[Added 5-27-1993 by Ord. No. 516-93]
The purposes of this Planned Development Overlay
(PDO) is to encourage the coordinated, orderly, and rational development
of the lands designated on the Zoning Map as having a PDO option.
Development according to the PDO option is intended to promote the
following objectives:
A.
Provide for a mixed-use district consisting of office,
research, retail, hotel/conference, and related uses in the ROM-1
and ROM-2 Districts developed in a coherent manner in accordance with
an approved general development plan;
B.
Promote a more efficient use of land through alternative
design approaches, resulting in the preservation of significant areas
of contiguous open space which can be maintained for ecological, scenic,
and recreational purposes;
C.
Provide for the more efficient planning and design
of infrastructure, including the site-wide provision of utilities,
roads, and stormwater management systems;
D.
Relate specific infrastructure improvements to projected
and actual levels of development over the life of the project.
A.
The purpose of the PDO option is to promote efficient
land use and innovative design by clustering of development and avoidance
of typical regimented land use patterns. The intent is to allow for
responsible development, without sacrificing the rural and suburban
character of Clinton Township or the health, safety, welfare, and
appearance of the community. The PDO option promotes the use of planning
and design concepts that will complement the natural setting and promote
quality development.
B.
Floor area and impervious surface coverage standards
shall be applied site-wide, allowing for the clustering of development
in zones which permit the creation of a contiguous, preserved open
space system that will protect and enhance existing natural features
and resources. The PDO option encourages the grouping of buildings
to form outdoor spaces and create streetscapes that are human in scale,
thereby promoting pedestrian activity and enhancing the quality of
life.
C.
The PDO option provides for a mix of uses, many of
which will be within walking distance of each other, offering the
opportunity to reduce dependence on the automobile. Retail, convenience
shopping, personal services, restaurants, day care, and civic uses,
along with areas for socializing, exercising, relaxing, and meeting
daily needs, should be provided near places of employment, thereby
avoiding the use of a car.
D.
The PDO is established to provide a mechanism for
assuring improved site design. Architecture and landscaping should
support the image of a distinctive and unified development. A hierarchy
of outdoor spaces should be arranged within the development zones.
Roadway orientation, view corridors, and pedestrian linkages should
visually and physically integrate the open space system with the development
zones.
E.
The PDO provides design guidelines that are a departure
from traditional zoning and design standards. The PDO is not intended
to dictate specific design solutions, but to offer design objectives
and standards. The standards and regulations of the PDO relate to
performance objectives rather than the traditional zoning bulk standards
in order to encourage flexibility and creativity of design. Traditional
dimensional requirements for lot size, setbacks, road frontage, floor
area per lot, and impervious coverage per lot can be varied in the
PDO to promote improved site design. Through the use of more flexible
standards, the PDO encourages innovation, creative design, efficient
use of land, responsiveness to changing economic circumstances and
continuing changes in the technology of land development in furtherance
of the objectives above.
F.
Site design and image. The PDO option seeks to encourage
distinct and unified development. Each parcel of land should be planned
so that the roadway access, buildings, parking, open space, and other
elements are properly coordinated with surrounding parcels to assure
sound land use. The PDO seeks to enhance functional relationships
among structures, reduce the mass of parking, maximize the impact
on open space, and facilitate easy and uncongested access while promoting
safe and convenient pedestrian circulation.
G.
Circulation and access.
(1)
The objective of the design of roadways is to implement
the objectives of the 1991 Circulation Plan, provide for efficient
movement of vehicles, enhance the aesthetic appearance of roadways,
promote the safety of pedestrians and vehicular traffic within the
right-of-way, and reduce negative air quality impacts in compliance
with mandated federal and state regulations embodied in the Clean
Air Act Amendments of 1990 and the New Jersey Traffic Congestion and
Air Pollution Control Act.
(2)
Pedestrian areas should be designed to promote free
and safe movement of pedestrians between and among all facilities,
and to provide pleasant pedestrian spaces at building entrances and
other places of interest.
(3)
The objective of the design of parking areas is to
provide for the safe and convenient movement of vehicles, to limit
pedestrian/vehicular conflicts, to limit paved areas, and to provide
for appropriate screening from public rights-of-way and buildings.
Parking should be oriented to facilitate pedestrian movement to the
buildings served, as well as to other nearby pedestrian paths of movement.
(4)
Traffic demand management measures should be incorporated
in order to limit the traffic generated by new development. Among
the items to be considered are ride-sharing and van pooling, including
the provision of preferred parking, increased mass transit use including
shuttle bus service and shelters, and staggered or flexible work hours.
The PDO development shall include a traffic budget which indicates
that the PDO development results in less traffic than conventional
ROM development.
H.
Architecture. Architecture should express a coherent
design theme throughout the development. Architecture should be street-oriented,
where appropriate, and should support the image of distinctive and
unified development with richly differentiated buildings of quality
construction. Rooflines, relative building heights, entrance orientation,
and other major architectural elements should be considered in light
of the overall context, i.e., each building should strive to contribute
to the greater whole. Design emphasis should be placed upon compatibility
and enhancement of the surrounding area while allowing for appropriate
contrast.
I.
Natural features. Site design shall incorporate the
objective of preserving, protecting and enhancing natural amenities.
Natural amenities are areas of sensitive natural resources and unique
landscape character, such as bodies of water, streams, wetlands, windbreaks,
forests and groves of trees, hedgerows, and scenic vistas. Land development
in the PDO should be designed to preserve and utilize such amenities
as features. Scenic vistas should be preserved and protected by location
of taller and larger scale buildings at lower elevations. The architectural
design should respect these natural amenities in any design themes,
preserving and enhancing their significance where appropriate.
J.
Landscape design.
[Amended 6-13-2007 by Ord. No. 923-07]
(1)
The intent of the landscape element of the PDO is
to provide for a cohesive and unified landscape environment. Based
on the mixture of uses and scales of development anticipated, the
landscape design will be one of the strongest opportunities to establish
a genuine sense of place for the PDO, while also providing an opportunity
to create an identity for the various areas of the PDO.
(2)
Conceptually, the landscape plan seeks to clearly
define open space, streets, intersections, and major entryways within
the PDO. This definition should be achieved through the use of landscape
materials that are hierarchically organized to reinforce, articulate,
and link or subdivide the exterior spaces. This is intended to give
a strong visual and spatial character to the environment and its relationship
to the development. Natural features may be enhanced but should retain
their natural character. Pedestrian nodes, plazas, sidewalks, and
greens should be appropriately landscaped, incorporating an interesting
variety of flowering plants and seasonal displays.
K.
Utilities. The objective of utility design is to provide
modern, efficient service through the PDO with adequate screening
of utility infrastructure. Utility lines should be located underground
wherever possible and structures such as sewage treatment plants and
water storage tanks should be designed and located to minimize visibility
through the use of existing topography and vegetation. Where existing
topography and vegetation do not provide sufficient screening, landscaping
and berming should be provided, as appropriate, to augment the natural
setting.
L.
Site elements.
(1)
The use of site elements such as lighting, site furnishings,
pavings, and signs should provide a unifying theme throughout the
PDO. These site elements should consist of a coordinated family of
elements which relate to the architecture and give scale and character
to the open spaces. Lighting should be provided in parking areas,
at intersections, along pedestrian walks, and at building entrances.
Lighting should be directed downward to avoid the spread of direct
light from the PDO.
(2)
Site furnishings should be employed as needed to create
an attractive pedestrian environment. They should be concentrated
in plazas, major pedestrian streets, and other activity areas.
A.
The PDO option is available in portions of the ROM-1
District and ROM-2 District as indicated on the Zoning Map.
B.
In those areas having a PDO option, the developer shall have the right of development in accordance with the PDO standards and regulations or in accordance with the standards and regulations designated for the District in which the property is situated. If the developer selects the option of development in accordance with the PDO standards and regulations, the developer shall submit a general development plan (GDP) for the development in accordance with § 165-52.
The following are permitted principal uses in
the PDO:
A.
Laboratories for research, design, and experimentation,
including pilot plants. Pilot plants for the testing of manufacturing,
processing, or fabrication methods or for the testing of products
or materials shall be permitted only as accessory to a research facility
and in no case shall more than 25% of the total floor area of the
research facility be devoted to such uses.
B.
Computer and data-processing centers and facilities.
C.
Offices for business, executive, professional, and
administrative purposes.
D.
Hotels and conference centers.
E.
Printing and publishing establishments.
F.
Development, manufacturing, assembly, and packaging
of engineering and scientific instruments, computers and computer
products, mechanical measuring and control devices, optical instruments
and lenses, medical instruments and supplies, ophthalmic goods, photographic
equipment and supplies, watches and clocks.
G.
Motor vehicle filling stations, provided that no more
than three shall be developed on a PDO tract.
H.
Public and private garages and parking structures.
I.
Municipal, public, and quasi-public uses and nonprofit
facilities such as, but not limited to, post offices, sewage treatment
plants, public utility facilities, police/fire, library, parks, cultural
facilities, playgrounds, municipal offices, and transit facilities.
J.
Child-care centers.
K.
Agricultural uses, such as farms, tree farms, orchards,
and the raising of livestock, including residential uses in connection
therewith.
L.
In the ROM-2 portion of the PDO, the following uses
shall also be permitted:
(1)
Processes of assembly, manufacturing, fabrication,
packaging, treatment or conversion of products conducted entirely
within the confines of a building, confined to the making of finished
products or parts thereof from component parts and semi-finished products
and not involving reduction, conversion, or manufacturing of primary
raw materials except for pharmaceuticals.
(2)
Warehousing.
(3)
Wholesale distribution centers.
M.
Electrical substations.
The following are permitted accessory uses:
A.
Uses customarily incidental to any of the permitted
principal uses.
B.
Restaurant or cafeteria primarily for supplying meals
only to employees and guests of the principal use. Buildings with
a gross floor area of 200,000 square feet or greater shall provide
a cafeteria.
C.
Limited retail commercial uses, designed primarily
to serve employees and guests on-site. Retail shall include, but not
be limited to, stores and shops for retail business, banks and financial
institutions, health clubs, news stand, post office, automated banking
facilities, clinics, and similar conveniences.
D.
In-service training schools for employees.
E.
Custodial living quarters.
F.
Indoor and outdoor recreation facilities, provided
that all such accessory buildings and uses shall be planned as an
integral part of the principal use development.
G.
Overnight lodgings for visitors to any permitted principal
uses, provided that such facilities are not open to the general public.
H.
Assembly halls for meetings incidental to the business
of the principal use.
I.
Maintenance, utility, and storage facilities incidental
to the principal use.
J.
Limited manufacture and sale of products produced
by or directly related to the principal use for the purpose of market
testing.
K.
Warehouse facilities and wholesale storage within
a completely enclosed building, the latter being incidental and accessory
to a permitted use.
L.
Central heating and power plants for furnishing heat
and electrical energy to structures on the PDO tract.
M.
Outside storage of gas cylinders and other equipment
relating to a research facility or pilot plant provided it is suitably
screened.
N.
Off-street parking as provided herein, including parking
structures.
O.
Signs.
P.
Dish antennas.
Q.
Cogeneration facilities.
The following conditional uses, as regulated in Article XVIII, are permitted:
A.
Churches and similar places of worship of recognized
religious groups, which may include attendant parish homes, convents,
and religious education buildings.
B.
Public and private schools teaching academic subjects.
C.
Commercial greenhouses and nurseries.
D.
Life-care facilities.
E.
Heliport or helistops.
A.
The maximum nonresidential floor area (exclusive of
any bonus floor areas as permitted herein) and maximum allowable impervious
surface coverage for tracts in the PDO shall be based on a floor area
ratio (FAR) of 0.15, calculated for the total tract area, and a maximum
impervious surface coverage of 40%, calculated for the effective land
area of the tract.
B.
The base nonresidential floor area, together with
the bonuses hereinafter set forth less floor area assigned by approved
development applications, constitutes available nonresidential floor
area. The maximum allowable impervious surface coverage less the impervious
surface coverage assigned by approved development applications constitutes
available impervious surface coverage.
C.
Every development plan approved by the Planning Board
shall be assigned a specific amount of floor area and impervious surface
coverage as a part of the resolution of approval by the Board, and
the available floor area and available impervious surface coverage
shall be accordingly reduced. These assignments, together with the
other elements of the development approval, shall be subject to and
shall confer the same rights upon the applicant as are obtained by
preliminary approval and final approval pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-49
and N.J.S.A. 40:55D-52. The owner of the development plan shall have
the right to assign, transfer, or release floor area or impervious
surface coverage with the consent and approval of the Planning Board
upon an application to said Board for amendment of the development
approval.
D.
The applicant for development where a subdivision
is proposed shall designate one lot as the remaining lot and all unallocated
floor area and impervious surface coverage of the land which is the
subject of the subdivision application shall be assigned to the remaining
lot. The developer, upon application to the Planning Board for site
plan or subdivision approval, shall certify the floor area and impervious
surface coverage heretofore allocated to development projects and
subdivided lots and the floor area and impervious surface coverage
remaining and unallocated in the PDO. The secretary of the Planning
Board shall maintain a ledger of assigned and allocated floor area
and impervious surface coverage.
E.
The floor area and impervious surface coverage of the sewage treatment plants, municipal facilities, and other permitted uses listed in § 165-201I and any roads shown on the Master Plan of Clinton Township on or within the area of the PDO shall not be counted against the available nonresidential floor area and impervious surface coverage, provided that any roads shown on the Master Plan are constructed by the PDO developer.
[Amended 6-14-2006 and 9-13-2006 by Ord. No. 908-06]
[Amended 12-8-1999 by Ord. No. 705-99]
A.
Minimum tract area. The PDO option requires a minimum
tract of 500 acres ("PDO tract") in the ROM-1 District and a minimum
tract of 200 acres in the ROM-2 District.
B.
Buffer. There shall be a buffer of 100 feet on the perimeter of the PDO where it abuts or adjoins a residential district, and a buffer of 50 feet on the perimeter of the PDO in all other areas, including where the development in the PDO abutting the residential district is also residential. Driveways, streets, and access roads perpendicular to the buffer or on an angle of 45º or greater or as may be required by the New Jersey Department of Transportation are permitted to pass through the buffer. Furthermore, an access road may pass through a buffer area to serve a sewage treatment plant in the PDO. In addition to the above, landscape design shall be in accordance with § 165-77.
[Amended 6-13-2007 by Ord. No. 923-07]
C.
Building height. The following standards shall govern
the height of buildings in the PDO:
(1)
A maximum building height of 65 feet is permitted
for buildings which provide parking under a building or in multiple-level
parking structures for at least 75% of the parking spaces required
for that building. A maximum building height of 65 feet is also established
for buildings which contain 30% of the permitted floor area for the
PDO tract, regardless of whether such buildings provide parking under
a building or in multiple-level parking structures.
(2)
In the ROM-1 portion of the PDO, buildings which exceed
45 feet in height shall be situated below the existing three-hundred-eighty-foot
elevation on the tract boundary. The Planning Board may allow deviations
from the standard relating to tract elevation, provided that all of
the following conditions are satisfied:
(a)
The proposed building is screened from adjoining
residential districts by the existing topography or existing wooded
areas on the tract; and
(b)
The proposed building is located at least 500
feet from the tract boundary; and
(c)
The proposed location minimizes the visual intrusion
on scenic corridors identified on the conservation plan.
(3)
In the ROM-2 portion of the PDO, buildings which exceed
45 feet in height shall be situated below the existing four-hundred-twenty-five-foot
elevation on the tract, and shall be no closer than 200 feet to any
tract boundary. The Planning Board may allow deviations from the standard
relating to tract elevation, provided that all of the following conditions
are satisfied:
(a)
The proposed building is screened from adjoining
residential districts by the existing topography or existing wooded
areas on the tract; and
(b)
The proposed building is located at least 500
feet from the tract boundary; and
(c)
The proposed location minimizes the visual intrusion
on scenic corridors identified on the conservation plan.
(4)
Rooftop mechanical equipment, atria, skylights, receiving
and transmitting telecommunications equipment, and similar structures
normally and incidentally required for nonresidential buildings shall
not be included in any height calculation, provided such structures
do not exceed 10 feet in height and do not occupy more than 10% of
the roof area.
D.
Access. The Planning Board, on review of the site
plan, shall determine the adequacy of ingress and egress to all lots,
buildings, and structures for motor vehicle traffic. Appropriate easements
as necessary shall assure access and maintenance of access.
E.
Open space.
(1)
In the ROM-1 District, the PDO shall include open
space to the extent of at least 20% of the PDO tract. The ROM-2 District
shall include open space to the extent of at least 20% of the PDO
tract. The open space shall include wooded areas, stream corridors,
and wetlands.
(2)
The open space shall be deeded either to the Township,
a nonprofit corporation which has as one of its purposes the maintenance
and preservation of open space, or a corporation, association, or
other legal entity consisting of one or more of the property owners
within the PDO for their use, control, management, and maintenance.
Any agreement providing for such ownership shall be reviewed and approved
by the Township Attorney for the purpose of ensuring that adequate
safeguards are included, guaranteeing the continuance of the agreement
in perpetuity and protecting the Township from harm. In any event,
the agreement shall give the Township the right to perform maintenance
and assess the cost to the property owners in the event that the property
owners are in default of their obligations for maintenance as set
forth in the agreement. Regardless of the ownership, the agreement
shall provide for the consistent and continued maintenance and management
of the open space.
F.
Parking.
(1)
Compact spaces. Where the number of parking spaces
serving office or research buildings will in total exceed 100, 30%
of the total spaces may be designed as compact car spaces. Compact
car spaces may have dimensions of eight feet by 16 feet with a twenty-two-foot
aisle. The location of the compact car spaces shall be identified
by appropriate signs and markings.
(2)
Shared parking. Where, by reason of hours of operation,
certain uses can share the same parking area, the developer may submit
a shared parking plan in order to reduce the total parking spaces
and total impervious surface. Uses which have their peak parking demand
outside of normal daytime business hours such as conference centers
and restaurants may share parking facilities with office use. Common
parking garages and areas may be provided for various uses. The applicant
shall demonstrate the feasibility of shared parking during site plan
review, and shall identify on the site plan the location of sufficient
parking spaces to satisfy the total parking requirement.
(3)
Parking waiver. The Planning Board may, upon application
of the developer, waiver initial construction of up to 15% of the
parking required where the Planning Board is satisfied that the parking
requirements, as set forth in the ordinance, are excessive for the
use intended. However, the Planning Board, in waiving the parking
requirements, shall require that the entire required parking area
be shown on the site plan. The deferred parking areas shall be specifically
designated and designed to accommodate additional parking should the
need for additional parking arise in the future. The owner shall have
the right to build approved reserve parking areas at any time, at
the owner's discretion.
(4)
Tandem parking. The parking of two vehicles bumper
to bumper in an elongated parking stall of 30 feet to 40 feet shall
be permitted, provided the tandem parking spaces are assigned to specific
employees and provided that the employer represents a workable program
of tandem parking for Planning Board approval.
G.
Uses. There shall be no limit to the number of permitted
principal uses per lot.
[Added 5-27-1993 by Ord. No. 516-93]
A.
The minimum lot size shall be 10 acres, provided that
the average lot size is 40 acres in the ROM-1 portion of the PDO and
20 acres in the ROM-2 portion of the PDO. Lots devoted exclusively
to public utility uses shall not be counted in the lot averaging scheme.
B.
The maximum floor area ratio shall be 0.5, provided
PDO floor area is available.
C.
The maximum impervious coverage per lot is 65% provided
PDO nonresidential impervious coverage is available.
D.
Minimum front yard: 75 feet.
E.
Minimum side yard: 40 feet.
F.
Minimum rear yard: 75 feet.
G.
Parking:
(1)
For office: four spaces per 1,000 square feet.
(2)
For single user office building having more than 100,000
square feet: 3.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet.
(3)
For research: as provided in § 165-71A(10).
(4)
For hotel/conference: as provided in § 165-71A(10).
