A.
All site plan and subdivision plats shall conform to design standards
that will encourage desirable patterns with the Township.
(1)
Where either or both an official map or master plan have been adopted,
the site plan or subdivision shall conform to the proposals and conditions
shown thereon.
(2)
Any streets, drainage rights-of-way, school sites, public parks and
playgrounds or other municipal facilities shown on an adopted master
plan or official map shall be considered in the review of site plans
and subdivision plats.
(3)
Where no master plan or official map exists, or makes no provisions
therefor, streets and drainage rights-of-way shall be shown on the
final plat in accordance with N.J.S.A. 40:55D-38 and shall be such
as to lend themselves to the harmonious development of the Township
and the enhancement of the public welfare.
B.
Within the criteria established by and subject to the review and
approval of the municipal agency, all design of a site plan or subdivision
is the responsibility of the developer, and he/she shall be responsible
for and bear the entire cost of any and all investigations, tests,
reports, surveys, samples, calculations, environmental assessments,
designs, researches or other activity necessary to the completion
of the design.
C.
The standards set forth in this chapter shall be taken to be the
minimum necessary to meet its purposes as set forth elsewhere herein.
The responsibility of the municipal agency shall be to see that these
minimum standards are followed and, in those cases not covered by
these standards, sufficient precautions are taken to assure that the
eventual design is conducive to the implementation of the purposes
of this chapter and the Township Master Plan.
D.
The municipal agency may employ professionals in various disciplines
to advise and assist it in its determinations. When specified, the
cost of such professional services shall be covered by escrow funds
posted by the developer.
E.
Any decisions of the municipal agency regarding the suitability or
sufficiency of any design proposal, taken upon advice of its professionals
and subject to the provisions of this chapter, shall be deemed conclusive.
F.
Within the Pinelands Area, in the event of a conflict between a Township
design standard and a CMP design standard, the CMP standard shall
prevail.
Minor subdivision design shall conform to the following:
A.
Space standards. Minor subdivisions shall conform to the lot size
and dimensional requirements of zoning regulations.
B.
Development patterns. Minor subdivisions shall be designed to avoid
adverse impacts on the desirable future subdivision of adjoining land,
and strip development of existing highway frontages shall be discouraged.
C.
Maintenance of standards. Minor subdivisions involving lot line changes
should avoid unnecessary infractions of zoning regulations.
A.
General. Major subdivisions should conform to design standards that
will provide safe and efficient access to the neighborhood street
and highway system; relate the design of the subdivision to the natural
topography and existing vegetative cover of the site; contribute to
the harmonious development of the municipality; and enhance the public
welfare of the community.
B.
Streets.
(1)
All streets within major subdivisions shall be designed to serve
a specific function and shall be classified by the municipal agency
in terms of their projected use according to the following classification
system:
(a)
Arterial road. Arterial roads are designed to serve primarily
regional traffic movements.
(b)
Minor arterial road. Minor or secondary arterials are intended
to connect with and augment the major arterial system and to provide
for trips of moderate length, speed and volume.
(c)
Collector street. Collectors are streets designed to serve as
principal entrance streets of a residential development; streets for
circulation within a development; and as traffic channels between
minor streets and the arterial road system.
(d)
Local streets (including culs-de-sac and marginal access streets).
Local or minor streets are designed and intended to provide access
to adjacent properties and are not intended to carry through traffic.
(2)
Right-of-way widths for the above-designated street classifications
shall be measured from lot line to lot line and shall be not less
than the following, nor shall any new street or road right-of-way
be less than the width of any existing street or road of which it
is an extension or any proposed street or road shown on the Township
Official Map or the Master Plan.
(3)
Pavement widths, median strips and paved shoulder requirements on
all proposed streets shall conform to the requirements shown on Diagrams
1 through 3 (Typical Roadway Section and Details, copies of which
are on file in the Township Clerk's office).
(4)
Local or minor streets shall be so designed as to discourage through
traffic.
(5)
Subdivisions abutting arterial streets or roads shall provide a marginal
service road, reverse frontage lots with planted buffer strips or
such other means of separation of through and local traffic as the
Planning Board may determine appropriate.
(6)
The right-of-way for internal roads and alleys in commercial and
industrial development shall be determined on an individual basis
by the Planning Board and shall, in all cases, be of sufficient width
and design to safely accommodate expected traffic movements and parking
and loading needs.
(7)
No subdivision showing reserve strips controlling access to streets
shall be approved, except where the control and disposal jurisdiction
over land comprising such strips has been placed in the governing
body under conditions stipulated or approved by the Planning Board.
(8)
Subdivisions that adjoin or include existing streets that do not
conform to widths as shown on the Master Plan or Official Map or the
street width requirements of this chapter shall provide for additional
width along either one or both sides of said street. If the subdivision
is along one side only, 1/2 of the required extra width shall be dedicated.
(9)
Whenever possible, street intersections shall be at right angles
and, in any case, the angle formed shall not be less than 60°.
No more than two streets shall meet or intersect at one location,
and the center line of two intersecting streets shall pass through
a common point. Block corners at intersections shall be rounded at
the curbline with the intersecting street having the higher radius
requirement, as specified below, determining corner curbline radius:
(10)
Sight-triangle easements.
(a)
Sight-triangle easements within which nothing shall be erected,
placed, planted or allowed to grow so as to obstruct vision between
a height of two and 10 feet above the center-line grade of intersecting
streets, shall be dedicated to the municipality as follows: The area
bounded by the street right-of-way lines and a line connecting sight
points on center line which are measured from the intersection of
the center line.
(b)
Setback requirements for sight triangle sight points shall be
measured from the point of intersection of the center line in accordance
with the following schedule:
(c)
Intersections involving any state or county road shall comply
with arterial standards.
(11)
Street jogs with center-line offsets of less than 125 feet are
prohibited.
(12)
A tangent shall be introduced between all reverse curves and
shall be a minimum of 100 feet.
(13)
Dead-end streets shall not be longer than 800 feet and shall
provide a turnaround at the closed end with a radius of not less than
60 feet, tangent wherever practicable to the right side of the street.
If a dead-end street is temporary, a turnaround as described above
shall be provided, together with provision for future extension of
the street and reversion of any excess right-of-way to adjoining properties.
(14)
No street shall have a name which will duplicate, or so nearly
duplicate as to be confused with, the name of an existing street,
in either the Township or an adjoining municipality. The continuation
of an existing street shall have the same name.
(15)
Final approval of a plat shall not be construed as the acceptance
of a street dedicated to public use.
(16)
In the case of local streets within a development where the municipal agency determines that the length of the street and the nature of adjacent uses warrants such reduction in the width of the paved surface, the width may be reduced below the paved width required in Subsection B(3) above, but in no case shall the paved width of a local street be less than 26 feet.
(17)
A maximum road grade of 2% shall be used to aid safe stopping
under icing conditions on any new streets connecting with existing
or proposed streets at their approaches to an intersection. Grades
shall be designed to direct surface drainage away from the existing
streets unless intercepting underground drainage facilities are provided
to prevent flow of water over the street surfaces.
C.
Blocks. Block design shall conform to the following:
(1)
Block length and width or acreage within bounding roads shall be
such as to accommodate the size of lot required in the area by zoning
requirements and to provide for convenient access, circulation and
safety of street traffic. No block shall exceed 1,200 feet in length.
(2)
In blocks over 750 feet long, pedestrian crosswalks may be required
in locations deemed necessary by the Planning Board. Such walkways
shall be 10 feet wide and be straight from street to street.
(3)
For commercial, multifamily housing or industrial use, block size
shall be sufficient to meet all area and yard requirements for such
uses.
D.
Lots. Lot design shall conform to the following:
(1)
The size, shape and orientation of lots shall be appropriate for
the location of the subdivision and for the type of development and
use contemplated. Only one single-family, detached dwelling unit shall
be located on any individual lot.
(2)
Lot dimensions and area shall be not less than the requirements of
the zoning requirements.
(3)
Insofar as is practical, side lot lines shall be at right angles
to straight streets, and radial to curved streets.
(4)
Where extra width has been dedicated for widening of existing streets
to conform to Master Plan proposals, lots shall begin at such extra
width lines, and, in any event, all setbacks shall be measured from
such extra width lines.
(5)
Where there is a question as to the suitability of a lot or lots
for the intended use due to factors such as flood conditions or similar
circumstances, the municipal agency may, after adequate investigation,
withhold approval of such lots.
E.
Public use and service areas. Public use and service area design
shall conform to the following:
(1)
In large-scale developments, easements along rear property lines
or elsewhere for utility installations may be required. Such easements
shall be at least 15 feet wide and located in consultation with the
companies or municipal departments concerned. The requirements of
off-site and off-tract services and improvements or a reasonable contribution
thereto shall be planned in the interest of sound and harmonious neighborhood
and community development.
(2)
Where a subdivision is traversed by a watercourse, drainageway, channel
or stream, there shall be a stormwater easement or drainage right-of-way
provided, conforming substantially with the lines of such watercourse
and such further width or construction, or both, as will be adequate
for the purpose.
(3)
Natural features such as trees, brooks, hilltops and views shall
be preserved whenever possible in designing any subdivision containing
such features.
F.
Environmental concerns. Subdivision design shall conform to the following:
(1)
Lands subject to periodic flooding or, in the case of on-site sewage
disposal, lands failing to meet County Health Department or Pinelands
Commission depth to seasonally high water table requirements, shall
not be incorporated in the developed portion of any subdivision.
(2)
The municipal agency shall coordinate its review and requirements
with the Soil Conservation District in the interest of avoiding any
unnecessary soil erosion and stream sedimentation.
(3)
Subdivision development shall not result in the unnecessary removal
of existing topsoil. Topsoil removed from street installation areas
shall be stockpiled for use on subdivision lots in any case where
areas to be developed for residential uses do not have a substantial
existing topsoil cover.
(4)
Care shall be taken in subdivision design and review to encourage
maximum retention of desirable existing vegetation on the site.
(5)
In any industrial, commercial or multifamily dwelling subdivision,
or in the case of any conventional single-family subdivision consisting
of 10 or more lots, provision shall be made for on-site retention
and/or ground infiltration of any additional surface runoff that would
be created by the proposed development.
(6)
Any proposed lakes or ponds must be shown on a subdivision plan and
shall have sufficient source of supply and runoff to prevent drying
up or stagnation.
(7)
Creation of lakes or ponds shall be accomplished in a manner acceptable
to and approved by the municipal agency and the Department of Environmental
Protection, along with any other reviewing agency having jurisdiction.
(8)
No trees, brush or debris shall be used as landfill, nor shall any
landfilling operation be performed in such a manner as to cover unremoved
trees and debris on any streets, lots or other development areas.
A.
General. In the design and review of a proposed development site
plan, attention shall be given its overall scheme, the relationship
of its various elements and its compatibility with its surroundings,
as demonstrated by the following:
(1)
Building and structure design. Critical consideration shall be given
to building materials, use of color and texture, massing, fenestration
and building or structure height and shape as they relate to site
conditions and harmonize with similar elements in neighboring buildings
or structures.
(2)
Circulation. Close attention shall be given to the layout of the
site with respect to the arrangement, width and alignment of driveways
and walkways as they provide for pedestrian traffic, both within and
external to the site.
(3)
Parking and loading. Concern for the amount, location and arrangement
of spaces proposed for automobile parking and for the loading and
unloading of goods and materials, both with relation to the use involved
and efficient and safe interconnection with the public circulation
system.
(4)
Landscaping. The arrangement of landscape elements and the appropriateness,
variety and compatibility of selected plant materials as they contribute
to an adequate and pleasing landscape design and/or screening system
as well as the compatibility of the landscape plan with adjacent properties
and the neighborhood.
(5)
Orientation and siting. In the case of freestanding buildings or
structures, and depending on individual site characteristics, consideration
shall be given to positioning that provides a desirable visual composition,
avoids blocking natural vistas and provides desirable space enclosures.
(6)
Site utilities. Careful planning for the location and adequacy of
waterlines and sanitary sewerage facilities and the nature, adequacy
and safety of the surface drainage system, both as they relate to
the intended site development and to the surrounding area; the positioning,
adequacy and design of overhead and underground electric, telephone
and gas lines and other structures.
(7)
Accessory features. Concern for the aesthetic quality and harmony
of the architectural design of proposed signs, exterior architectural
features, displays, service areas, walls, fences, lighting decorations,
street and public area furnishings and such other features as they
affect the aesthetic quality of the buildings, property and neighborhood.
(8)
Environmental protection. Critical attention shall be given to preserving the landscape in its natural state, insofar as possible, and to improving the existing conditions according to high standards of conservation and environmental protection in keeping with the surrounding natural setting. The development plan should demonstrate the avoidance of unnecessary alteration of existing topography or the removal of vegetation and should propose development that will otherwise respect the established natural conditions of the site and its surroundings. In the case of any institutional, industrial, commercial or multifamily development involving more than two acres, more than 10 dwelling units or more than 20 off-street street parking spaces in the non-Pinelands Area, provision shall be made for on-site retention and/or ground infiltration of any additional surface runoff that would be created by the proposed development. Such provision shall be made for all development in the Pinelands Area in accordance with § 115-53B(5).
(9)
Performance standards. In reviewing the site plan for any use subject
to performance standards contained in the Buena Vista Township Zoning
Regulations,[1] the municipal agency shall condition its approval on both
initial and continued compliance with such standards.
[1]
Editor's Note: The former Zoning Regulations, which constituted
former Ch. 98, were superseded by this chapter.
(10)
Energy conservation. All development shall be designed and carried
out in a manner which promotes energy conservation. Such measures
may include southerly building orientation, landscaping to enhance
solar access and the use of energy-conserving building materials.
B.
Site improvement design standards. The arrangement, nature, size and construction of any required on-site, off-site or off-tract improvements, including streets, curbs and gutters, sidewalks, sight-triangle easements, street signs and shade trees, water and sewer systems and topsoil protection measures shall conform to any applicable design standards contained in Article V of this chapter. In addition, required site improvements shall conform to design standards that shall include but not be necessarily limited to the following:
(1)
Parking and loading areas. Off-street parking and loading spaces
of such size and number as are consistent with good planning standards
and in compliance with any prevailing requirements or supplementary
zoning regulations contained in this chapter shall be required in
connection with, and convenient to, uses projected for the site development
in accordance with the following:
(a)
Access.
[1]
All required off-street parking and loading facilities shall
be furnished with adequate pedestrian passageways, vehicular maneuvering
areas and driveways providing efficient access either directly or
indirectly to a public street.
[2]
Access driveways shall be not less than 12 feet in width for
one-way operation and 24 feet for two-way operation when leading to
parking areas and 16 feet in width when leading to off-street loading
spaces.
[3]
Entrances and exits for all required parking and loading facilities
shall be located not less than 50 feet from an intersection involving
a public street; and the arrangement of off-street parking areas providing
space for more than two vehicles in the case of a minor or private
street or for any vehicles in the case of a collector, primary or
arterial street shall be such that no vehicles would have occasion
to back into a public street.
[4]
No off-street loading area shall be so located that a vehicle
would be required to back from or into a street or road.
(b)
Dimensions. The size of parking spaces and their relationship
to adjoining driveways shall comply with the minimum dimensions set
forth in the following table:
|
Dimensional Table
Dimensions when parking stalls are designed at any of these
angles shall be as follows:
| |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Feature
|
0° (parallel)
|
1° to 45°
|
46° to 60°
|
61° to 90°
| |
|
Stall width (feet)
|
8
|
13
|
11
|
9.5
| |
|
Stall depth (feet)
|
22
|
19
|
20
|
20
| |
|
Driveway (feet)
|
12
|
15
|
19
|
22
| |
(c)
Screening. Parking area providing space for more than five vehicles
and all loading areas shall be provided with adequate setbacks, fencing
or natural barriers to effectively prevent any noise, glare or other
nuisance emanating therefrom to unduly interfere with the peaceful
use and enjoyment of adjoining residential or public or private institutional
uses.
(2)
Customer service areas. Any site plan that proposed temporary stopping
space or maneuvering space for vehicles of customers or patrons seeking
service at a roadside business establishment should be so designed
that the stopping or maneuvering space will be at least 10 feet removed
from the right-of-way line of the adjacent street or road.
(3)
Driveways. Any site plan proposing private driveway openings shall
comply with the following:
(a)
Spacing. The number of driveways provided from a site directly
to any public street or road shall comply with the following:
|
Width of Site Frontage
|
Number of Driveways
| |
|---|---|---|
|
150 feet or less
|
1
| |
|
Between 151 and 300 feet
|
2
| |
|
Over 300 feet
|
To be specified by municipal agency on advice of the Township
Engineer
|
(b)
Location. All entrance and exit driveways to or from a public
street or road shall be so located as to afford maximum safety to
traffic on the road. Where a site occupies a corner of two intersecting
streets or roads, no driveway entrance or exit shall be located within
50 feet of right-of-way intersection lines nor 30 feet of the tangent
of the existing or proposed curb radius of the intersection. No entrance
or exit driveway shall be located on the following portions of any
collector or arterial road; on a traffic circle; on a ramp of an interchange;
within 30 feet of the beginning of any ramp or other portion of an
interchange; nor on any portion of such road where the grade has been
changed to accommodate an interchange. In cases where two or more
driveways connect a single site to any one public street or road,
a minimum clear distance of 100 feet, measured along the right-of-way
line, shall separate the closer edges of any two such driveways.
(c)
Sight distance. Any exit driveway or driveway lane shall be
so designed in profile and grading and shall be so located as to permit
the following maximum sight distance measured in each direction along
any abutting Township, county or state road (the measurement shall
be from the driver's side seat of a vehicle standing on that portion
of an exit driveway that is immediately outside the edge of the road
right-of-way):
|
Allowable Speed On Road
(mph)
|
Required Sight Distance
(feet)
| |
|---|---|---|
|
25
|
150
| |
|
30
|
200
| |
|
35
|
250
| |
|
40
|
300
| |
|
45
|
350
| |
|
50
|
400
|
(d)
Widths. The dimensions of driveways shall be designated to adequately
accommodate the volume and character of vehicles anticipated to be
attracted daily to the land development for which a site plan is prepared.
Driveways and curbline openings serving large volumes of daily traffic,
or traffic with a substantial number of trucks, shall be required
to utilize high to maximum dimensions. The required maximum and minimum
dimensions for driveways and curbline openings are indicated in the
following table:
|
One-Way Operation
|
Two-Way Operation
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Use
|
Curbline Opening
(feet)
|
Driveway Width
(feet)
|
Curbline Opening
(feet)
|
Driveway Width
(feet)
| |
|
3- to 10-family residence
|
12 to 15
|
10 to 13
|
12 to 30
|
10 to 26
| |
|
11-family or over
|
12 to 30
|
10 to 26
|
24 to 36
|
20 to 30
| |
|
Commercial and industrial
|
24 to 50
|
24 to 34
|
30 to 50
|
30 to 46
| |
|
Service station
|
15 to 36
|
12 to 34
|
24 to 36
|
20 to 34
| |
(e)
Intersections. Driveways used for two-way operation shall intersect
any collector or arterial road at an angle as near to 90° as site
conditions will permit, and in no case less than 60°. Driveways
used by vehicles in one direction of travel (right turn only) may
form an angle smaller than 60°, but only with a collector or arterial
road when acceleration and deceleration lanes are provided.
(f)
Grades. Any vertical curve on a driveway shall be flat enough
to prevent the dragging of any vehicle undercarriage. All driveway
profiles and grades shall be submitted to and approved by the Township
Engineer. Should a sidewalk be so located with respect to the curb
at a driveway opening that vehicle undercarriage is likely to drag,
the sidewalk involved should be adequately depressed or elevated to
avoid such a result.
(g)
Acceleration lanes. Where a driveway serves right-turning traffic
from a parking area providing 200 or more parking spaces and the abutting
road is classified as an arterial or collector road, an acceleration
lane should be provided in accordance with A Policy of Geometric Design
of Rural Highways, American Association of State Highway Officials.
(h)
Deceleration lanes. Where a driveway serves as an entrance to
a land development providing 50 or more parking spaces, a deceleration
lane shall be provided for traffic turning right into the driveway
from any arterial or collector road. The deceleration lane shall be
at least 200 feet long and 13 feet wide, measured from the abutting
roadway curbline. A minimum forty-foot curb return radius shall be
used from the deceleration lane into the driveway.
(4)
Refuse disposal. Refuse depositories shall not be exposed to public
view and shall be nonpolluting, covered from weather and secure from
vandalism. Compactor units shall afford completely sealed operation
and efficient access by collection vehicles.
