[Amended 3-14-1988 by Ord. No. 0-88-4; 12-10-1990 by Ord. No.
0-90-24; 12-9-1991 by Ord. No. 0-91-44; 8-12-1998 by Ord. No.
0-98-19; 12-12-2001 by Ord. No. 0-01-19]
In the R-350 Low-Density Residential Light-Impact
Zone, no lot shall be used and no structure shall be erected, altered
or occupied for any purpose except the following:
A. Detached single-family dwellings and the accessory
structures and uses normally auxiliary thereto.
B. Parks, playgrounds and golf courses.
C. Membership clubs for outdoor sports.
D. Necessary public utilities and services pursuant to §
101-13.6.
[Amended 10-10-2018 by Ord. No. 18-13]
E. Building structures and uses owned and operated by
the Township of Plainsboro for municipal purposes.
F. Planned residential cluster, subject to the following
requirements:
(1) The minimum total area to be developed as a planned
residential cluster shall be 100 contiguous acres. Such area shall
be developed in accordance with a single comprehensive development
plan. Streets, utility easements and utility rights-of-way shall not
be deemed to divide acreage for the purposes of this requirement.
(2) The maximum residential density shall be 0.14 dwelling
unit per gross acre.
(3) All residential units shall be provided with garages,
and all units shall be grouped or located together in proximity to
open space and off-site pedestrian systems.
(4) No less than 50% of a planned residential cluster
development shall be devoted to conservation and open space, including
drainage facilities. All one-hundred-year flood hazard areas and wetlands
shall be permanently restricted for open space. Individual residential
lots or portions thereof shall not be construed as open space. Designated
conservation and open space shall be in major contiguous parcels and
shall be interconnected with similar areas and abutting tracts and
parcels, having adequate access to public and/or private roads. Open
space areas, for purposes of this calculation, shall not include cul-de-sac
islands.
(5) The design and use of open space areas among groupings
of residential dwellings shall protect the natural terrain, woodlands,
significant views and any unique and unusual feature. Open space other
than that preserved for its natural values shall be suitably graded
and landscaped.
(6) The design and location of a planned residential cluster
shall give priority to avoiding environmentally constrained areas;
locating dwellings to enable new residential construction to be visually
absorbed by natural landscape features; and not blocking or interrupting
scenic vistas.
(7) The minimum tract frontage on an existing public arterial
or collector street that provides access to the planned residential
cluster development shall be 1,000 contiguous feet.
(8) The following minimum design, bulk and area requirements
shall apply to the development of a planned residential cluster development.
(a)
The Planning Board shall determine the total
number and location of dwelling unit clusters.
(b)
A development tract's existing road frontage
shall not be totally subdivided into residential lots.
(c)
Impervious surfaces, in the aggregate, shall
not cover more than 40% of the residential area of the tract.
(d)
All residential lots shall be serviced by a
public centralized water system and public sewer.
(e)
No habitable dwelling unit area shall be constructed
below grade if the Township Engineer determines water problems will
result from existing soil limitations.
(f)
Units shall be designed in such a manner as
to provide maximum security and visual privacy from adjacent units.
(g)
Fifteen thousand square feet shall be the minimum
lot area for a residential lot.
[1]
Frontage. Minimum street frontage shall be 100 feet, except that the frontage may vary pursuant to §
101-1 (Definitions and usage) of this chapter.
[2]
Lot width. Minimum lot width shall be 100 feet
as measured at the front yard setback line.
[3]
Lot depth. Minimum lot depth shall be 150 feet.
[4]
Front yard. Minimum front yard depth shall be
40 feet.
[5]
Side yard. Minimum side yard width shall be
15 feet.
[6]
Rear yard. Minimum rear yard depth shall be
30 feet, but in no case shall a rear yard setback line be closer than
50 feet to a boundary line of an adjacent parcel of land or existing
right-of-way.
[7]
Building height. Maximum building height shall
be 35 feet.
(h)
New streets shall be constructed to service
planned residential cluster developments instead of subdividing new
lots along existing minor arterial, major collector and minor collector
roadways within the R-350 Zone. In a subdivision abutting an existing
arterial or collector roadway, the frontage shall be reversed so that
the lots contiguous to such streets will front on the newly created
local streets or cul-de-sac, with an additional lot depth of 75 feet
over and above bulk and area regulations. This additional lot depth
shall be a conservation easement used exclusively for planting, screening
and landscaped earthen berms to be provided by the developer and maintained
by the lot owner or by a homeowners' association, if one is created.
(i)
Planned residential cluster developments shall
be required to widen municipal and county roadways, construct new
municipal roadways and contribute their fair share toward off-site
intersection improvements, as shown and described in the Township
Master Plan Circulation Elements and/or on the Township Official Map.
(9) Land permanently set aside for conservation and open
space uses may either be offered for dedication to Plainsboro Township,
deed restricted to remain with the official property owner, dedicated
to a nonprofit organization or protected by a homeowners' community
association all as found to be acceptable to the Planning Board. An
open space area that is not accepted for public use by the Township
Committee shall be protected by legal arrangements satisfactory to
the Planning Board sufficient to assure its maintenance and preservation
in perpetuity for its intended purpose. Covenants or other legal arrangements
shall specify ownership of the open space; method of maintenance;
responsibility for maintenance; maintenance taxes and insurance; compulsory
assessment provisions; guaranties that any homeowners' association
formed to own and maintain open space will not be dissolved without
the consent of the Planning Board; and any other specifications deemed
necessary by the Planning Board. The open space left unbuilt upon
or after development shall be maintained in accordance with a land
management plan prepared by the developer and accepted and approved
by the Planning Board. The developer shall provide copies of deed
covenants with prospective purchases or conservation easements to
the Township describing land management practices to be followed by
party or parties that are responsible for open space. Further subdivision
of open space land, or its uses for other than agriculture, conservation
and recreation or other permitted municipal uses, shall be prohibited.
(10)
Within open space areas, the Planning Board
may require the developer to make certain site preparation improvements,
which may include, but are not limited to, the following:
(a)
Removal of dead or distressed trees.
(b)
Thinning of trees or other growth to encourage
more desirable growth.
(c)
Removal of trees in areas planned for ponds
or lakes.
(e)
Improvement or protection of the natural drainage
system through the use of protective structures, stabilization measures
and similar improvements.
(f)
Improvement and landscaping of ponds and lakes
to afford appropriate use and enjoyment by the residents.
(11)
Land designated as conservation and open space
may be incorporated into private lots which conform to this section
upon approval by the Planning Board that such land will be permanently
protected from development as an alternative to dedication or protection
by a homeowners' community association.
(12)
No preliminary approval shall be granted for
any subdivision or site plan in connection with the development of
a planned residential cluster unless the Township Engineer has approved
plans for potable water supply and sewage disposal to serve the development.
(13)
Flexibility and variety in lot and building
layout, roadway construction, utility design and other site improvements
shall be encouraged to best relate the improvements to the land. To
that end, lots, buildings, and utilities shall be designed so as to
minimize the alteration of the natural terrain and fit into the open
space environment in the R-350 Zone.
(14)
There shall be a minimum one-hundred-fifty-foot
building setback from arterial roadways. This setback requirement
may be reduced by the Planning Board if the applicant can demonstrate
that additional landscaping, fencing, or earth berming will protect
dwellings from negative visual and physical impacts, e.g., noise,
glare, dust, and fumes.
(15)
There shall be a minimum two-hundred-foot setback
from the existing railroad right-of-way.
(16)
The planned northerly alignment of State Route
92 shall be identified and preserved by the planned residential cluster.
G. Child-care centers, subject to the minimum standards found in §
101-25F.
H. Family day-care homes, subject to the terms set forth in the family day-care home definition in §
101-1.
[Added 11-10-2011 by Ord. No. 0-11-13]
I. Home occupations and professional offices, subject to the standards found in §
101-13.5.
[Added 12-12-2001 by Ord. No. 0-01-19]
In the R-350 Zone, the following may be permitted
as conditional uses upon approval of the Planning Board, as provided
in this chapter.
A. Agriculture, subject to the following conditions:
(1)
Swine. The keeping or raising of swine shall
not be allowed except as part of a general farming operation on a
property of not less than five acres, and provided further that not
more than 10 head plus one head additional for each three acres of
area in excess of five acres shall be allowed in any case. No building
or other enclosure for the shelter of swine shall be closer to any
front, side or rear property line or zone boundary than 200 feet.
(2)
Fowl and livestock limitations. No building,
any part of which is closer to any front or side property line than
90 feet or closer to any R-85 Residence or GB Business Zone boundary
than 200 feet or closer to a dwelling on an adjoining premises than
200 feet, shall be erected or used for the shelter of more than 100
head of fowl of all kinds or more than two head of other farm livestock.
(3)
Side and rear yard setbacks. No building for
the shelter of fowl or farm livestock shall be closer to any side
or rear property line than 30 feet or closer to a dwelling on an adjoining
premises than 100 feet.
B. Eleemosynary, charitable and philanthropic institutions,
hospitals, nursing homes, convalescent homes, churches, parochial
and private schools and nursery schools, subject to the following
conditions:
(1)
Location. Such uses shall be located on a major
or minor arterial.
(2)
Lot area. A minimum lot area shall be five acres.
(3)
Parking. All parking shall be on site and in
accordance with the Site Plan Review Ordinance.
(4)
Licenses. All state, county and local licenses
are obtained.
C. Camps for children owned or operated by tax-exempt
organizations, such as YMCA, YWCA and the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts,
provided that such camps shall be on lots of not less than 10 acres.
[Amended 12-12-2001 by Ord. No. 0-01-19]
Single-family dwellings:
A. Lot area. The minimum lot area shall be three acres,
except that where any lot boundary is coterminous with the center
line of any street or road, such area shall be exclusive of the right-of-way.
B. Frontage. The minimum street frontage shall be 250
feet.
C. Lot depth. The minimum lot depth shall be 250 feet.
D. Front yard. The minimum front yard shall be 50 feet.
E. Side yard. The minimum side yard setback shall be
50 feet.
F. Rear yard. The minimum rear yard setback shall be
50 feet.
G. Building height. The maximum building height shall
be 35 feet.
H. Railroad setback. There shall be a minimum two-hundred-foot
setback from the existing railroad right-of-way.
[Added 12-12-2001 by Ord. No. 0-01-19]
Lots in the R-350 Zone which were conforming
at the time they were created will be considered conforming lots if
they are at least 35,250 square feet in size.