The Township of Cedar Grove has determined that
flexibility in design and land use planning is appropriate and needed
in certain areas of the municipality, in order to protect environmentally
sensitive lands and preserve remaining open space, to a encourage
cohesively and efficiently designed development projects, and to provide
additional housing options for senior citizens. To accommodate alternative
methodologies that further these goals while at the same time, providing
for growth that is compatible with the character of the community
and with the intents and purposes of the Township Master Plan, this
article provides procedures and substantive regulations governing
permitted residential cluster developments and planned residential
developments. Planned developments are permitted pursuant to this
article to achieve the following objectives:
A.
A development pattern in harmony with the objectives
of the various plans, programs, and ordinances adopted or approved
by the Township to guide its growth and development.
B.
An efficient use of land resulting in smaller networks
of utilities and streets and thereby lower development and housing
costs.
C.
The preservation of open space for recreation and
aesthetic beauty, and of desirable natural site characteristics, including
environmental and ecological systems and amenities.
D.
Broadening of the uses permitted in residential developments
and variation in the relationship of uses, structures, open spaces
and heights of structures in developments conceived as cohesive unified
projects.
Planned developments and all individual uses and lots contained therein, shall be subject to the provisions and submission requirements for site plan review (Article X) and where applicable, land subdivision (Chapter 234). No final approval shall be granted for any portion of a tract proposed for residential cluster or planned residential community development without a preliminary site plan for the development of the entire tract having first been approved.
Prior to approval of any preliminary or final
site plan for any residential cluster development or planned residential
community development, the Planning Board shall find the following
facts and conclusions:
A.
Any departures by the proposed development from zoning
regulations otherwise applicable to the subject property, conform
to the regulations set forth herein for such planned developments.
B.
The proposals for maintenance and conservation of
the common open space in the residential cluster or planned retirement
community development application are reliable, and that the amount,
location, and purpose of the common open space are adequate.
C.
Provision through the physical design of the proposed
development for public services, control over vehicular and pedestrian
traffic, and the amenities of light and air, recreation, and visual
enjoyment are adequate.
D.
The proposed planned development will not have an
unreasonably adverse impact upon the area in which it is proposed
to be established.
E.
In the case of a proposed development which contemplates
construction over a period of years, the terms and conditions intended
to protect the interests of the public and of the residents, occupants,
and owners of the proposed development in the total completion of
the development are adequate.
A.
Ownership. No application for planned development
approval shall be granted unless the Planning Board shall find that
the entire tract proposed for planned development treatment is in
single ownership or under such unified control as to ensure that the
entire tract will be developed as a unified whole. All owners of the
tract shall be included as joint applicants on all applications, and
all approvals shall bind all owners. The violation of any owner as
to any tract shall be deemed a violation as to all owners and all
tracts.
B.
Minimum tract size. No application for a planned development
shall be granted unless the Planning Board shall find that:
(1)
The tract in questions conforms to the minimum tract
size designated for the type of planned development proposed; and
(2)
The tract in question is of sufficient size and shape
to accommodate the type and scope of development proposed and appropriate
to be planned and developed as a unified whole.
C.
Streets. Private streets may be utilized within any
planned development, in accordance with the requirements of the Residential
Site Improvement Standards (N.J.A.C. 5:21 et seq.).
D.
Guarantees of completion. Any approval of a planned
development shall be conditioned upon the applicant entering into
a developer's agreement with the Township and posting performance
guarantees pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, to ensure the
installation and maintenance of all public improvements and other
facilities required as a condition of any approval granted pursuant
to this article.
E.
Other regulations. No application for planned development
approval shall be granted unless the Planning Board shall find that,
in addition to complying with each of the standards applicable under
this article, the proposed development complies with:
(1)
All standards applicable to site plan approval;
(2)
All standards applicable to subdivision plats;
(3)
All standards, except to the extent waived, varied
or modified pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, applicable
in the zoning district in which the proposed development will be located;
and
(4)
All other standards applicable to the proposed development
under other federal, state, county, and/or municipal laws, ordinances
and/or regulations.
F.
Common facilities and open space. No application for
planned development approval shall be granted unless the Planning
Board shall find that all of the requirements of this subsection are
met as to all common open space and facilities, to be provided in
connection with the proposed development:
(1)
The amount and location of all common open space and
facilities to be provided in a planned development shall be consistent
with the minimum standards as established by the appropriate section
of this article for the particular type of planned development.
(2)
No private common open space shall be used for the
construction of any structure or improvement, except such structures
and improvements as may be approved as part of the final site plan/subdivision
plat as appropriate to the intended aesthetic, leisure and recreational
uses for which the open space is intended. As a condition of the approval
of the planned development, adequate safeguards, including recorded
covenants or dedication of development rights, shall be provided to
prevent the subsequent use of the open space for any other structure,
improvement or development.
(3)
The approval of a planned development shall be conditioned
upon the final site plan/subdivision plat, including such provisions
for the ownership and maintenance of private common open space and
facilities as are reasonably necessary to ensure their continuity,
care, conservation, maintenance and operation, in accordance with
predetermined standards, by a landowners' organization formed for
the purpose and to ensure that remedial measures will be available
to the Township if the open space or facilities are permitted to deteriorate
or are not maintained by such organization in a condition consistent
with the best interests of the planned development or the Township.
Such organization shall not be dissolved and shall not dispose of
any open space, by sale or otherwise, except to an organization which
will own and maintain the open space for the benefit of the development
in accordance with the provisions of this subsection. No such organization
or successor organization shall dispose of any open space held by
it except in compliance with the provisions of this chapter and except
after having first offered to dedicate such open space to the Township.
(4)
Common open space may be by mutual agreement of the
developer and the governing body dedicated at any time to the Township
for public use and maintenance, or to another appropriate governmental
agency willing and able to accept the dedication and to maintain the
open space for its intended purposes.
(5)
Every landowners' organization, and the covenants
and declarations creating and regulating every landowners' organization,
formed or intended to own or maintain private common open space or
facilities pursuant to the requirements of this chapter shall meet
each of the following standards:
(a)
The regulations governing the organization must
be established prior to the sale of any property within the planned
development or the area within the planned development designated
to have the exclusive use or benefit of the proposed open space or
facilities.
(b)
Tentative bylaws and rules of the organization
and all covenants and restrictions to be recorded must be available
at the time of the application for final site plan/plat approval prior
to becoming effective.
(c)
The organization must be responsible for casualty
and liability insurance, taxes and the maintenance of the open space
and facilities to be deeded to it or maintained by it.
(d)
Membership must be mandatory for each landowner
and any successor buyer having a right to the use, enjoyment or benefit
of the open space or facilities.
(e)
Landowners having a right to the use, enjoyment
or benefit of the open space or facilities must pay their pro rata
share of the costs of the organization by means of an assessment,
to be levied by the organization, which meets the requirements for
becoming a lien on the property in accordance with the statutes of
the State of New Jersey.
(f)
The organization must have the right to adjust
the assessment to meet changed needs. The membership vote required
to authorize such adjustment shall be fixed at not more than 2/3 of
the members voting on the issue.
(g)
The open space restrictions must be permanent
and not for a given period of years.
(h)
The Township shall have the right to enforce
the covenants.
(6)
In the event that such organization shall fail to
maintain the private open space or facilities in reasonable order
and condition, the Zoning Officer may serve written notice upon such
organization or upon the owners of the development, setting forth
the manner in which the organization has failed to maintain the open
space or facilities in reasonable condition and demanding that such
maintenance deficiencies be cured within 35 days following the date
of the notice. The notice shall state the date, time and place for
a hearing, to be held with the Zoning Officer within 15 days following
the date of the notice, for the purposes of considering any and all
deficiencies in the maintenance of the open space or facilities and
the formulation of a program to eliminate all such deficiencies. A
copy of this subsection shall accompany each such notice. Upon the
conclusion of the hearing, the Zoning Officer may modify the terms
of the original notice as to deficiencies and may give a reasonable
extension of time, not to exceed 65 days, within which they shall
be cured.
(7)
If the deficiencies set forth in the original notice
or in the modification thereof shall not have been cured within said
35 days or any permitted extension thereof, the Township, in order
to preserve and maintain the open space and facilities, may enter
upon and maintain such land or facilities for a period not to exceed
one year. The cost of such maintenance shall be assessed against the
properties within the development that have a right of use, enjoyment
or benefit of the open space or facilities and shall become a lien
and tax on said properties, pro rata in accordance with their respective
assessed valuations at the time the lien is imposed, and shall be
added to and be a part of the taxes to be levied and assessed thereon
and enforced and collected, with interest, by the same officers and
in the same manner as other taxes.
(8)
At least 30 days prior to the conclusion of the year
of maintenance by the Township, or sooner at the request of the organization,
the Township Council shall call a public hearing, upon 15 days' written
notice to such organization and to the owners of the development,
at which hearing the organization and the owners of the development
shall show cause why the Township should not continue such maintenance
for a succeeding year. If the Council shall determine that the organization
is ready and able to maintain its open space and facilities in reasonable
condition, the Township shall cease maintenance at the end of the
year for which it had assumed maintenance responsibility or, by mutual
agreement of the Council and the organization, at such other date
as may be convenient. If the Township Council shall determine that
such organization is not ready and able to maintain said open space
or facilities in reasonable condition, the Township may, at its option,
continue its maintenance during the next succeeding year and from
year to year thereafter, subject to a similar hearing and determination
in each succeeding year.
The following planned residential developments
are permitted pursuant to this article in the zoning districts indicated:
The standards of this section are intended to
permit minor modifications of the yard and area requirements of the
various zoning districts, exclusive of minimum lot area per unit and
lot coverage requirements, in order to permit the grouping of structures
pursuant to a preconceived plan of development.
B.
Minimum tract area. The minimum permitted tract area
for a residential cluster development is 10 acres.
C.
Density and lot coverage. No permit for a residential
cluster development shall authorize any increase in the overall density
or intensity of development nor any increase in the overall lot coverage
permitted by the district regulations applicable in the district in
which such development is to be located.
D.
Open space. No dwelling unit in a residential cluster
development shall be located on a lot having less than the minimum
lot area required by the regulations of the district in which it is
located, unless an area at least equal to any deficiency below said
minimum is provided and maintained as part of a common open space
for the benefit of the inhabitants of said unit pursuant to the provisions
of this chapter.
(1)
Not less than 40% of the tract area of a residential
cluster development shall be dedicated to contiguous, natural, undeveloped
open space.
E.
Other provisions and requirements.
(1)
Open space shall be designed to preserve natural
features such as woodlands and rock outcroppings, and to protect and/or
buffer environmentally sensitive areas on the tract.
(2)
Portions of the tract proposed for development
shall be situated in the nearest feasible proximity to infrastructure
connections, such as sewerage and water mains, needed for the project.
(3)
No building shall be situated closer to a street
line or tract boundary line than the applicable setback distance requirement
for the front, side, or rear yard, as required in the zoning district.
(4)
The minimum distance permitted between residential
dwellings shall be 30 feet for side to front, side to rear, or side
to side separations; 120 feet for front to front separations; and
70 feet for rear to rear separations.
(5)
The standards set forth in this section are
in addition to all other standards made applicable to the particular
residential cluster development being proposed by the provisions of
this chapter, and no application for approval of a residential cluster
development shall be approved unless all such other standards, including
but not limited to those relating to planned developments, site plan
or subdivision approval, and to the district in which the proposed
development will be located, have been met or, where permitted, waived
pursuant to the applicable provisions of this chapter.
The standards applicable to planned retirement
communities (PRC's) are intended to provide for senior citizen housing
opportunities in the form of independent retirement communities. Such
developments permit age-restricted multifamily residential structures
designed for occupancy by senior citizens, as well as an array of
amenities specifically designed to meet the physical and social needs
of such households.
A.
Permitted uses.
(1)
Independent retirement communities consisting
of multifamily residential buildings specifically designed and intended
for and limited to occupancy by households composed of at least one
adult 55 years of age or older, except as specifically provided herein,
and with no children under the age of 19. Permitted residential buildings
shall include any one of the following:
B.
Accessory uses.
(1)
Recreational and social facilities for the use
of residents and their guests, such as clubhouses, gymnasiums and
health clubs, tennis courts, swimming pools, community meeting and
party rooms.
(2)
Storage facilities and utility or maintenance
structures.
(3)
Private garages attached to or constructed beneath
residential dwelling units and outdoor off-street parking spaces.
C.
Age restrictions. Through its corporation, association
or owners, the land and buildings in any PRC shall be restricted by
bylaws, rules, regulations, and restrictions of record, to use, ownership
and occupancy by persons of 55 years of age or older, subject to the
following exceptions, consistent with the requirements of the Fair
Housing Act, as amended.
(1)
A member of a couple under the age of 55 years
who is residing with his/her partner, which partner is 55 years of
age or over, may reside in a PRC.
(2)
Twenty percent of units may be occupied by households
whose oldest member is aged 45-55 years, provided that all other requirements
of this section are met.
(3)
An adult under 55 years of age may reside in
the PRC if it is established that the presence of such person is essential
to the physical care of one or more of the adult occupants of the
same unit, which adult occupant(s) shall be 55 years of age or older.
(4)
Children under the age of 19 shall not be permitted
to reside in any unit in the PRC, regardless of the age(s) of the
parent(s) with whom they reside.
(5)
One unit in any such development may be occupied
by a resident manager and family not meeting the above criteria.
(6)
A PRC shall comply with all applicable requirements
of the Federal Fair Housing Act and all amendments thereto and all
applicable rules and regulations of the United States Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regarding such use, ownership,
and occupancy, and shall further comply with all applicable HUD rules
and regulations for self-certification of compliance with the Act
and with HUD's rules and regulations. The residency restriction applicable
to the development may be reviewed by the Township Attorney for compliance
with this section.
D.
Development standards.
(1)
Minimum tract area. The minimum gross tract
area for a PRC development is 10 acres.
(2)
Maximum density.
(a)
The maximum density of development for a PRC
consisting of garden apartments shall not exceed 10 units per gross
acre.
(b)
The maximum density of development for a PRC
consisting of quadriplexes shall not exceed eight units per gross
acre.
(c)
The maximum density of development for a PRC
consisting of townhouses shall not exceed six units per gross acre.
(3)
Lot coverage. The maximum principal building
coverage on the tract shall not exceed 25%, while the maximum total
impervious coverage shall not exceed 50%.
(4)
Street line setbacks. No building shall be located
closer to a public street right-of-way line than 50 feet. The minimum
distance to the curbline of any private street shall be 15 feet.
(5)
Yard and area requirements. The PRC development
shall conform to the standards of the Schedule of Requirements table,
as delineated therein under the category "SL/C-PRC," appended to this
chapter.
(6)
Distance between structures. The minimum distance
between multifamily structures in a PRC shall be 25 feet for side
to front, side to back, or side to side separations; 40 feet for front
to front, back to back, or front to back separations; and 50 feet
for any separation in which an access drive, other than an emergency
access drive, is located between the buildings. Separation distances
shall be measured from building wall to building wall; however, bay
windows, steps, and chimneys may intrude into the space, provided
that such intrusion is not greater than two feet.
(7)
Length of structures. No principal building
shall exceed 160 feet in length in its longest dimension.
(8)
Height of structures.
(a)
Principal buildings having no underground parking
garages. The maximum height of any principal building shall not exceed
2 1/2 stories above grade nor 35 feet.
(b)
Principal buildings having underground parking
garages. In the case of apartment buildings wherein parking is provided
underneath the building (with an entrance at grade), the maximum height
shall not exceed 44 feet, without limitation to the number of stories.
For purposes of this provision, such height shall be measured from
the average elevation of the pre-construction grade, as measured at
all the proposed building corners, to the highest elevation of the
roof surface or ridgeline on pitched roofs.
(c)
Accessory buildings. The maximum height of any
accessory building shall not exceed 15 feet, except that one accessory
building devoted exclusively to use as a clubhouse shall be permitted
to consist of a maximum 2 1/2 stories above grade and not more than
35 feet in height.
(9)
Unit maximums. No more than 20 dwelling units
shall be contained in any one continuous structure, and there shall
be no more than 12 dwelling units in any unbroken building line. A
setback of not less than four feet shall be deemed a satisfactory
break in the building line.
E.
Architectural design. The design of buildings and
accessory structures within the PRC shall be coordinated to complement
one another and to reflect a common architectural theme that is visually
compatible with the surrounding area. The design theme shall address
at minimum, building facades, rooflines, construction materials and
colors, finish details, entryways, and all accessory site elements
such as light fixtures, street furniture, signs, and fencing. Buildings
shall be residential in appearance, designed to achieve a human scale
through the use and placement of such elements as windows, doors,
columns, and canopies. All buildings shall have pitched roofs as an
integral component of their design.
F.
Landscaping. The overall site design shall include
a comprehensive landscaping plan providing a variety of trees, shrubs,
and ground cover(s) designed to shade parking and recreation areas,
reduce stormwater runoff and soil erosion, offer visual screening
of trash/recycling areas and utility installations, accent and complement
buildings, and soften the lines of paved roadways on the interior
and exterior of the site. The preservation of existing natural features
such as rock outcroppings, woodlands, and topographic elements shall
be an integral part of the site planning process, and at its discretion,
the reviewing board may waive additional screening requirements where
such features are present within a required buffer area.
G.
Open space. A planned retirement community shall provide
developed and undeveloped open space and common recreational or community
facilities for the exclusive use of residents.
(1)
Not less than 40% of the tract area of a PRC
development shall be dedicated to common open space and recreation
facilities. Such space may include required buffers, setback areas,
stormwater management facilities, active recreational areas, as well
as natural, undeveloped areas.
(2)
Of the tract area dedicated to common open space
and recreation facilities, at least 1/2 (or 20% of the tract area)
shall consist of natural, undeveloped open space.
(3)
Remaining areas set aside for such purposes
shall be utilized to provide facilities for active and passive recreation
particularly suitable for adults aged 55 years or older. Such recreation
may include such amenities as a swimming pool, a multipurpose clubhouse
building, tennis, boccie, shuffleboard or horseshoe courts, chipping
and putting greens, outdoor sitting areas, walking paths, exercise
trails, and other similar appropriate active and passive recreational
areas and facilities.
(4)
Open space shall be designed to preserve natural
features such as woodlands and rock outcroppings, and to protect and/or
buffer environmentally sensitive areas on the tract.
H.
Signs. Planned retirement communities shall be permitted
one double-faced monument type sign identifying the development at
each of up to two entrances to the development, provided that only
one such sign shall be permitted for each street frontage, and that
such sign shall not exceed 32 square feet in area nor six feet above
the ground level. The sign shall be set back from all street and/or
property lines a minimum of 10 feet.
I.
Lighting. Exterior lighting in accordance with § 268-7, with the exception that the maximum height of a fixture shall not exceed 20 feet or the height of the soffit line of the principal building, whichever is the lesser, measured from the ground level to the top of the light source.
J.
Roadways and parking standards.
(1)
The requirements of the Residential Site Improvement
Standards (RSIS) shall apply to the development of a PRC.
(2)
All requirements of Article VI pertaining to parking, driveways and loading shall apply to the PRC, except where such requirements may be, or may become, in conflict with the requirements of the RSIS.
(3)
No parking of recreational vehicles, including
boats, shall be permitted on the site.
(4)
Eighty percent of required parking spaces for
multifamily structures shall be provided within garages.
(5)
Street trees shall be provided along interior
roadways consisting of deciduous trees, having at the time of planting,
a minimum caliper of two to 2 1/2 inches, as measured at four to 4
1/2 feet above the ground. Placement of trees in relation to street
curbing, sidewalks, and/or right-of-way lines shall be subject to
the review of the Township Engineer and approval by the Planning Board
at the time of an application.
K.
Buffers. Along the length of any property line adjacent
to a single-family residential property, a landscaped buffer of a
minimum of 50 feet in width shall be provided, consisting of massed
evergreen trees and/or shrubs having a minimum height of six feet
at the time of planting. Such buffer areas may also be required upon
site plan review to have walls and/or fences to ensure year-round
visual screening. No building or other structure, parking area, driveway
or storage area shall encroach upon such buffer area, with the exception
of an emergency access road, utility easement, or unpaved pedestrian
trail.
L.
Utilities. All electric and telephone utilities for
the PRC shall be placed underground.
M.
Recycling. There shall be included in any new multifamily
housing development an indoor or outdoor recycling area for the collection
and storage of residentially generated recyclable materials.
(1)
The recycling area shall be of sufficient size
to accommodate bins or containers of adequate size and number consistent
with anticipated usage and current collection methods in the area
in which the project is located.
(2)
The recycling area shall be conveniently located
for residential disposition of source separated recyclable materials,
preferably near, but clearly separated from, a refuse dumpster. No
recycling area shall be located within a front yard nor shall be situated
less than five feet from any side or rear yard property line.
(3)
The recycling area shall be well lit, and shall
be safely and easily accessible to recycling vehicles and personnel.
(4)
Recycling bins shall be provided with lids or
covers, and the recycling area shall be screened from view by means
of a maximum seven-foot high fence or wall enclosure, and shall be
landscaped as required by the Board.
N.
Solid waste collection and storage areas shall be
similarly provided for the facility, and may be indoors or outdoors.
Outdoor areas shall be screened from view by a maximum seven-foot
high fence or wall enclosure compatible with the architectural style
of the building, and landscaped as required by the reviewing board.
O.
The standards set forth in this section are in addition
to all other standards made applicable to the particular development
being proposed by the provisions of this chapter, and no application
for approval of a planned residential community development shall
be approved unless all such other standards, including but not limited
to those relating to planned developments, site plan or subdivision
approval, and to the district in which the proposed development will
be located, have been met or, where permitted, waived pursuant to
the applicable provisions of this chapter.
