The provisions of this article modify the regulations applicable
to the underlying municipal zoning districts, with specific regard
to permitted uses, conditionally permitted uses, prohibited uses,
and densities and intensities of development.
All principal and accessory uses permitted or conditionally
permitted by the underlying municipal zoning ordinance shall remain
in effect as provided therein, except to the extent that such uses
may be modified or eliminated by the provisions of this section. Any
and all principal and accessory uses prohibited by the underlying
zoning ordinance shall remain prohibited as provided therein, unless
specifically designated as a permitted use by the provisions of this
section. The lists of permitted, conditionally permitted and prohibited
uses of the underlying zoning ordinance are herewith amended as necessary
to provide for the use allowances and use restrictions that follow.
The permitted uses applicable to that portion of any municipal zoning district overlain by the Highlands District classifications listed below shall be modified in accordance with the provisions that follow. In addition, any use permitted by the underlying zoning that is cited at §
230B-5.2.2 or §
230B-5.2.3 below shall be amended in accordance with the provisions set forth therein.
Any use conditionally permitted by the underlying zoning that is cited at §
230B-5.2.1 above or §
230B-5.2.3 below shall be amended in accordance with the provisions set forth therein.
The provisions of this section are intended to ensure that development
in the Highlands Preservation Area occurs at densities and intensities
that are appropriate to the water supply and wastewater treatment
options available to support it. These provisions shall serve as a
check on the various density/intensity provisions of the underlying
zoning ordinance, which shall remain in effect to the extent not specifically
in conflict with these provisions. The density/intensity allowances
of the underlying zoning ordinance provisions reflect the intents
and purposes set forth for the municipal zoning districts as established
by the Township Master Plan and the effectuating zoning ordinances.
They define and support the intended character and patterns of development
for each district, setting forth the relationship between built form
in a district and the lot or lots on which it is situated. The provisions
of this section relate solely to ensuring that such development: a)
does not exceed the capacity of the land, resources and infrastructure
available to support it; and b) is designed to minimize land disturbance
and protect natural resources.
For purposes of these provisions, density of development standards
refer to requirements of the underlying zoning ordinance that regulate
the permitted number of dwelling units per acre of land, whether specifically
defined as density standards or set forth as minimum lot size requirements
for application to specific zoning districts. Intensity of development
standards refer to those requirements used to define the relationship
between the permitted extent, form and location of development of
a lot, to the size, shape and configuration of the lot on which it
is situated (e.g., floor area ratio, building coverage, building height,
yard setbacks, number of stories).
Base maps regarding water availability and wastewater treatment
capacity appear in the technical information provided in the Conservation
and Utility Services Plans of the Township Master Plan Highland Element.
These maps are combined into one for purposes of this chapter, denoted
as Exhibit 10 and herewith adopted and incorporated as titled: "Net
Water Availability by HUC14 Subwatershed, Highlands Domestic Sewerage
Facilities, Public Community Water Systems."
Any proposed increase in the demand for water supply averaging 6,000 gallons per day or more, deriving from Highlands Preservation Area groundwater sources or from surface water sources that are not associated with a NJDEP-approved safe yield, shall be accompanied by a finding of sufficient water capacity, which finding shall be issued by the Highlands Council. This provision shall apply to all development as defined at §
230B-3.2, expressly including changes in use (and modifications to existing uses). Specific requirements pertinent to new development reliant upon groundwater supplies may be found at §
230B-6.7. For purposes of determining net increases in water demand associated with modifications to existing uses pursuant to these requirements, the following unit/square footage figures shall apply as four-hundred-gallon-per-day equivalents:
A. Residential uses (all types): 1 dwelling unit.
B. Office and commercial uses: 2,400 square feet of floor area.
C. Industrial (including warehousing/distribution) uses: 18,182 square
feet of floor area (excluding process wastewater flow).
Development proposals involving new or increased demand for
septic system capacity shall be regulated in accordance with NJDEP
Preservation Area Rules (N.J.A.C. 7:38). Applicable only to major
Highlands development, these provisions shall override any density,
intensity, bulk, or other standard of the underlying zoning ordinance
that would permit a septic system density in excess of that provided
therein. The applicable NJDEP septic system density requirements appear
below. Nothing herein shall be deemed to apply to the replacement
or repair of an existing septic system.
A. Septic system density requirements. A new individual subsurface disposal system or aggregate of equivalent disposal units where the sanitary wastewater design flow is 2,000 gallons per day or less shall be permitted only in accordance with the density limitations at Subsection
A(1) through
(4) below. Forest under this subsection shall be identified and calculated as provided at Appendix A (from N.J.A.C. 7:38-3). For the purposes of this subsection,
"equivalent disposal unit" means, for residential development, one
system serving one single-family home sized in accordance with the
Standards for Individual Subsurface Sewage Disposal Systems, Volume
of Sanitary Sewage, at N.J.A.C. 7:9A-7.4; or for nonresidential development
or residential development comprising structures other than single-family
homes, 500 gallons of wastewater per day generated for the development
type, as determined in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:9A-7.4 (provided
at Appendix F).
(1)
On a lot that contains all forest, there shall be no more than
one individual subsurface disposal system or equivalent disposal unit
for each 88 acres of the lot;
(2)
On a lot that does not contain forest, there shall be no more
than one individual subsurface disposal system or equivalent disposal
unit for each 25 acres of the lot;
(3)
For the purposes of this subsection, the acreage of a lot shall
be the total area of the lot(s) on which the proposed development
is located as described by deed(s) or subdivision plat(s) on file
with the municipal or county clerk.
(4)
For a lot containing both forest and nonforest areas, the total
number of allowable individual subsurface disposal systems or equivalent
disposal units permitted on the lot shall be determined by calculating
the number of acres of the lot that are forest (as determined in accordance
with Appendix A) from N.J.A.C. 7:38-3.9) and dividing that number by 88;
calculating the remaining number of acres of the lot that are not
forest and dividing that number by 25; and then summing the results.
If the sum results in a fraction, the number shall be rounded down
to the nearest whole number in order to determine the number of permitted
individual subsurface disposal systems or equivalent disposal units.
(5)
For purposes of this section, noncontiguous lots in existence
as of August 10, 2004, may be aggregated such that the number of individual
subsurface disposal systems or equivalent disposal units that would
be permitted under this section on one or more of the aggregated lots
is transferred to one or more of the aggregated lots, provided:
(a)
The proposed development on the lot or lots to receive the transferred
individual subsurface disposal systems or equivalent disposal units
complies with all federal, state and local laws;
(b)
The proposed development on the lot or lots to receive the transferred
individual subsurface disposal systems or equivalent disposal units
does not require a waiver of any requirement of N.J.A.C. 7:38 and
is constructed in accordance with the Highlands Act and N.J.A.C. 7:38,
inclusive of 3% maximum impervious surface limitations;
(c)
The lots to be aggregated under this subsection are all located
in the Preservation Area and within the same HUC14; and
(d)
The lot or lots from which the individual subsurface disposal
systems or equivalent disposal units are to be transferred are subject
to a conservation restriction against future disturbance provided
in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:38-6.3.
B. Additional septic system requirements. In addition to the requirements
above, individual subsurface sewage disposal systems or equivalent
disposal units shall satisfy the Standards for Individual Subsurface
Sewage Disposal Systems (N.J.A.C. 7:9A) without extraordinary measures,
including replacement of disposal field soil with permeable material
or mounding of a disposal field to achieve the required depth to groundwater
or confining layer.
Where lots proposed for development in the Highlands Preservation
Area are served by existing public water and wastewater utility infrastructure
having sufficient available capacity, the density and intensity of
new development shall be consistent with all requirements of the underlying
municipal zoning ordinance. For purposes of this provision, "existing"
water and wastewater utility infrastructure refers only to such infrastructure
that is lawfully constructed and operational.
New, expanded or extended public water systems, wastewater collection
and treatment systems, and community on-site treatment facilities
are prohibited unless approved through issuance of either a Highlands
applicability determination indicating that a project is exempt from
the Highlands Act, or a Highlands Preservation Area approval with
waiver pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:38.