[Amended 10-11-1961; 1-27-1977 by Ord. No. 0-77-3; 5-1-1979 by Ord. No. 0-79-7; 6-9-80 by Ord. No. 0-80-6; 8-8-1983 by Ord. No. 0-83-15; 9-10-1984 by Ord. No. 0-84-10; 12-14-1987 by Ord. No. 0-87-29; 4-11-1988 by Ord. No. 0-88-8; 11-14-1988 by Ord. No. 0-88-32; 11-14-1988 by Ord. No. 0-88-33; 2-27-1989 by Ord. No. 0-89-1; 5-10-2000 by Ord. No. 0-00-06; 6-14-2000 by Ord. No. 0-00-09; 9-13-2000 by Ord. No. 0-00-15; 8-8-2001 by Ord. No. 0-01-10]
A. 
For the purpose of lessening congestion in the streets; securing safety from fire, panic and other dangers; protecting health, morals or the general welfare; providing adequate light and air; preventing the overcrowding of land or buildings; and avoiding undue concentration of population, with reasonable consideration to the character of the district and its peculiar suitability for particular uses and with the objective of conserving the value of property and encouraging the most appropriate use of land throughout such municipality, the Township of Plainsboro is hereby divided into 18 zones as follows:
[Amended 11-10-2010 by Ord. No. 0-10-25]
R-100
Rural Zone
R-150
Rural Zone
R-200
Rural Zone
R-300
Low-Density Residential Zone
R-350
Low-Density Residential Light-Impact Zone
R-85
Residence Zone
R-90
Planned Medium-Density Zone
R-95
Residence Zone
GB
General Business Zone
OB-1
Office Business Zone
I-100
Limited Industrial Zone
S-R
Service-Residential Zone
PCD
Planned Unit Development
PMUD
Planned Unit Development
NB
Neighborhood Business Zone
VR-1
Village Residential 1 Zone
VR-2
Village Residential 2 Zone
VC
Village Center Zone
ECA
Cemetery Zone
Educational and Cultural Arts Zone
FMC Corporation/Princeton HealthCare System Redevelopment Area
B. 
This chapter is adopted pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1 et seq. in order to promote and protect the public health, safety, morals and general welfare and in furtherance of the following related and more specific objectives:
(1) 
To secure safety from fire, flood, panic and other natural and man-made disasters.
(2) 
To provide adequate light, air and open space.
(3) 
To ensure that the development of the Township of Plainsboro does not conflict with the development and general welfare of neighboring municipalities, the county and state as a whole.
(4) 
To promote the establishment of appropriate population densities and concentrations that will contribute to the well-being of persons and neighborhoods and the preservation of the environment.
(5) 
To encourage the appropriate and efficient expenditure of public funds by the coordination of public development with land use policies.
(6) 
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.
(7) 
To encourage the location and design of transportation routes which will permit the free flow of traffic while discouraging location of such facilities and routes which will result in congestion or blight.
(8) 
To provide a desirable visual environment through creative development techniques and good civic design and arrangements.
(9) 
To promote the conservation of open space and valuable natural resources and to prevent urban sprawl and degradation of the environment through improper use of land.
(10) 
To encourage planned unit developments which in corporate the best features of design and relate the type, design and layout of residential, commercial, industrial and recreational development to the particular site.
(11) 
To encourage senior citizen housing construction.
(12) 
To encourage the 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 the land.
[Amended 1-27-1977 by Ord. No. 0-77-3; 5-1-1979 by Ord. No. 0-79-7; 8-8-1983 by Ord. No. 0-83-15; 7-9-1984 by Ord. No. 0-84-9; 3-9-1987 by Ord. No. 0-87-1; 11-14-1988 by Ord. No. 0-88-32; 11-14-1988 by Ord. No. 0-88-33; 2-27-1989 by Ord. No. 0-89-1; 9-13-2000 by Ord. No. 0-00-15; 8-8-2001 by Ord. No. 0-01-10; 12-12-2001 by Ord. No. 0-01-19; 12-11-2002 by Ord. No. 0-02-18; 11-10-2010 by Ord. No. 0-10-25]
The Zoning Map entitled "Zoning Map, Plainsboro Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey," dated June 27, 1963, revised November 10, 2010, which is attached hereto, is hereby adopted and made a part of this chapter.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: The Zoning Map is included at the end of this chapter.
When an uncertainty exists as to the boundaries of any of the aforesaid zones as part of the said map, the following rules shall apply:
A. 
Zone boundary lines are intended to follow street, lot or property lines as they exist on plats of record unless such district boundaries are fixed by dimensions as shown on the Zoning Map.
B. 
Where such boundaries are fixed by dimensions and where they approximately follow lot lines and where they are not more than 10 feet distant therefrom, such lot lines shall be construed to be such boundaries unless specifically shown otherwise.
Except as hereinafter otherwise provided:
A. 
No building shall be erected and no existing building shall be moved, altered, added to or enlarged, nor shall any land or building be designed, used or intended to be used, for any purpose or in any manner other than as specified among the uses hereinafter listed as permitted in the district in which such building or land is located.
B. 
No building shall be erected, reconstructed or structurally altered to exceed in height the limit hereinafter designated for the district in which such building is located.
C. 
No building shall be erected, no existing building be altered, enlarged or rebuilt, nor shall any open space surrounding any building be encroached upon or reduced in any manner, except in conformity to the yard, lot area and building location regulations hereinafter designated for the district in which such building or open space is located.
D. 
No yard or other open space provided about any building for the purpose of complying with the provisions of this chapter shall be considered as providing a yard or open space for any other building, and no yard or other open space on one lot shall be considered as providing a yard or open space for a building on any other lot, except that such parking space as is required for certain uses as specified in §§ 101-59, 101-91 and 101-107 and which need not be provided on the same lot as the principal structure or use shall be considered as part of the open space required for the continuance of such use but may be relocated in a manner so as to conform in all other respects to the requirements of §§ 101-59, 101-91 and 101-107, subject to approval by the Zoning Board.
E. 
The Zoning Board may waive the requirements of this chapter for minimum lot size and area only for such lots as were in individual private ownership and so indicated in the public records at the time of passage of this chapter and surrounded by improved properties which prevent the acquisition of such additional land as may permit compliance with the terms of this chapter.
F. 
All uses not expressly permitted in this chapter are prohibited.
[Added 9-24-1984 by Ord. No. 0-84-14[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: Section 18 of this ordinance provided as follows: "Any application for development submitted before July 1, 1984, to a municipal agency pursuant to lawful authority may be continued at the option of the applicant, and the municipal agency shall have every power it possessed before July 1, 1984, in regard to any such application."