The long title of this chapter is: "An Ordinance to Limit and Restrict to Specific Districts, and to Regulate therein Buildings and Structures According to Their Construction, and the Nature and Extent of Their Use in the Village of Ridgefield Park, County of Bergen and the State of New Jersey and to Provide for the Administration and Enforcement Thereof and to Fix Penalties for Violations Thereof, as Amended and Supplemented."
This chapter shall be known and cited as the "Zoning Ordinance of the Village of Ridgefield Park."
A. 
The intent of this chapter is to establish a precise and detailed plan for the use of land and buildings in the Village, enacted in order to promote and protect the public health, safety, morals and the general welfare of the people.
B. 
The Zoning Ordinance for the Village of Ridgefield Park shall be viewed as a permissive ordinance. In no instance after the adoption of this chapter shall any use be permitted in the Village of Ridgefield Park which is not enumerated as a permitted, accessory or conditional use as specified herein. Any uses not permitted or specified shall be prohibited.
Such regulations are deemed necessary to achieve the following purposes:
A. 
To establish a pattern for land use based upon the land use plan element of the Master Plan adopted by the Ridgefield Park Planning Board.
B. 
To guide and promote appropriate and orderly development in order to protect and maintain the stability of all areas within the Village, and to promote the orderly and beneficial development of such areas.
C. 
To regulate the intensity of use of zoning lots and to determine the area of open spaces surrounding buildings necessary to provide adequate light and air, privacy and convenience of access to property and to protect the public health, safety and welfare.
D. 
To regulate the location of buildings and establish standards of development by establishing building lines and the location of buildings designed for residential, commercial, industrial, office or other uses within such lines and to fix reasonable standards to which buildings or structures shall conform.
E. 
To prohibit incompatible uses by prohibiting uses, buildings or structures which are inconsistent with the character of development in specified zoning districts.
F. 
To regulate alterations of existing buildings to prevent such additions, alterations or remodeling of existing buildings which would not comply with the restrictions and limitations imposed hereunder.
G. 
To limit congestion in streets and so protect the public health, safety, convenience and the general welfare by providing for off-street parking of motor vehicles and for the loading and unloading of commercial vehicles.
H. 
To provide protection against fire, explosion, noxious fumes and other hazards in the interest of the public health, safety, comfort and general welfare.
I. 
To conserve the taxable value of land and buildings throughout the Village.
J. 
To encourage municipal action to guide the appropriate use or development of all lands in this state in a manner which will promote the public health, safety, morals and general welfare.
K. 
To secure safety from fire, flood, panic and other natural and man-made disasters.
L. 
To provide adequate light, air and open space.
M. 
To ensure that the development of individual municipalities does not conflict with the development and general welfare of neighboring municipalities, the county and the state as a whole.
N. 
To promote the establishment of appropriate population densities and concentrations that will contribute to the well-being of persons, neighborhoods, communities and regions and preservation of the environment.
O. 
To encourage the appropriate and efficient expenditure of public funds by the coordination of public development with land use policies.
P. 
To provide sufficient space in appropriate locations for a variety of agricultural, residential, recreational, commercial and industrial uses and open space, both public and private, according to their respective environmental requirements in order to meet the needs of all New Jersey citizens.
Q. 
To encourage the location and design of transportation routes which will promote the free flow of traffic while discouraging location of such facilities and routes which result in congestion or blight.
R. 
To promote a desirable visual environment through creative development techniques and good civic design and arrangements.
S. 
To promote the conservation of historic sites and districts, open space, energy resources and valuable natural resources in the state and to prevent urban sprawl and degradation of the environment through improper use of land.
T. 
To encourage planned unit 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.
U. 
To encourage senior citizen community housing construction.
V. 
To encourage coordination of the 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.
W. 
To promote utilization of renewable energy resources.
X. 
To promote the maximum practicable recovery and recycling of recyclable materials from municipal solid waste through the use of planned practices designed to incorporate the State Recycling Plan goals and to complement municipal recycling programs;