Bernardsville City Zoning Code
§ LD-12-20.7
AH-7 Affordable Housing District.
[Added 6-27-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-1918]
a.
Primary Intended Use.
2.
Parking and similar such facilities.
(a)
Parking shall be required in accordance with N.J.A.C. § 5:21-4.14, Residential Site Improvement Standards.
(b)
Parking regulations may be relaxed by the approving Board without need for variance relief where an applicant can demonstrate to the Board's satisfaction that parking standards can be reduced pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5:21-4.14(c) where an alternative standard better reflects local conditions. Factors affecting the minimum number of parking spaces include household characteristics, availability of mass transit, urban versus suburban location, and available off-site parking resources.
3.
Other accessory uses customarily incident to the above uses provide they do not include any activity commonly conducted for gain unless specifically permitted by this Article.
b.
Required Conditions. The following requirements must be complied with in the AH-7 Affordable Housing Districts:
1.
Height. No building shall exceed a maximum of 2 stories or 35 feet in height, whichever is the lesser.
2.
Front Yard. There shall be a front yard of not less than 10 feet from Bernards Avenue and not less than 5 feet from Grove Street, however, entryways and porches may encroach into the front yard setback but by no more than 5 feet from Bernards Avenue which shall serve as the main entrance to the building.
3.
Side Yards. There shall be two side yards, and no side yard shall be less than 5 feet.
4.
Rear Yards. None.
5.
Maximum Building Coverage. Maximum building coverage shall not exceed 40%.
6.
Maximum Impervious Coverage. Maximum impervious coverage shall not exceed 85%.
7.
Building Envelope. The building envelope shall exclude areas located within flood plains, wetlands and wetland buffers, except as may be approved by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and no floodplain nor wetlands nor wetland buffers shall be disturbed without the appropriate permits having been issued by the NJDEP.
8.
Minimum Floor Area. Every dwelling hereafter erected shall have a minimum floor area excluding garages of:
Unit Type | Minimum Floor Area (Square Feet) |
|---|---|
0 Bedroom (Studio) | 500 |
1 Bedroom | 675 |
2 Bedrooms | 900 |
3 Bedrooms | 1,000 |
Units with more than three bedrooms are not permitted. | |
9.
The maximum number of family rental affordable dwellings shall not exceed twenty-two (22) units.
c.
Design Standards.
1.
The design standards contained herein shall supplement the design and performance standards contained in Article 9-10 of Borough of Bernardsville Regulations. If there is a conflict, Article 9-10, as amended from time to time, shall apply.
2.
New buildings shall relate to existing buildings and other structures in the vicinity that have a visual relationship to the site.
3.
Multiple buildings on a single tract are permitted but shall be designed so as to be architecturally compatible with one another, utilizing common color schemes and materials.
4.
Building facades shall be consistent with the size, scale and setbacks of adjacent buildings and those where there is a visual relationship.
5.
The appearance of the side and rear elevations of buildings is important. Therefore, guidelines for the fronts of buildings shall also apply to the rear and sides where visible at street level from a public right-of-way.
6.
Buildings shall be designed so as to prevent exterior elevations from containing large expanses of blank or featureless walls. Also, large expanses of windows, including curtain-wall windows and other design elements not at a human scale, are strongly discouraged.
7.
The type, shape, pitch, feature and color of a roof shall be architecturally compatible with the building style, material, colors and details of other buildings in the area.
8.
Flat roofs shall be enclosed by parapets or other appropriate architectural details.
9.
All open space shall be designed and landscaped in a way to allow for easy maintenance and limited encroachment onto any public right of way. Additionally, all private open space shall be designed in a way that allows for a reasonable level of enjoyment by residents.
10.
Green building strategies are encouraged in the AH-7 Zone.
11.
As an affordable housing development, and in an effort to remove unnecessary cost generative fees, such development shall be exempt from any tree replacement fees, traffic impact fees, open space fees, or such other similar impact fees in the Land Use Ordinance.
d.
Superseding Other Zoning. The use, bulk, design and performance standards addressed in the AH-7 Zone shall supersede the zoning provisions and design standards of the balance of the Bernardsville Land Use Ordinance. To the extent regulations and standards of the AH-7 Zone are silent, the standards of the Land Use Ordinance shall apply.