[Amended 3-16-1993 by Ord. No. 2-1993]
A.
The purposes of this chapter are to establish a pattern for the use
of land and buildings based on the land use element of the master
plan and to effectuate the master plan and be enacted in order to
encourage municipal action to guide the appropriate development of
land in a manner which will promote the public health, safety, morals
and general welfare of the people. This chapter is intended to regulate
the use of land within zoning districts; secure safety from fire,
flood, panic and other natural and man-made disasters; provide adequate
light, air, and open space; limit and restrict buildings and structures
to specified districts and regulate buildings and structures according
to their type and the nature and extent of their use, and regulate
the nature and extent of the use of land for trade, industry, residence,
open space or other purposes; regulate the bulk, height, number of
stories, and size of buildings and other structures; avoid a conflict
with the development and general welfare of neighboring municipalities,
the county and the state; establish appropriate population densities
and concentrations contributing to the well-being of persons, neighborhoods,
communities and regions and the preservation of the environment; provide
sufficient space for residential, recreational, commercial and industrial
uses and open space; encourage the location and design of transportation
routes which will promote the free flow of traffic while discouraging
the location of such facilities and routes which result in congestion
or blight; promote a desirable visual environment; promote the conservation
of open space and valuable natural resources and to prevent urban
sprawl and degradation of the environment though improper use of land;
provide procedures for planned developments which incorporate the
best features of design and relate the type, design, and layout of
residential, commercial, industrial and recreational development to
the particular site; and encourage coordination of 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.
B.
An additional purpose of this chapter is to recognize that the Borough
of Rocky Hill has an historic and architectural heritage which is
among its most valued and important community, cultural, social, educational,
and economic assets; that this heritage attracts both permanent residents
and visitors; that the Borough appears to be in danger of losing many
of the unique and distinctive historical and architectural resources
which give it a harmonious and classical architectural character;
that various studies show that property values increase in municipalities
which preserve their districts of historic and architectural distinction;
and that it is necessary to designate and provide for the protection
of the historic district at the core of the Borough of Rocky Hill
and registered on both the National and State Registers of Historic
Places in order to safeguard the Borough's historic and architectural
heritage, promote the physical, cultural, and aesthetic health of
the community, foster civil pride, increase property values, encourage
a sound long-range economic base, and implement the Master Plan.
