Township of West Milford, NJ 1938 Union Valley Road Redevelopment Zone

[Amended 2-3-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-001]

The Township will seek a redeveloper, or redevelopers, for all portions of the site based on developer interest and ability to develop in the 1938 Union Valley Road Redevelopment Zone. The redeveloper will acquire, or work with the Township to acquire, all or portions of the redevelopment area in order to redevelop the 1938 Union Valley Road Redevelopment Zone according to the following land use regulations. The following uses are permitted in the 1938 Union Valley Road Redevelopment Zone. Uses not identified below are prohibited. Multiple principal uses and buildings are permitted.

Principal permitted uses: Block 6701, Lot 10: Community Commercial (CC).

(1)

Retail sale of goods and services;

(2)

Restaurants excluding drive-in, bars, or taverns as individual uses;

(3)

Professional offices;

(4)

Banks and financial institutions excluding drive-in;

(5)

Child-care centers;

(6)

Major food stores or department stores; and

(7)

Hotels and motels.

Conditional uses: Block 6701, Lot 10: Community Commercial (CC).

(1)

Service stations outside of Highlands Tier 1 and 2 Wellhead Protection Areas:

(a)

Subject to § 500-97 and approval of an operations and contingency plan;

(2)

Essential services (§ 500-96);

(3)

Drive-in restaurants (§ 500-100);

(4)

Drive-in banks (§ 500-101).

Accessory uses: Block 6701, Lot 10: Community Commercial (CC).

(1)

Off-street parking;

(2)

Signs;

(3)

Garages, storage buildings, and toolsheds;

(4)

Temporary construction trailers and one sign not exceeding 100 square feet, advertising the prime contractor, subcontractor, architect, financing institution and similar data for the period of construction, beginning with the issuance of a construction permit and concluding with the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for one year, whichever is less, provided the trailer and sign are on the site where construction is taking place and are set back at least 15 feet from all street and lot lines;

(5)

Fences and walls (See § 500-68).

Parking standards.

(1)

The parking standards for the 1938 Union Valley Road Redevelopment Zone are listed below. If a standard is not shown below, the standards of § 500-33, Minimum off-street parking, apply.

(a)

Retail, department store, service activities and shopping centers shall provide parking at the ratio of four spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area.

(b)

Restaurants, bars, and taverns shall provide a minimum of one space for every four seats.

(c)

Garden centers shall provide parking at the ratio of four spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area of buildings plus 1/2 space per 1,000 square feet of outside storage, sale or display area.

(d)

Banks and offices shall provide parking at the ratio of three spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area.

(e)

Theaters shall provide one space for every four seats.

(f)

Bowling alleys shall provide four spaces per bowling lane.

(g)

Racquetball and tennis facilities shall provide five spaces for each court. Health clubs and other recreational facilities shall provide one space for every 100 square feet of floor area.

(h)

Furniture, appliance and home renovation retail uses shall provide one space for every 400 square feet of retail/showroom floor area and one space for every 800 square feet of storage or warehouse space.

(i)

Hotels and motels shall provide one space per room.

(j)

Child-care centers shall provide one space per employee.

(2)

Size of parking spaces. Each off-street parking space must measure no less than nine feet in width by 18 feet in length.

(a)

If the parking space is a minimum of eight feet in width and 15 feet in length, it must be labeled a "compact" space.

(b)

Compact spaces must not constitute more than 30% of the parking area.

(3)

Pedestrian circulation within parking lots.

(a)

Pedestrian circulation within parking lots must be taken into consideration. Pedestrian crossing and amenities must be installed where deemed necessary by the Planning Board, Planning Board Engineer and Planner.

(b)

Aisle widths. Aisles from which vehicles directly enter or leave parking spaces shall not be less than:

Space (Angle)	One-Way	Two-Way
90°	20 feet	25 feet
60°	18 feet	25 feet
45°	13 feet	25 feet
30°	13 feet	25 feet
Parallel	12 feet	25 feet
Handicapped	------	-----

Buffer requirements.

(1)

Retaining walls may be constructed as approved by the Township Engineer upon submission of a request for approval to the administrative officer.

(2)

Fences and walls must not exceed three feet in height in the front yard and six feet in height in side and rear yard areas.

(3)

The finished side of a fence must face adjoining properties. Fence posts that are unfinished and any other structural component on the fence must be installed facing the subject property rather than the adjoining property.

(4)

All fences and walls shall be within property lines. No fence or wall shall violate sight easement requirements or street rights-of-way, nor shall any fence obstruct any stream, drainage way, or floodplain.

(5)

Dumpsters located in parking lots must be fully screened from view from both the parking lot and adjoining residential properties.

Landscape requirements.

(1)

Landscaping must be provided to promote a desirable and cohesive natural environment for residents and neighboring properties. Landscaping must also be utilized to screen parking and provide windbreaks for winter winds and summer cooling for buildings, streets and parking, according to the following standards:

(a)

Ornamental trees should be provided throughout the 1938 Union Valley Road Redevelopment Zone, particularly at key locations such as site entrances and along existing roadway frontages;

(b)

Hedges, shrubs, and ground cover must be used to define space and provide privacy. Foundation plantings should include evergreen and deciduous shrubs;

(c)

Native plants are required. In the design of the landscaping plan, no non-native or invasive species of plants shall be used;

(d)

All landscaping must have a two-year maintenance guarantee. If any planting dies within two years of planting, it must be replaced the following planting season;

(e)

Landscaping should cover all nonimpervious developed areas within the 1938 Union Valley Road Redevelopment Zone and should be used to accept and complement buildings and provide for climate control; and

(f)

Landscaping the protection of wooded areas, specimen trees, and existing vegetation suitable for landscaping within the 1938 Union Valley Road Redevelopment Zone shall be a factor in determining the location of open space, buildings, underground services, paved areas, playgrounds and parking areas.

(2)

Street trees.

(a)

Trees shall be planted along the public right-of-way varying by tree type every 50 feet;

(b)

Trees shall be a minimum of 10 feet in height and a minimum of 50 feet apart;

(c)

Each tree shall have a minimum caliper of 3 1/2 inches measured two feet above the ground; and

(d)

All trees must be nursery-grown stock and shall have a root ball wrapped in burlap, with a replacement guarantee by the developer for two years.

Mobility regulations. The design of the 1938 Union Valley Road Redevelopment Zone plays a key role in forming this sense of place for the neighborhood and the surrounding business district.

(1)

Circulation.

(a)

Driveway access shall be designed to meet projected vehicular traffic and circulation needs of the area.

(b)

The main vehicular access to the site will be via Union Valley Road.

(2)

Pedestrian and bicycle access.

(a)

Sidewalks must be provided along all streets to provide safe and convenient movement for pedestrians.

(b)

Pedestrian-only walkways must be at least four feet wide and constructed according to § 500-83 of the Township Zoning Ordinance.

(c)

All building entrances must provide pedestrian access to adjacent streets and parking areas.

(d)

Crosswalks shall be provided at all entrances to the site. The Planning Board may require brick crosswalks to be installed if it deems them necessary for pedestrian safety and to improve the visual appearance of the area.

Building design standards. Building layout and design should meet, to the maximum extent practicable, the requirements of Article IX, General Provisions and Design Standards, of the Township Zoning Ordinance.

(1)

Lighting.

(a)

Street lighting is required along Union Valley Road. Streetscape lighting and streetscape amenities shall match the standards of the Township Master Plan.

(b)

All parking areas and walkways thereto and appurtenant passageways and driveways service commercial, public, office, industrial, apartment, or other similar uses, having common off- street parking and/or loading areas and building complexes requiring lighting shall be adequately illuminated for security and safety purposes.

(c)

The light intensity provided at ground level shall be a minimum of 0.3 footcandle anywhere in the area to be illuminated, shall average a minimum of 0.5 footcandle over the entire area.

(d)

Lighting fixtures shall not have a mounting height more than 25 feet or the height of the building, whichever is less, measured from the ground level to the center line of the light source, spaced a distance not to exceed five times the mounting height.

(e)

Lighting shall be shielded to prevent glare and off-street light pollution.

(2)

Signage.

(a)

A comprehensive wayfinding and directional signage package for the parking areas, pedestrian corridors, and buildings should be provided that is consistent with the architecture of the building(s). The sign package should include design elements such as size, materials, style and illumination.

(b)

Signage standards for the 1938 Union Valley Road Redevelopment Zone are regulated by Article XIV (Signs) of the Township Zoning Ordinance.