards for all site plans:
A.
Access to a site shall be provided from an improved
existing or proposed public street at defined locations. For developments
on parcels of land with frontage of less than 150 feet, no more than
two one-way driveways or one two-way driveway shall be permitted.
The number of driveways provided from a site directly to a road for
a parcel of 150 feet or more shall not exceed two two-way driveways
or one two-way driveway and two one-way driveways.
B.
All entrance and exit driveways to a road shall be
located to afford maximum safety to traffic on the road. Where a site
occupies a corner of two intersecting roads, no driveway entrance
or exit may be located within 50 feet of the point of tangent of the
existing or proposed curb radius of that site.
C.
Whenever a development is proposed at the intersection
of an arterial or major collector and a road of lesser importance,
access to the development shall be gained from the county or City
road of lower functional classification.
D.
The width of a driveway at the right-of-way line shall
be a minimum of 20 feet and a maximum of 40 feet for two-way operation
and a minimum of 12 feet and a maximum of 20 feet for one-way operation.
E.
No part of any driveway shall be located within a
minimum of 10 feet of a side property line. However, the Planning
Board may permit a driveway serving two or more adjacent sites to
be located on or within 10 feet of a site property line between the
adjacent site. The use of marginal access roads or joint driveways
may be required by the Planning Board in an area of commercial development
to collect the commercial traffic.
F.
Where two or more driveways connect a single site
to any one road, a minimum clear distance of 75 feet shall separate
the closest edge of any two such driveways for a parcel with less
than 150 feet of frontage, and a minimum of 100 feet shall separate
any two driveways for a parcel of more than 150 feet.
G.
Deceleration lane. Where a driveway serves as an entrance
to a land development providing 50 or more spaces, an acceleration
lane shall be provided for traffic turning right into the driveway
from any arterial, major or minor collector road. The deceleration
lane shall be at least 200 feet long and at least 13 feet in width.
A minimum forty-foot curb radius shall be used from the deceleration
lane into the driveway. If a deceleration lane is provided, the driveway
angle may be less than 75°.
H.
Acceleration lane. Where a driveway serves right-turning
traffic from a parking area providing 200 or more parking spaces and
the abutting road has a peak-hour traffic volume exceeding 1,000 vehicles
per hours, an acceleration lane shall be provided at least 200 feet
in length and at least 13 feet in width. In situations where these
criteria are not met, the Planning Board may require acceleration
lanes for commercial, residential or industrial development upon the
recommendation of the City Engineer to improve traffic merging or
sight conditions.
All site plan applications shall include plans
for proposed exterior lighting. These plans shall include the location,
type of light, radius of light and intensity in footcandles. All lighting
shall be designed in accordance with the following design standards:
A.
The style of the light and the light standard shall
be consistent with the architectural style of the principal building.
The height of the lighting shall be in scale with the height of the
principal building and shall not exceed 15 feet.
B.
All lights shall be properly shielded to restrict
the maximum apex of illumination to 150° and to prevent glare
or illumination on adjacent land uses.
C.
Lighting shall be located among streets and parking
areas and at all intersections. In addition, all building entrances
and exits shall be lighted, and all sidewalks shall have low or mushroom-type
structures. Freestanding lights shall be located and designed so as
not to be easily damaged by vehicles or to be a roadside safety hazard.
D.
Spotlight fixtures attached to buildings shall not
be permitted except for security purposes in the rear of buildings.
E.
The appropriate intensity of lighting in footcandles
and the type of lighting shall be determined by the Planning Board
upon the recommendation of the City Engineer.
All site plans shall provide sufficient buffering
and screening to minimize any adverse impacts or nuisances of the
site or from adjacent areas and to improve the physical appearance
of the site. The use of buffering, such as adequately space deciduous
trees, low hedges, bushes, shrubbery, berms and other landscaping
elements, is used to soften the visual impact of the proposed use
and to provide a break between adjacent uses of the same type or from
the road. Buffering also serves to mitigate certain disharmonies and
incapatibilities between adjacent nonagricultural and agricultural
uses, such as noise, odor, dust, fumes, drifting chemical spray materials,
straying animals, trespassers, pilferage, vandalism and damage to
crops. "Screening" is defined as a physical or natural barrier that
is required to block an objectionable view or to prevent nuisance
characteristics of the proposed use, such as noise or light, from
extending beyond the limits of the property. Fences, walls, high hedges,
mounds and berms and dense tree plantings (normally evergreens or
poplar trees) are examples of effective screening methods. The following
general standards are to be utilized in the design of all site plans:
A.
Buffering or screening shall be required along the
perimeter of all developments unless waived by the Planning Board.
Buffers shall be created along and adjacent to property lines of similar
or proposed uses and along the road. Buffers and/or screening may
also be required on the interior of a development to shield parking
areas; play or recreational areas; utility installations, such as
solid waste receptacles; loading bays, where interior streets run
parallel with roads exterior to the site; or other areas requiring
privacy, shielding or enhancement of visual appearance. Whenever a
nonresidential use abuts existing or proposed residential land use,
a dense natural barrier or screen shall be required.
B.
Buffer zones shall be maintained in their natural
state when wooded. When natural vegetation is sparse at certain locations,
the Planning Board may require additional plantings.
C.
Fences or walls are effective screening devices. However,
any proposed fence or wall shall complement the structural type and
design of the principal buildings. The use of fences with high transparency,
i.e., chain link fence, shall not be considered as an adequate buffer
unless complemented by landscaping. High fences or walls with little,
if any transparency, shall only be considered in areas appropriate
for screening.
D.
The use of landscaping techniques, such as terracing
and the creation of berms or mounds, shall be encouraged as part of
the landscaping plan and to accomplish adequate buffering or screening.
A landscaping plan shall be submitted with each
site plan application. The plan shall identify and locate existing
and proposed trees, shrubs, bushes, plant material and ground cover.
The plan shall also indicate any proposed alterations of the terrain
for landscaping purposes. The following principles shall be followed
in the development of a landscaping plan:
A.
Landscaping shall be designed to accent and complement
buildings and shall be located to assist with interior climate control.
B.
The impact of any proposed landscaping plan shall
be considered over time so that shrubs or trees do not grow and eventually
block sight distances. This concern is particularly important at driveway
entrances and in parking areas.
C.
Factors, such as texture, color, shapes and foliage,
shall be considered in the choice of species. In addition, the susceptibility
of the species to disease and litter or maintenance problems must
be considered.
D.
The preservation of existing trees and vegetation
is encouraged. Specimen trees over 15 inches in diameter shall be
incorporated in all landscaping plans. Although the alteration of
the existing terrain is permitted to accomplish appropriate landscaping
objectives, the grade around existing trees may not be varied more
than six inches except if properly designed tree wells are to be constructed.
E.
If a submitted plan requires the removal of any existing
trees, the Shade Tree Advisory Board shall first be consulted and
their input obtained by the approving authority before rendering any
decision. The applicant shall specifically be responsible for notifying
the Shade Tree Advisory Board prior to any preliminary review.
[Amended 10-16-1995 by Ord. No. 95-15]
The provision of off-tract improvements as set forth in § 130-148 of Part 5, Subdivision of Land, shall apply to site plan review and approval as fully as if it were a part of this Part 5 to ensure a pro rata share allocation of the cost of off-tract improvements necessitated by new development. All provisions of § 130-148 of this chapter, as amended, shall apply to site plan review and approval.
A.
There shall be included in any new multifamily housing
development that requires subdivision or site plan approval an indoor
or outdoor recycling area for the collection and storage of residentially
generated recyclable materials. The dimensions of the recycling area
shall be sufficient to accommodate recycling bins or containers which
are of adequate size and number and which are consistent with anticipated
usage and with current methods of collection in the area in which
the project is located. The dimensions of the recycling area and the
bins or containers shall be determined in consultation with the City
Recycling Coordinator and shall be consistent with the district recycling
plan adopted pursuant to § 3 of P.L. 1987, c. 102 (N.J.S.A.
13:1E-99.13) and any applicable requirements of the municipal master
plan, adopted pursuant to § 26 of P.L. 1987, c.102.
B.
The recycling area shall be conveniently located for
the residential disposition of source-separated recyclable materials,
preferably near but clearly separated from a refuse dumpster.
C.
The recycling area shall be well lit and shall be
safely and easily accessible by recycling personnel and vehicles.
Collection vehicles shall be able to access the recycling area without
interference from parked cars or other obstacles. Reasonable measures
shall be taken to protect the recycling area and the bins or containers
placed therein against theft of recyclable materials, bins or containers.
D.
The recycling area or the bins or containers placed
therein shall be designed so as to provide protection against adverse
environmental conditions which might render the collected materials
unmarketable. Any bins or containers which are used for the collection
of recyclable paper or cardboard and which are located in an outdoor
recycling area shall be equipped with a lid or otherwise covered so
as to keep the paper or cardboard dry.
E.
Signs clearly identifying the recycling area and the
materials accepted therein shall be posted adjacent to all points
of access to the recycling area. Individual bins or containers shall
be equipped with signs indicating the materials to be placed therein.
F.
Landscaping and/or fencing shall be provided around
any outdoor recycling area and shall be developed in an aesthetically
pleasing manner.
