Borough of Metuchen, NJ Site Plan Development Standards

The following standards shall be used to prepare and review any site plan:

Vehicular access. No public or private roadway shall be located within 25 feet of an existing adjacent residential use or district, except in such cases where the Board determines that it shall be necessary for an existing or future roadway connection. No driveway shall be located within 10 feet of an existing adjacent residential property nor within five feet of any other property line.

Building location. A building shall be located to front towards and relate to a public street, both functionally and visually. In a multiple-building development, buildings located on the interior of a site shall front towards and relate to one another, both functionally and visually. To the greatest extent possible, the development shall divide proposed buildings into smaller, individualized groupings, utilizing such features as courtyards, quadrangles and alleys that encourage pedestrian activity and incidental social interaction among users. Spatial relationships between buildings shall be geometrically logical and architecturally formal. No building shall be oriented to front toward a parking lot. All buildings shall be located to allow for adequate fire and emergency access.

Parking lot location. A parking lot shall be located to the rear of a building and/or the interior of the site where its visual impact to adjacent properties and the public right-of-way can be minimized. Parking lots shall be prohibited in any front yard setback area.

Pedestrian circulation. A barrier-free walkway system shall be provided to allow pedestrian access to a building or use from both a parking lot within the site and from the Borough sidewalk system. Such walkway system shall promote pedestrian activity both within the site itself and throughout the community by its integration with the Borough sidewalk system. Walkways shall be separate from motor vehicle circulation to the greatest extent possible and shall provide a pleasant route for users that will promote enjoyment of the site and encourage incidental social interaction among pedestrians.

Decorative lampposts. The exterior of a site with greater than 100 feet of street frontage shall provide decorative lampposts approximately 10 feet to 12 feet high, spaced at intervals of approximately 40 feet to 60 feet along or near all street lines and driveways. Walkways in the interior of a site shall have decorative lampposts approximately 10 feet to 12 feet high, spaced at intervals of approximately 30 feet to 40 feet. The style, size, color and type of light source of such lampposts shall be determined by the Board based on existing fixtures located in other similar type developments in the Borough. Lighting levels from such fixtures shall be provided pursuant to § 110-157.

Building setbacks. The minimum setbacks for buildings from driveways, parking areas and private streets within the site shall be 25 feet for residential developments and 15 feet for nonresidential developments. The provisions of this subsection are in addition to the yard setback requirements of § 110-64, which shall additionally be complied with.

Building spacing. Separation of buildings in a multiple-building development shall be based on spacing relationships corresponding to a multiplier of the highest single wall height of the buildings involved, as measured from ground level to the height of the top of the cornice or from ground level to the height of the juncture of the wall plane and the roof eaves, as follows:

Formula
Wall height x Multiplier = Distance of separation between buildings

Building Wall Relationship	Multiplier	Minimum Spacing (Feet)
Front wall to front wall	1.5	30
Front wall to rear wall	2.0	40
Front wall to side wall	1.5	30
Front wall to windowless side wall	1.5	30
Rear wall to rear wall	2.0	40
Rear wall to side wall	2.0	40
Rear wall to windowless side wall	1.5	30
Side wall to side wall	1.25	25
Side wall to windowless side wall	0.75	15
Windowless side wall to windowless side wall	0.75	15
NOTE: The minimum spacing standards listed above are generally intended for average two-story buildings and, therefore, may need to be adjusted for buildings of other heights.