This chapter shall be known as the "Comprehensive
Land Development Chapter" of the Code of the Township of Stillwater.
It is the intent and purpose of this chapter:
A. To regulate land development and provide zoning regulations
for the Township of Stillwater pursuant to the Municipal Land Use
Law, N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1 et seq., as interpreted by decisional law.
B. To implement and give effect to the goals and objectives
of the Master Plan for the Township of Stillwater, adopted February
17, 1999.
C. To give municipal effect to the purposes of the Municipal
Land Use Law, N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1 et seq., which purposes are as follows:
(1) To encourage municipal action to guide the appropriate
use or development of all lands in this state, in a manner which will
promote the public health, safety, morals, and general welfare;
(2) To secure safety from fire, flood, panic and other
natural and man-made disasters;
(3) To provide adequate light, air and open space;
(4) To ensure that the development of the municipality
does not conflict with the development and general welfare of neighboring
municipalities, the county and the state as a whole;
(5) To promote the establishment of appropriate population
densities and concentrations that will contribute to the well-being
of persons, neighborhoods, communities and regions and preservation
of the environment;
(6) To encourage the appropriate and efficient expenditure
of public funds by the coordination of public development with land
use policies;
(7) To provide sufficient space in appropriate locations
for a variety of agricultural, residential, recreational, commercial
and industrial uses and open space, both public and private, according
to their respective environmental requirements in order to meet the
needs of all New Jersey citizens;
(8) 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 result in congestion
or blight;
(9) To promote a desirable visual environment through
creative development techniques and good civic design and arrangements;
(10)
To promote the conservation of historic sites
and districts, open space, energy resources and valuable natural resources
in the state and to prevent urban sprawl and degradation of the environment
through improper use of land;
(11)
To encourage planned unit developments which
incorporate the best features of design and relate the type, design
and layout of residential, commercial, industrial and recreational
development of a particular site;
(12)
To encourage senior citizen community housing
construction;
(13)
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;
(14)
To promote utilization of renewable energy sources;
and
(15)
To promote the maximum practicable recovery
and recycling of recyclable materials from municipal solid waste through
the use of planning practices designed to incorporate the State Recycling
Plan goals and to compliment municipal recycling programs.
D. To preserve the features of the natural environment
and to enhance the quality and character of the man-made environment
in the Township of Stillwater;
E. To foster economic development and investment in appropriate
locations and districts in the Township of Stillwater;
F. To preserve farmlands and historic landmarks in the
Township of Stillwater;
G. To offer the citizens of Stillwater Township the best
opportunities and protections associated with modern zoning and land-use
planning, while making the municipal review and approval process more
responsive to their needs and expectations.