The following criteria shall be considered design standards
for site plans for golf courses pursuant to the New Jersey Municipal
Land Use Law, as amended. All of these standards may not be achievable
on every site plan; for this reason, each application shall be carefully
considered on its merits and waivers may be granted where appropriate:
A. The design, operation and maintenance of a golf course shall be governed
by the USGA's Environmental Principles For Golf Courses in the United
States. The golf course shall be designed so as to be eligible to
receive a USGA Course Rating and Slope Rating as defined in the USGA
Handicap System. Putting greens shall be constructed following the
USGA's Recommendation For A Method Of Putting Green Construction or
by another method approved by the Planning Board.
B. The location of structures shall be selected so that sites do not
include the crests of hills. "Hillcrest" shall be defined as those
specifically identified on Appendix 5, Figure 1 in this volume.
C. The configuration of all roofs shall be of a pitched design or an
alternative design approved by the Planning Board.
D. All facades of the structure shall be of a finished configuration.
The finished configuration shall be of wood, brick or stone facing,
solid brick or stone or some other acceptable durable material. No
unimproved facades are allowed.
E. All structures shall be architecturally designed so as to be aesthetically
in keeping with the surrounding area and as approved by the Planning
Board. The location and placement of the building on the land shall
be done in a manner to ensure, while meeting required setback side
and rear line requirements, the best possible blending of land and
building in keeping with the historic, rural character of Knowlton
Township.
F. The exterior of accessory structures shall harmonize architecturally
with and be constructed of materials of a like character to those
used in principal structures.
G. All heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment shall be
concealed from public view on all sides of the structure. Such equipment
shall be acoustically screened to comply with applicable state and
local noise level standards.
H. Disturbance of wooded areas. Where a golf course is proposed in an
area of mature forest, no more than 25% of the mature trees may be
removed.
I. Setback requirements.
(1) The minimum spacing between a fairway, green or tee and any lot line
shall be 50 feet.
(2) The minimum spacing between any permitted accessory structure to
a golf course and any lot line shall be 75 feet.
(3) The minimum spacing between a building and a natural watercourse
course shall be 100 feet.
J. The maximum height of any structure shall be 35 feet.
K. The maximum square footage allowed for all structures on a single
lot shall not exceed 1% of the total square footage of the lot, with
a maximum size of any single structure to be no more than 20,000 square
feet.
L. Lot frontage.
(1) A golf course is required to provide at least two safe and efficient
access and egress points from one or more public roads. One of the
two accesses may be provided only for emergency access. The two means
of access and egress shall be connected internally and the curb cuts
shall be spaced at least 200 feet apart. A golf course should be located
in reasonable proximity to a collector street.
(2) Where a lot abuts an existing public street, the minimum lot frontage
shall be 50 feet.
M. Deed restrictions. Site plans shall be required to provide appropriate
deed restrictions. The legal instrument shall be drafted in general
accordance with the recommendations and language contained in Appendix
4 of this chapter.
(1) Conservation easements shall be required for all waterways, wetland
areas and required transition areas.
(2) Critical areas outside the area of disturbance shall contain conservation
easements. These critical areas shall include slopes in excess of
35%, floodplains and open water bodies.
(3) All site plans shall contain a reference to any required conservation
easement.
N. Landscaping.
(1) Existing vegetation shall be preserved in areas where disturbance
is not necessary.
(2) Where landscaping is proposed, native species shall be included in
the design.
(3) Where structures are located in woodlands, a treed area of at least
30 feet between structures and the roadway shall be retained.
O. Lighting. Since artificial lighting is often highly visible and adversely
affects the rural character of an area, it is specifically discouraged,
except for the specific categories listed below:
(1) Site lighting shall only be provided where warranted to address specific
safety conditions.
(2) Where lighting is proposed along public roads or common driveways,
locations and intensities shall be subject to approval by the Planning
Board.
(3) In no case shall light spill be permitted onto any neighboring properties
or public roadways.
P. Concrete engineered structures. In any development, some engineered
structures are necessary for access and drainage. In order to accommodate
the installation of infrastructure while reducing its impact, the
following standards shall apply:
(1) Visible structures such as curbing, culverts, walls and outlet structures
shall not be stark white.
(2) The use of dyed and textured concrete as well as the use of other
natural materials is required to minimize the visual impact of these
structures. Such concrete shall be of natural earth colors in the
range of grays to browns.
Q. Guardrails. Guardrails shall be constructed of wood. They will be
required with side slopes steeper than three to one and depths greater
than nine feet.
R. One illuminated sign not exceeding 18 square feet shall be permitted,
except that illuminated directional and traffic signs are permitted
within the golf course provided that they are screened from the road
and residential properties.
S. The required number of parking spaces shall be four spaces per hole.
All parking spaces can be satisfied using grass paver blocks or similar
semi-impervious building material. Parking areas shall be screened
from view of all residential property and roads.
T. All interior roads and travel lanes shall be designed as not to create
a dust nuisance onto adjacent property. The Planning Board may require
interior roads and travel lanes to be paved to prevent dust nuisances
on adjacent properties.
U. Parking areas and buildings shall be screened from view of residential
properties and roads to the extent practical, except that a gatehouse
may be visible from the road of a golf course.
V. Water quality protection.
(1) The golf course shall be designed using grasses and other plants
that minimize, to the extent practical, the use of pesticides, fertilizers
and water.
(2) A golf course shall have a suitable wash area for the cleaning of
lawn mowers and equipment. The wash area shall be at least 300 feet
from the bank at high water of any natural watercourse or body of
water.
(3) No pesticide, herbicide or fertilizer shall be utilized within 300
feet from the bank at high water of any natural watercourse or body
of water.
W. A golf course shall comply with all federal, state, county and local
environmental and health regulations.
X. The conservation of water should be encouraged. The use of surface
water, captured rainwater and recycled water is encouraged for irrigation
purposes.
Y. Assurances shall be provided that any adverse impacts on groundwater
or surface water quality resulting from the golf course will be mitigated
by the owner. The applicant shall provide for the monitoring of water
quality of the groundwater and surface water resources associated
with the golf course. The monitoring program, including the timing
and frequency of testing and the identification of chemical parameters
to be tested, shall be established by the Planning Board at the time
the Integrated Turf Management Plan and Integrated Pesticide and Pest
Management Plan are approved as part of the conditional use application.
The monitoring program shall be consistent with the guidelines established
for monitoring plans by the New Jersey Department of Environmental
Protection (NJDEP), Bureau of Water Quality Analysis. The results
and finding of any water quality monitoring shall be submitted by
the owner to the township for monitoring purposes.
Z. The golf course shall make provisions for the travel and habitation
of wildlife and shall provide for wildlife corridors and other wildlife
utilization as may be accommodated by the site. Where appropriate
wildlife habitat exists, the golf course shall be encouraged to register
with the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program.