Guide the use and/or development of Township lands in a manner that will promote the public health, safety, morals and general welfare;

Secure safety from fire, flood, panic and other natural or man-made disasters;

Provide adequate light, air and open space;

Encourage the development of the Township of Buena Vista in a manner that does not conflict with the development and welfare of neighboring municipalities, Atlantic County and the state as a whole;

Promote the establishment of appropriate population densities and concentrations that will contribute to the well-being of persons, neighborhoods and communities and to preservation of the environment;

Encourage the appropriate and efficient expenditure of public funds by the coordination of public development with land use policies;

Provide sufficient space in appropriate locations for a variety of agricultural, residential, recreational, commercial and industrial uses and open space, both public and private, according to their respective environmental requirements;

Encourage the location and design of transportation routes which will promote the free flow of traffic while discouraging location of such facilities and routes which result in congestion or blight;

Promote a desirable visual environment through creative development techniques and good civic design and arrangements;

Promote the conservation of historic sites and districts, open space, energy resources and valuable natural resources;

Encourage senior citizen community housing construction;

Encourage coordination of the various public and private procedures and activities shaping land development with a view to lessening the cost of such development and to the more efficient use of land;

Promote utilization of renewable energy sources;

Implement the objectives of the Pinelands Protection Act[1] and the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan in the Pinelands Area of the Township and conform to minimum standards contained in said Plan; and

Promote the maximum practicable recovery and recycling of municipal solid wastes and implementation of the State of New Jersey, Atlantic County and Buena Vista Township recycling programs.

The regulations set by this chapter within each district shall be minimum regulations and shall apply uniformly to each class or kind of structure or land.

In all districts, after the effective date of this chapter, construction of any new building or other structure, or development and use of any kind of land, shall be undertaken only in accordance with the regulations specified for each district. Uses not expressly permitted in this chapter are prohibited.

No use or occupancy of any building, structure or land shall hereafter be changed to a different use of occupancy and no building or structure or part thereof shall hereafter be erected, constructed, reconstructed, moved or structurally altered unless it conforms to all of the regulations herein specified for the district in which it is located, except as hereinafter provided.

No building or other structure shall hereafter be erected or altered to exceed the height, to accommodate or house a greater number of families, to occupy a greater percentage of lot area, to have narrower or smaller rear yards, front yards, side yards or other open spaces than are herein required, or in any other manner to violate the provisions of this chapter.

In all districts, after the effective date of this chapter, any existing building, structure or tract of land which is not in conformity with the regulations for the district in which it is located shall be deemed nonconforming and subject to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40:55D-68 and applicable regulations contained in this chapter.

In Pinelands management areas, not more than one principal building, structure or use shall be developed, erected or located on one lot except for forestry, agriculture, horticulture, fish and wildlife management and, on agricultural lands, recreational development.

In the Pinelands Area, the extraction or underground storage of natural gas or other minerals not expressly authorized by this chapter is prohibited.