Allendale City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XXXIV
Ramsey Golf Course Inclusionary Overlay Residential District
§ 270-185 Purpose and area of application.
To address its affordable housing unmet need obligation, the Borough shall implement an Inclusionary Overlay Zone Ordinance that creates a realistic opportunity for housing that is affordable to low- and moderate-income households in the portion of the Ramsey Country Club and Golf Course located within the Borough of Allendale, also known as Block 301, Lot 37, and Block 406, Lot 21.01. This article establishes the Ramsey Golf Course Inclusionary Overlay Zone (the MFRO-2 District) and permits multifamily and townhouse development on the properties identified above, provided that such housing complies with a required 20% inclusionary set-aside requirement and with the requirements of this article. This article shall not take effect unless the golf course/country club use ceases, or portions thereof located within the Borough become released for residential development. In such an event, the golf course/country club use may not be changed to any other nonresidential use.
§ 270-186 Special rules.
A.
In any inclusionary development permitted by this article, at least 20% of the residential units must be affordable to low- and moderate-income households. In the event that 20% of the total number of residential units does not result in a full integer, the developer (as defined in § 81-2) shall refer to § 81-3C with regard to addressing the fractional unit.
(1)
In any development having five or more residential units, at least one unit must be established as affordable to low- and moderate-income households
§ 270-187 Primary intended uses.
§ 270-188 Accessory uses.
Permitted accessory uses shall be limited to those uses customarily incidental to the permitted principal uses in the district, and in the case of townhouses and apartments, including but not limited to clubhouses, pools, tennis courts and similar personal recreation facilities for the exclusive use of the residents and guests of the development, etc.
§ 270-189 Prohibited uses.
§ 270-190 Lot, bulk and intensity of use regulations.
A.
The maximum density of any development in the MFRO-2 District shall not exceed 10 units per acre.
B.
All residential buildings in the MFRO-2 District shall be subject to the following regulations:
(1)
Minimum front yard. There shall be provided a front yard abutting all public streets at least 40 feet in depth, measured perpendicular to the street right-of-way line. Principal buildings shall be located at least 20 feet from the traveled way of private internal streets, roadways, etc.
(2)
Minimum side and rear yards. There shall be provided yards at least 30 feet in depth adjacent to all property lines, except for front yards as set forth in Subsection B(1) above.
(3)
Maximum height of principal buildings. No building shall exceed 35 feet in height or 2 1/2 stories. For purposes of administering this provision, "one-half story" shall mean the top floor of a building directly beneath a sloping roof, such that the habitable floor area is not more than 1/2 of the habitable floor area of the story below.
(4)
Accessory buildings. Accessory buildings and structures shall comply with the following minimum setback requirements:
C.
Maximum impervious coverage by improvements. Not more than 60% of the tract area may be occupied by buildings, paved areas and other improvements. At least 40% of the tract area shall be landscaped or, in the case of wetlands, wetland transition areas, water bodies or other undevelopable areas, preserved in a natural condition.
D.
Minimum buffer. There shall be provided a buffer along all property lines, other than along public streets, which adjoin any property zoned for residential purposes, regardless of whether the residential zone is developed for residential use or not. The buffer shall be designed to effectively screen the view of the MFRO-2 Zone property from such adjoining residential zone during all seasons.
(1)
The buffer shall be at least 20 feet in depth in front yards and 25 feet in depth for side or rear yards of a tract.
(2)
No improvements shall be permitted within the buffer other than plantings, berms, walls, fences or a combination of the foregoing, and when determined necessary by the Joint Land Use Board utility structures, drainage pipes and related structures, etc., provided that such utility and drainage structures shall not reduce the effectiveness of the buffer.
(3)
In the event that berms, walls and fences are the primary method used for screening, plantings shall also be required within the buffer for aesthetic reasons, as determined by the Joint Land Use Board, as applicable. Plantings shall be provided between the tract boundary and any walls or fences used for buffers in order to improve the appearance of the wall or fence from outside the tract.
(4)
In the event that plantings are the primary method used for screening, the plantings shall include evergreen trees at least six feet in height at the time of planting. Additional plantings may be included or required, as determined by the Joint Land Use Board as applicable. The precise type, quantity and spacing of plantings in the buffer shall be determined as part of any site plan review required by the Joint Land Use Board as necessary to achieve the intent of this subsection.
(5)
In the event that wetlands or other undevelopable areas exist in the location of a required buffer, and such areas do not provide an effective buffer in their natural state, plantings and/or berms and/or fencing, etc., sufficient to meet the intent of the buffer, as determined by the Joint Land Use Board, shall be required to be provided outside of such undevelopable areas. The foregoing shall not be construed to require that such additional plantings, etc., have a minimum depth as required herein. The nature and extent of the buffer in such case shall be determined by the Joint Land Use Board based upon field conditions.
§ 270-191 Other requirements.
A.
Minimum distance between buildings. The following minimum dimensions shall separate principal buildings:
(1)
Front wall facing front wall: 60 feet.
(2)
Front wall facing rear wall: 50 feet.
(3)
Front wall facing end/side wall: 35 feet.
(4)
End/side wall facing end/side wall: 25 feet.
(5)
End/side wall facing rear wall: 30 feet.
(6)
Rear wall facing rear wall: 50 feet.
(7)
In case of uncertainty as to the definition of "front," "rear," "end/side" wall or in case the angle of the walls facing each other make interpretation of the required setbacks uncertain, the more restrictive of possible interpretations shall apply.
B.
Building design.
(1)
Apartment flat units may be located in buildings containing townhouse units. In such buildings containing more than six total units, a minimum of 40% shall be townhouse units. In such buildings containing up to six total units, a minimum of 33% shall be townhouse units. There shall not be more than six buildings in the development combining apartment flats and townhouse units that contain six or fewer total units.
(2)
Apartment-only buildings and buildings containing townhouses and apartment flats shall be designed in a manner that does not distinguish between the exterior design and appearance of apartment and townhouse units.
(a)
In buildings containing apartment flats and townhouses, apartment flats must be incorporated into the building in a manner consistent with overall architectural theme of the building and shall emulate the facade design and treatment of the townhouse units in order to create the exterior appearance of a townhouse unit. If apartment flats are stacked one unit over the other, the units must be accessed via a common interior hallway with a single front and single rear door.
(b)
Buildings containing apartment flats with or without attached townhouses shall contain a minimum of two and a maximum of 12 dwelling units.
(3)
Buildings containing all townhouse units shall contain a minimum of two and a maximum of six dwelling units.
(4)
No building facade shall exceed 150 feet in length.
(5)
All residential buildings shall provide a staggered front-wall building setback of at least five feet for every two units, so as to avoid a flat, continuous facade. Additionally, each unit shall have not fewer than two walls with window exposure. For the purposes of regulating facade articulation pursuant to this section, stacked apartment flats shall constitute a single unit, so that multifamily buildings without townhouses appear similar to buildings with townhouses.
C.
Landscaping.
(1)
Attractive landscape plantings shall be provided and maintained.
(2)
Existing trees shall be retained wherever possible. Removal and preservation of trees shall comply with all applicable regulations of the Borough of Allendale and any other entity having jurisdiction.
(3)
Shade trees shall be provided along both sides of roadways at a ratio of at least one tree for each 30 feet of roadway center line length (one tree for each 60 feet on each side). All shade trees shall be at least three inches in caliper at the time of planting.
(4)
Shade trees and shrubs shall be provided within and/or around the perimeter of parking areas, except driveway parking. Shade trees shall be provided at a ratio of at least one tree for each 10 parking spaces.
D.
Access and circulation. The design of access and circulation improvements serving development within the MFRO-2 District shall be in accordance with the New Jersey Residential Site Improvement Standards (N.J.A.C. 5:21-1 et seq.), and shall minimize detrimental impacts to area streets and residential neighborhoods. The following additional provisions shall apply:
(1)
Location of access. Any development in the MFRO-2 District shall provide two means of access; one at Canterbury Drive in Ramsey Borough and one at Ethel Avenue in Allendale Borough. If feasible, access to Heights Road should be considered. Traffic controls and limitations as to vehicular ingress and egress at such locations will be determined by the Joint Land Use Board during the course of its site plan review, as provided by the Municipal Land Use Law, local ordinances and applicable law. The Board may require traffic studies, as it deems appropriate, in order to address issues relating to traffic safety and the distribution and impact of traffic. The site's internal circulation design shall incorporate measures designed to prevent through traffic by nonresidents.
(2)
Private streets. Private streets, roadways and other means of access shall be designed to comply with all applicable laws, statutes, rules and regulations.
E.
Parking. The amount and design of on-site parking shall be provided in accordance with the requirements of the New Jersey Residential Site Improvement Standards (N.J.A.C. 5:21-1 et seq.). In addition, the following provisions shall apply:
(1)
Parking areas shall not be located in the front yard between townhouse or apartment buildings and public streets. Individual driveways serving townhouses or apartment housing units shall not have direct access to a public street, but may have direct access to an internal street, roadway, etc.
(2)
Parking areas shall not be located between townhouse or apartment buildings and internal streets, roadways, etc., except that parking spaces in the individual driveways located in front of garage doors shall be permitted in such locations. Furthermore, parking areas containing a single row (i.e., one side of the access aisle only) of up to 10 spaces shall be permitted in such locations.
(3)
Parking areas and driveways shall be set back at least five feet from all property lines abutting a nonresidential zone, and at least 20 feet from all other property lines, except as may otherwise be required for buffers as set forth in § 270-190D.
(4)
Parking areas shall be set back at least seven feet from building walls, except parking spaces in driveways located in front of garage doors.
(5)
Parking areas shall be set back at least 10 feet from the traveled way of internal streets, roadways, etc., except that parking spaces adjacent to the traveled way and which use the traveled way for direct access to the space shall be exempt from this requirement.
(6)
Parking spaces and private driveways shall be paved in accordance with the requirements for the same in the New Jersey Residential Site Improvement Standards (N.J.A.C. 5:21-1 et seq.).
F.
Lighting. All exterior lighting shall be arranged to direct light away from all adjoining premises.
(1)
Unless specifically approved as part of a submitted site plan development application by the applicable approving board, no lighting shall be attached to the roof of a building.
(2)
Any lighting within a building shall be of an intensity and shall be designed and focused to eliminate, to the maximum extent practicable, any emission of lighting outside of the building; all lighting outside of a building shall be provided via lighting fixtures approved by the applicable approving board, as part of an approval for a submitted site plan development application. The applicant is required to submit a lighting plan indicating the location of the lighting fixtures, the direction of illumination, the wattage and isolux curves for each fixture, the hours of operation of the lighting and the details of the lighting poles and the luminaries, all in accordance with the following:
(a)
The lighting is to be provided by fixtures with a mounting height not higher than 15 feet, measured from the ground level to the centerline of the light source;
(b)
The lighting fixtures are to include nonglare lights with recessed lenses focused downward and with cut-off shields as appropriate in order to mitigate against adverse impacts upon adjacent and nearby properties, the safety of traffic along adjacent roadways and overhead sky glow;
(c)
The light intensity provided at ground level shall be indicated in footcandles on the submitted plans and shall average not more than 5/10 footcandle throughout the area to be illuminated. The reviewing board may adjust these light levels where deemed appropriate to reduce the effects of the light levels on surrounding properties.
§ 270-192 Review requirements.
Prior to the issuance of any construction permit, the Joint Land Use Board, as applicable, shall review and approve a final site plan for the entire project in accordance with the provisions of the Land Subdivision and Site Plan Ordinance[1] and all other applicable ordinances of the Borough of Allendale.