[Amended 12-13-1976; 5-1-1979 by Ord. No. 0-79-7; 6-9-1980 by Ord. No.
0-80-6, 3-11-1985 by Ord. No. 0-85-3; 12-29-1986 by Ord. No.
0-86-25; 12-10-1990 by Ord. No. 0-90-24; 12-10-1992 by Ord. No.
0-92-20; 5-10-2000 by Ord. No. 0-00-06]
The GB General Business Zone is intended to
permit retail business, personal service establishments, general corporate
and administrative offices and other nonresidential uses within a
shopping center-style environment. Development within the zone will
strive to promote the sharing of parking and stormwater management
facilities, have well-landscaped and adequate building setbacks from
surrounding roads, provide off-street parking that is well screened
from public view, control means of ingress/egress and coordinate internal
pedestrian and vehicular traffic flows relating to existing and proposed
development and ensure design compatibility with existing development
that considers building height, materials, colors, landscaping and
signage.
Development within the GB General Business Zone
shall reflect a shopping-center-style environment and design principles
contained in the Township Master Plan's Village Area Plan adopted
by the Planning Board as part of its Land Use Element, including:
A.
Encourage innovation in design and reflect changes
in land development technology to enhance the existing village character.
B.
Provide for necessary commercial facilities and services.
C.
Encourage the highest quality design and architecture.
D.
Encourage better movement and transportation of people.
E.
Prevent strip commercial development by ensuring that
new development reflects and respects the existing and evolving village
areas.
F.
Provide a more defined sense of place along Schalks
Crossing Road.
G.
Preserve the residential integrity of adjacent areas.
H.
Create a zone with enough flexibility that permits
the land use variety of a village yet prohibits the chaotic character
of an unplanned area.
In the GB General Business Zone, no building
or premises shall be used and no building shall be erected or altered
which is arranged, intended or designed to be used except for one
or more of the following uses, and all such uses shall be subject
to the performance standards set forth in the Township's Site Plan
Ordinance:[1]
A.
Stores and shops for the conduct of any retail business.
B.
Personal service establishments (e.g., tailor, barbershop
or beauty salon).
C.
General corporate and administrative offices as well
as offices for professional services (e.g., physicians, lawyers or
architects); small commercial offices (e.g., realtors or travel agencies);
small governmental offices (e.g., post office branch or social security);
and offices incidental to uses permitted in this section.
D.
Restaurants and neighborhood taverns, excluding drive-in
and curb service establishments.
E.
Repair and servicing, indoors only, of any article
for sale which is permitted in this district
F.
Funeral parlors.
G.
Banks.
H.
Attended laundry and retail dry-cleaning services,
not including bulk processing and, in the case of dry-cleaning establishments,
not providing for the storage of more than five gallons of flammable
or toxic cleaning fluid on the premises.
I.
Building structures and uses owned or operated by
the Township of Plainsboro for municipal purposes.
J.
All farm and agricultural uses permitted in residential districts in accordance with the provisions set forth in Article V of this chapter.
K.
Carpentry, electrical, masonry, plumbing and painting
services, provided that all activities are conducted and all materials
are stored within a completely enclosed building and that only trucks
incidental to the use located on the premises are permitted. Such
trucks shall be parked in areas that are appropriately landscaped.
L.
Copy centers and newspaper offices.
N.
Parks and playgrounds.
O.
Common open space.
P.
Accessory uses and accessory buildings incidental
to the above permitted uses and located on the same lot and within
the same zoning district that permits the principal use.
Q.
Shopping centers, comprised of any of the above permitted
uses.
R.
Drive-through facility for shopping center pad site
only, subject to the following:
(1)
A drive-through facility shall be permitted only for
a pad site associated with a shopping center with direct vehicular
access thereto, and such facility shall be limited to one service
window only.
(2)
A drive-through facility shall be permitted only if
the permitted principal use it serves does not have direct vehicular
access to a public street.
(3)
A drive-through facility, accompanying driveway and
associated signage shall be set back a minimum distance of 50 feet
from any lands zoned for residential development.
(4)
A drive-through facility and associated signage shall
be provided with landscaping to visually enhance views of the facility,
signage and driveway as seen from adjacent properties, as appropriate.
(5)
A drive-through facility may be permitted provided
that such facility does not adversely impede or conflict with the
safe traffic flow required by the permitted principal use.
(6)
The Planning Board shall be satisfied that the on-site
and off-tract traffic circulation is capable of accommodating the
proposed traffic volume associated with such facility, particularly
during peak hours. The stacking driveway for the drive-through window
shall provide room for at least five automobiles and shall be separated
from any off-street parking areas and their access aisles, loading
areas or trash enclosures.
In a GB General Business Zone, the following
uses may be permitted as conditional uses:
The minimum lot area in the GB General Business
Zone shall be 25 acres.
The minimum lot frontage in the GB General Business
Zone shall be 425 feet.
The minimum lot depth in the GB General Business
Zone shall be 450 feet.
No development shall be approved unless front,
side and rear yards and locations of buildings or enclosed structures
provided for are consonant with the public health, safety and general
welfare.
All site improvements shall be set back a minimum
of 100 feet from the Plainsboro Road right-of-way line, with the exception
of a single access drive and improvements to common open space. The
pad site building shall be set back no greater than five feet from
the Schalks Crossing Road right-of-way.
The maximum permitted lot coverage for all buildings
or enclosed structures in the GB General Business Zone shall be 20%.
The maximum improvement coverage in the GB General
Business Zone shall be 65%.
For all uses in the GB General Business Zone,
the maximum permitted floor area ratio (FAR) shall be 0.20.
The maximum building height for all business
and commercial uses in the GB General Business Zone shall not exceed
one story or 28 feet and for office uses shall not exceed 30 feet.
A.
The number and location of off-street parking spaces shall be determined by the schedule provided in § 85-44 of Chapter 85 of this Code entitled "Subdivision and Site Plan Review," and by maximizing shared parking opportunities between developments within the GB General Business Zone. The developer shall be required to submit a detailed shared parking analysis to establish the maximum number of parking spaces.
B.
Parking stalls and access aisle dimensions shall be
adequate to accommodate anticipated volumes, types of vehicles and
turnover. Stalls set aside for compact cars shall be encouraged.
C.
There shall be landscape improvements between the
right-of-way of all streets abutting the property and off-street parking
improvements and within front, side and rear setback areas, except
where shared parking is approved. The landscape improvements shall
include sidewalks, grass, shrubs, trees and decorative walls or fences,
as appropriate, to shield adjacent roadways and nearby residential
properties from parking lot automobile headlight glare, fumes and
noise.
D.
Curbing shall be provided in all off-street parking
areas and along all accessways, as appropriate.
E.
Off-street parking areas and accessways thereto shall
be properly drained, and all such areas shall have a paved hard surface.
F.
All off-street parking areas and accessways shall
be so arranged that cars and trucks may be turned on the lot so that
it is not necessary to back into any public roadway.
Every structure erected, designed or altered
for occupancy by any use as permitted in this article shall provide,
at the side or rear of its lot, access and space for the loading and
unloading of delivery trucks, which space shall be screened with landscape
improvements and/or a decorative wall or fence and have a paved hard
surface and be accessed from a public or private roadway or other
way to be used for such purposes, being primarily accessible to and
from Schalks Crossing Road.
A.
Shopping centers.
(1)
A shopping center shall be conceived, designed,
subdivided, site planned and approved by the Planning Board as a single
complex according to a comprehensive site development plan. In addition,
site landscaping, building design and common area maintenance guideline
control standards shall be established. Only one pad site building
shall be permitted in a shopping center.
(2)
The entirety of a shopping center shall be developed
with a common architectural theme which shall be subject to site plan
approval by the Planning Board. The architectural theme shall include
buildings, signing, fencing, lighting, paving, curbing, landscaping
and other similar and related physical features, taking into account
existing conditions in a shopping center being renovated.
B.
Building design and use.
(1)
The treatment of side and rear walls of any
building in terms of building materials and colors shall be similar
to the treatment of the front facade.
(2)
The pad site building shall not exceed 15,000
square feet of gross floor area nor shall such building exceed 150
feet along its longest length.
(3)
Architectural details, style, materials, colors,
proportions and massing of the pad site building shall be appropriate
to a traditional village center area.
(4)
Use of village-appropriate design details are
required on the pad site building, including:
(a)
Pitched or shed roof details along facades containing
the building's main entrance(s);
(b)
Cupola or similar architectural feature as a
major design element of the building;
(c)
Window treatment along substantial (two-thirds
or more) portions of building highly visible from the street, using
traditional residential mullion details; and
(d)
Residentially scaled wall-mounted light fixtures
and decorative roof canopy structure over pedestrian accessways adjacent
to the building line leading to building entrances.
(5)
Natural materials such as wood and masonry are
recommended. High-quality man-made siding materials are permitted.
Stucco or similar treatment is prohibited on the pad site building.
(6)
Street-level storefronts and building entrances
shall be open and inviting to pedestrians.
(7)
Treatment of the front setback area for the
pad site building shall serve to enhance the pedestrian streetscape
environment.
(8)
The pad site building service area shall be
screened by an extension wall off the building, of same material as
the building exterior, and provided with appropriate landscaping.
(9)
A low decorative wall shall be provided along
parking areas visible from Schalks Crossing Road, as appropriate.
(10)
Any development in the GB General Business Zone
which will be used wholly or in part for general business purposes
may be phased and shall be designed so as to provide a comprehensive
development plan for the entire zone of which it is a part, the goals
being to share off-street parking and detention opportunities, have
well landscaped and generous building setbacks from Plainsboro Road,
provide off-street parking that is well-screened from public view,
control means of access and coordinate internal pedestrian and vehicular
traffic flows relating to existing or proposed development, review
utility extensions, ensure design compatibility with existing development
that considers building height, materials, colors, landscaping and
signage and mitigates any negative visual impacts from public views.
C.
Traffic and circulation.
(1)
The developer shall be required to submit a
detailed traffic study showing the project's impact on the surrounding
roadway network which includes the Plainsboro railroad bridge, the
Plainsboro Road/Schalks Crossing Road intersection, the Scudders Mill
Road/Schalks Crossing intersection and the Maple Avenue and Prospect
Street intersections with Plainsboro Road. The developer's plan shall
incorporate ingress and egress features that minimize the impact of
traffic from the development into the public roadway network.
(2)
Off-site traffic impacts shall be addressed
at the intersections of Schalks Crossing Road with Plainsboro Road
and Schalks Crossing Road with Scudders Mill Road. Intersection movements
predicted to operate below service level D following completion of
development at these two intersections shall be considered deficient,
and appropriate traffic improvements or mitigation shall be identified
by the developer. A fair share determination of the development's
contribution shall be assessed by the Planning Board for any off-site
improvements needed to maintain the minimum D level of service standard.
(3)
Driveway access to Plainsboro Road.
(a)
A single driveway access to Plainsboro Road
shall be permitted as part of site plan approval upon a traffic study
showing:
[1]
That the proposed development will increase
trip generation during peak shopping center hours or during peak commuting
hours so as to cause the level of service of the existing accessways
in the GB Zone to fall below service level D (as defined by the Federal
Highway Authority's Highway Capacity manual); or
[2]
That the proposed driveway would reduce the
volume of traffic at the intersection of Schalks Crossing Road and
Plainsboro Road during peak shopping center hours or during peak commuting
hours.
(b)
Implementation of the driveway access to Plainsboro
Road shall be permitted:
[1]
Upon issuance of a certificate of occupancy for that phase of new construction that the traffic study projected would cause the level of service at existing GB accessways to drop below the level specified in § 101-64.1C(3)(a)[1] above; or
[2]
At any time after the Planning Board has determined in granting preliminary or final approval to any application for development that such driveway would reduce the volume of traffic as specified in § 101-64.1C(3)(a)[2] above.
(c)
The new driveway access at Plainsboro Road shall
be constructed with the provision of separate left turn lanes on Plainsboro
Road (entering traffic) and the new driveway (exiting traffic). The
left turn lane on Plainsboro Road should also be extended to serve
the left turn entering movement to the adjacent PNC Bank property.
Transition tapers for Plainsboro Road traffic shall meet the approval
of the Township Engineer.
(4)
Pedestrian, bikeway and driveway access interconnections
shall be provided between a shopping center and adjacent properties.
(5)
To the greatest extent possible, all portions
of the GB General Business Zone shall be linked via a sidewalk and
pathway network as approved by the Planning Board; the GB Zone shall
be pedestrian oriented, with a design that enables and encourages
pedestrian and bicycle circulation, with linkages to the surrounding
village area. The applicant shall utilize the Township's Master Plan
Pedestrian Circulation and Bikeway Plans in developing a pedestrian
and bicycle pathway network. Adequate bicycle storage facilities shall
be provided.
E.
Solid waste and litter management. Each permitted
use shall provide an area for the orderly deposit and pickup of refuse
which is concealed from the adjoining residential properties, customer
parking areas, nearby roadways and the railroad. This area shall be
visually screened by a decorative wall or fence and landscaping. The
overall design shall be in architectural harmony with the principal
building and shall not be located within buffer areas. Also, in association
with a shopping center, an effective litter management plan shall
be provided and approved by the Township. Such management plan shall
be submitted with an application for final site plan approval.
F.
Storage. All provisions and facilities for storage,
other than pickup of refuse and recyclable materials, shall be contained
within a principal building.
G.
Environmental considerations.
H.
Landscaping.
(1)
Those portions of all front, side and rear yards
not used for off-street parking, loading or unloading areas, and vehicular
or pedestrian circulation, shall be planted with trees, shrubs, plants
or grass lawns, or a combination thereof, and maintained in good condition.
(2)
All off-street parking, loading and unloading
areas shall be bordered by landscaped areas containing trees, shrubs
and/or decorative walls or fences to shield automobiles from any nearby
roadway or from any property used for residential purposes. Whenever
feasible, the Planning Board shall require that at least 10% of the
total parking lot area be used for interior landscaping to include
such things as trees and shrubs. Such interior landscaping shall be
distributed throughout the parking lot in planting islands to provide
the maximum shade and buffer from noise and glare.
(3)
Buffering shall be located within minimum yard
setbacks. Buffer areas shall be located along the edge of parking
lots and property lines that abut residentially zoned lots or uses
to minimize reflection of lights and to minimize windblown or other
debris from being blown to or seen from the adjacent or neighboring
residential premises. Buffering shall be designed to reduce the impacts
of noise, movement of people and vehicles and to shield activities
from adjacent properties and nearby roadways. Buffering shall consist
of decorative walls or fences, evergreens trees, deciduous trees,
ornamental trees, shrubs, or a combination thereof, and shall be installed
to have an immediate positive impact.
I.
Plazas.
(1)
An open space plaza area(s) shall be constructed
by the developer of a shopping center. The plaza area(s) shall be
located convenient to areas of high pedestrian activity and shall
be a visual focus for the development. Pedestrian connections to and
through the plaza area(s) shall be provided. Design elements intended
to make such plaza area(s) inviting to pedestrians, such as patterns
in pavement, fountain(s), a gazebo, sculpture, a clock tower, bollards,
sitting areas and landscaping are encouraged.
J.
Lighting. Adequate lighting shall be provided to ensure
safe movement of persons and vehicles and for security purposes. Directional
lights shall be arranged and shielded in such a manner as not to create
a hazard or nuisance to adjoining residential properties or to the
traveling public. Spotlight-type fixtures attached to buildings and
visible to the public shall not be permitted. Traditional freestanding
light fixtures shall be required in select areas along Schalks Crossing
Road, to supplement those to be installed as part of the public improvements
of that roadway, and elsewhere as appropriate. The style of the freestanding
light fixtures used shall be consistent with the traditional styled
street light fixtures planned for the village area along Schalks Crossing
Road. By way of example, a traditional street light and parking lot
light fixture shall be similar to the Hagerstown Model V03 by HADCO,
which is a high-quality traditional freestanding light fixture appropriate
to a village environment. The height of such fixtures shall be appropriate
to their setting.
K.
Decorative walls and fences.
(1)
Decorative walls are more appropriately used
adjacent to or attached to buildings as architectural extensions.
Careful consideration shall be given to coordination with the lines,
materials and color of any building.
(2)
Decorative walls or fences shall be constructed
of durable, high-quality materials and shall display a high level
of quality in finish and detail.
(3)
Landscaping treatment shall be considered as
part of any wall or fence plan.
(4)
No hedge, wall or fence of any type shall be
erected or maintained if it is deemed a safety hazard in obstructing
the view of motorists.
L.
Signs. All proposed signs shall meet the standards of the Township Sign Ordinance set forth in Article XIV of this chapter. No more than two noninternally illuminated facade signs shall be permitted for the pad site building. Such signs shall be designed as an integral element in the overall design of the building and shall be compatible with a traditional village environment.
There shall be not more than two driveway curb
cuts, including the existing PNC Bank property exit only, onto Plainsboro
Road to service permitted uses.
