The intent of this article is to establish the precise and detailed plan for the use of land and buildings in the Township of Allamuchy, based upon the Township Master Plan and any amendments thereto, enacted in order to promote and protect the public health, safety, morals, comfort, convenience and general welfare of the people.

The Land Development Ordinance of the Township of Allamuchy is designed to preserve, protect and maintain, to the extent possible, environmentally sensitive areas of the Township. To that end, a developer or applicant should be encouraged as part of the application process to employ creative designs that will incorporate environmentally sensitive areas into the development proposal which will preserve, protect and maintain said areas as part of the development. The regulations contained herein shall not be used to result in an inverse condemnation of property, particularly where other county and state agencies responsible for preserving, protecting and maintaining environmentally sensitive areas would allow for development of properties through their permitting process.

The Critical Areas Map, dated April 1994, accompanies and is part of this chapter.[1]

The Critical Areas Map generally shows the location of one-hundred-year floodplains, freshwater wetlands and lands with a topographic slope 15% and greater within Allamuchy Township. Although not identified on the Critical Areas Map, wetland transition areas, where required, are considered critical areas for the purposes of this chapter.

As noted on the Critical Areas Map, the mapped data is from the following sources and not from on-site investigation:

Regarding the one-hundred-year floodplains and freshwater wetlands areas, it is recognized that more floodplain and wetland areas exist in Allamuchy Township than those indicated on the Critical Areas Map. Any mapping prepared by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection of floodplain and wetland areas in Allamuchy Township shall take precedence.

Finally, while the information presented on the Critical Areas Map is appropriate for general planning purposes, it is not intended to take the place of on-site engineering investigation. The Land Use Board should consider more detailed and site-specific information, such as that information required to be submitted by the applicant as part of a subdivision, site plan and/or variance application, in order to more definitively define the location and extent of the critical areas on any lot or tract.

Zoning district boundary lines are intended to follow street center lines, railroad rights-of-way, streams and lot or property lines or the extensions thereof as they exist on lots of record at the time of enactment of this chapter unless otherwise indicated by dimensions on the Zoning Map.

Any dimensions shown on the Zoning Map are in feet and are measured horizontally and, when measured from a street, are measured from the street right-of-way line even if the center line of that street is used for the location of the zoning district line.

The exact location of any disputed zoning district boundary line shall be determined by the Land Use Board.

The zoning standards, controls and designations apply to every structure, lot and use within each zoning district, and the zoning district boundary lines extend vertically in both directions from ground level.