To provide for land uses and facilities beneficial to both the community and to transit users;

To increase use of the rail station;

To concentrate a mix of retail, office, residential, public and open space uses within walking distance of each other and the rail station to optimize the convenience for residents, shoppers, commuters and employees and to reduce auto traffic by providing an environment conducive to pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users;

To provide for land uses that will generate and encourage transit ridership;

To revitalize the areas in the vicinity of the transit station and enhance economic vitality through zoning policies that enable the redevelopment of buildings and properties through private investment;

To provide for the safe and efficient flow of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, emphasizing a pedestrian-oriented environment;

To provide for visual amenities and to reinforce a sense of place or center;

To develop appropriate standards to facilitate transit-appropriate development densities and intensities of the land uses in the Transit Village Districts.

Mixed use. Any combination of any permitted uses below, subject to the following: for any new or renovated structure with frontage on Main Street, 100% of the front facade at ground level shall contain retail or commercial service uses. The depth of the area of the structure devoted to such uses shall be no less than 40 feet from the front facade, and each such establishment shall have its primary entryway on Main Street.

Residential uses. Uses only in the form of multifamily structures, townhouses and residential units located on floors above retail establishments. If the property has frontage on Main Street/Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard in the VC or MSE Zone or on Central Avenue in the CAE zone, residential uses are only permitted on upper floors above permitted commercial establishments or in the rear section of the first floor of such building behind permitted commercial establishments and at least 40 feet from the street line of the above-referenced streets.

Retail sales. Sales, including apparel stores, art supply stores, bakeries, camera stores, candy stores, convenience stores, department stores, drugstores, electronics stores, fabric stores, factory outlet stores, florists, food stores, furniture stores, gift stores, hardware stores, hobby stores, jewelry stores, music stores, pet stores, sporting goods stores, stationary stores, toy stores, and outdoor kiosks and street vendors; but excluding the following: auto sales or rentals of any kind; sexually oriented businesses of any kind including the sales of lingerie or underclothing as the primary business (more than 15% of inventory); any retail store that sells goods through a partition, window or metal grille; gun, weapon or ammunition establishment; pawn shop; lumber; salvaged or used goods other than antiques; automobile parts; and establishments of the type commonly known as "dollar stores," defined as stores using a price amount in their name and/or selling a variety of low-cost household goods such that the majority of store inventory is: a) sold under a generic or private label, often specially manufactured for such stores, using cheaper ingredients and processes than products intended for the mass market; b) was manufactured for a foreign market but was then re-imported for sale in this country; or c) purchased from another retail store or distributor as discontinued and discounted merchandise.

Retail services. Services, including dry cleaners, opticians, shoe repair, tailors and dressmakers, and travel agencies; but excluding massage parlors, philanthropic or charitable services, car wash or automobile wash facilities, automobile repair facilities, gas stations, funeral homes, self-storage facilities, nail salons, hair-braiding establishments, boardinghouses or rooming houses, computer server hosting facilities and tattoo parlors.[1]

Restaurants. Full-service restaurants with table-side service selling food and/or beverages, which may include outdoor dining patios, but excluding restaurants with drive-through windows, indoor or outdoor walk-up windows, or counter service.

Cafes. Coffee houses and pastry/desert cafes or bakeries with highly decorated seating areas, artwork displays, and wireless Internet service for customers. Counter-service transactions are only permitted for sandwich, salad, soup, desert and beverage sales. The open counter area where customers interact with employees shall be at least 10 feet wide.

Offices. General, professional, governmental and medical offices, but excluding drug or alcohol treatment facilities and veterinary facilities. Such uses are not permitted in any part of a structure located at the ground floor or within 40 feet of the streetline with Main Street/Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.

Financial institutions. Banks and savings and loan institutions with no more than 25 linear feet of street frontage, but excluding check-cashing businesses.

Recreation facilities. This includes health clubs and gyms.

Parking structures. Structures with only indoor or elevated deck parking, provided that the following conditions are met:

Public facilities. Municipal offices, police station, fire station, library, post office, train station, museum, publicly owned parking facilities, and similar uses that directly serve the public, but excluding facilities such as a public works garage, water treatment plant, electric transformer station, and uses of a similar nature.

Open space. Publicly or privately owned open spaces, such as parks and plazas, available to the general public.

Public/private partnerships. Developments in conjunction with public agencies such as NJDOT (such as a commercial structure over Route 280, subject to the provisions above) and New Jersey Transit (such as retail under the elevated railroad viaduct).

Entertainment venues. Developments including concert halls, performing arts centers, theaters with operations in accordance with City ordinances, and bars and nightclubs that contain noiseproofing insulation to ensure that no noise in excess of 60 decibels is audible anywhere outside the confines of the establishment, but excluding sexually oriented businesses.

Art galleries.

Live-work spaces. Developments which include residential units with accommodation for a permitted commercial or art studio use within that unit.

Art and dancing schools.

Hotels. Any building having sleeping rooms that are provided for hire with meeting facilities. Any hotel permitted by this chapter shall meet the following criteria:

Mixed use. Any combination of any permitted uses below, subject to the following: For any new or renovated structure with frontage on Evergreen Place, 100% of the front facade at ground level shall contain retail or commercial uses. The depth of the area of the structure devoted to such uses shall be no less than 40 feet from the front facade, and each such establishment shall have its primary entryway on Main Street.

Restaurants. Full-service restaurants with table-side service selling food and/or beverages, which may include outdoor dining patios, but excluding restaurants with drive-through windows, indoor or outdoor walk-up windows, or counter service.

Offices. General, professional, governmental and medical offices, but excluding drug or alcohol treatment facilities and veterinary facilities. Such uses are not permitted in any part of a structure located at the ground floor within 40 feet of the streetline with Main Street/Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard or Central Avenue.

Financial institutions. Banks and savings and loan institutions with no more than 25 linear feet of street frontage, but excluding check-cashing businesses.

Recreation facilities. Health clubs and gyms.

Parking structures. Structures with only indoor or elevated deck parking, provided that the following conditions are met:

Public facilities. Municipal offices, police station(s), fire station(s), library(ies), post office(s), train station(s), museum(s), publicly owned parking facilities, and similar uses that directly serve the public, but excluding facilities such as a public works garage, water treatment plant, electric transformer station and uses of a similar nature.

Open space. Publicly or privately owned open spaces, such as parks and plazas available to the general public.

Public/private partnerships. Developments in conjunction with public agencies such as NJDOT (such as a commercial structure over Route 280, subject to the provisions above) and New Jersey Transit (such as retail under the elevated railroad viaduct).

Residential uses. Developments only in the form of multifamily structures, townhouses and residential units located in mixed-use structures. One-, two- or three-family structures are only permitted on lots with frontage only on Webster Place, Berwyn Street or Hampton Terrace. Multifamily uses are permitted throughout the Evergreen Square Area.

Live-work uses. Suites that accommodate the combination of residential use with office or art studio uses within the same unit.

Banquet facilities, provided there is soundproofing to ensure that sound levels above 65 decibels are not audible outside the structure.

Retail and service establishments on the first floor of structures with frontage only on Evergreen Place, Freeway Drive, and Halsted Street. Sales, including apparel stores, art supply stores, bakeries, camera stores, candy stores, convenience stores, department stores, drugstores, electronics stores, fabric stores, factory outlet stores, florists, food stores, furniture stores, gift stores, hardware stores, hobby stores, jewelry stores, music stores, pet stores, sporting goods stores, stationary stores, toy stores, and outdoor kiosks and street vendors; but excluding the following: auto sales or rentals of any kind; sexually oriented businesses of any kind including the sales of lingerie or underclothing as the primary business (more than 15% of inventory); any retail store that sells goods through a partition, window, or metal grille; gun, weapon or ammunition establishment; pawn shop; lumber; salvaged or used goods other than antiques; automobile parts; and establishments of the type commonly known as "dollar stores," defined as stores using a price amount in their name and/or selling a variety of low-cost household goods such that the majority of store inventory is: a) sold under a generic or private label, often specially manufactured for such stores, using cheaper ingredients and processes than products intended for the mass market; b) was manufactured for a foreign market but was then re-imported for sale in this country; or c) purchased from another retail store or distributor as discontinued and discounted merchandise. Services, including dry cleaners, opticians, shoe repair, tailors and dressmakers, and travel agencies; but excluding massage parlors, philanthropic or charitable services, car wash or automobile wash facilities, automobile repair facilities, gas stations, funeral homes, self-storage facilities, nail salons, hair-braiding establishments, boardinghouses or rooming houses, computer server hosting facilities and tattoo parlors.

All uses permitted in the Village Core as well as public schools are permitted in this zone; however, residential-only uses are only permitted on lots that only have frontage on North Walnut Street, North Arlington Street, or William Street. If the property has frontage on Main Street/Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard in the VC or MSE Zone or on Central Avenue in the CAE Zone, residential uses are only permitted on upper floors above permitted commercial establishments or in the rear section of the first floor of such building behind permitted commercial establishments and at least 40 feet from the street line of the above-referenced streets.

All uses permitted in the Village Core.

TR-2 shall have the exact same permitted land uses as the R-2 Zoning District as stated in § 51-93 of this chapter.

TR-3 shall have the same permitted land uses as the R-3 Zoning District as stated in as stated in § 51-94 of this chapter, except where noted in Subsection E(5) below.

TR-4 shall have the same permitted land uses as the R-4 Zoning District as stated in as stated in § 51-95 of this chapter except where noted in Subsection E(5) below.

T-RO shall have the same permitted land uses as the R-O Zoning District as stated in § 51-96 of this chapter, except where noted Subsection E(5) below.

The following are exceptions to the provision of the "Land Use Ordinance of the City of East Orange" and are applicable only to the TR-3, TR-4 and T-RO Zones where a project is subject to the standards contained in these sections: § 51-94F(5), the required outdoor open space per dwelling unit requirement shall be 75 square feet per dwelling unit regardless of the number of dwelling units; § 51-93E(5) shall read: "Maximum density shall not exceed 52 apartment units per acre."

Drive-through establishments, including but not limited to retail, banking or auto establishments with drive-through service.

Business or vocational schools.

Sexually oriented businesses.

Bars, nightclubs and dance halls without noise-mitigation measures that comply with state and local standards (65 decibels at property line).

Massage facilities/massage parlors.

Restaurants that are takeout only.

Wholesale bakeries.

Through-window retail or restaurant.

Funeral homes.

Liquor stores.

Outdoor storage.

Automobile service, fuel, car wash.

Automobile, sale and repair.

Automobile alarm, stereo installation.

Billboards.

Check-cashing establishment not within bank, pharmacy or grocery store.

Bail/bonds.

Pawn shops.

Gun stores and ammunition retailers.

Tattoo/body piercing establishments.

Computer server housing facility.

Surface parking areas, unless accessory to a permitted principal use and at the rear of a lot behind buildings or constructed by the City of East Orange or New Jersey Transit.

Elevated walkways or skyways between buildings and/or parking.

Lumberyard.

Manufacturing facility.

Operation facilities for taxicab, bus, ambulance.

Taxi/limousine parking staging facilities.

Heliport.

Kennel, animal boarding/sheltering.

Self storage.

Truck terminal.

Utility (transformer).

Vehicle towing facility.

Waste transfer station.

Materials salvage yards, junkyards, dumps.

Laundry facility, wholesale.

Facilities that provide congregate living arrangements that provide shelter or lodging for profit or charity, with or without meals, including homeless shelters, rooming houses, hotels without private bathrooms, or halfway houses.

Facilities for treating or sheltering people with communicable diseases not in hospitals.

Philanthropic institutions providing social services.

Boardinghouse or rooming house.

Drug or alcohol treatment facilities.

Methadone clinics.

Soup kitchen, except as operated by a house of worship on its own property.

Nail salons.

Hair-braiding establishments.

"Dollar stores."

Residential use: the greater of 0.5 space per bedroom or one space per dwelling unit.

Nonresidential: one space per 1,000 square feet of GFA. Retail/restaurants exempted.

Existing buildings that are renovated and put to or converted to a permitted use are exempt from minimum parking requirements; however, no existing parking at such site is permitted to be removed.

New construction on preexisting (nonsubdivided) lots smaller than 5,000 square feet if the construction site has frontage on Central Avenue or Main Street/Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard or if the lot is smaller than 2,000 square feet anywhere else in the district are exempt from minimum parking requirements; however, no existing parking at such site is permitted to be removed.

Formula A: 0.6r+1f.

Formula B: 1r+0.5f.

Transit wayfinding signage. At least one of the following must be provided to highlight transit service in the area: directional signage to bus routes or train stations; up-to-date timetables or a vicinity map; or advertisements for major attractions that are accessible by transit.

Bicycle amenities. Appropriate space for storage of bicycles, such as racks or lockers, and clear signage directing users to them, in accordance with the following schedule: one bicycle space per residential unit; three bicycle spaces per 5,000 square feet nonresidential.

Sidewalk. Building entries must be oriented to a public sidewalk.

Public areas. Plazas or other open space, where appropriate, proportionate to the size and scale of the project, which may provide space for transit-convenience retail, such as a coffee kiosk, etc. This is only required on lots larger than 20,000 square feet.

Landscaping. Street trees and decorative tree grates shall be provided for every 25 feet of road frontage. Planters, flower baskets, or similar landscape accents that do not impede pedestrian circulation shall be provided. All street tree wells shall measure four feet by eight feet and shall be paved with cobblestone.

Lighting. Decorative streetlighting, compatible with other streetlighting in the district, including a banner identifying the transit district, i.e., Village Core, and also capable of adding decorative attachments such as flower pots and/or holiday lights.

Artwork. Space for a mural, sculpture or other form of artwork, preferably by local artists.

Street furniture. Benches or other amenities for pedestrian seating, refuse containers, bollards, etc.

Architectural enhancements. Awnings, blade signage, gooseneck or other decorative building lighting.

No existing window visible to a public street is permitted to be removed or reduced in size or transparent glazing area.

For new structures or for areas of addition to existing structures, the following minimum amounts of transparent fenestration are required:

All new buildings and rehabilitated buildings are encouraged, although not required, to obtain a LEED certification or equivalent.

Newly constructed homes are encouraged to earn the ENERGY STAR rating.

New commercial/industrial buildings are encouraged to earn an ENERGY STAR rating. A building must score in the top 25% based on the EPA's National Energy Performance Rating System.

All buildings that are newly constructed or rehabilitated are encouraged to use ENERGY STAR products for: sealing/insulating, roofing, windows/doors, heating and cooling, plumbing and lighting.

All new buildings must incorporate the 2009 IECC for low-rise residential buildings and the 2007 ASHRAE 90.1 standards.

Building placement, massing and architecture shall be organized and designed as a contextual whole. The architectural facades shall be varied, yet may maintain common elements of design throughout the overall TVD to ensure a cohesive architectural character. The first-story "street level" shall be differentiated from the upper stories on the facade through fenestrations and treatments so as to give visual interest from the street.

The entire TVD shall be subject to the City of East Orange Property Maintenance Code and all upkeep and enforcement actions established by that code.

The front facade of a building shall not have large expanses of blank or featureless walls.

Awnings are encouraged to create a pedestrian-level feel to the neighborhood despite the height of the buildings.

Mirrored glass at street level shall be prohibited.

A new building shall respect and take into account the adjacent existing building's facade composition, such as cornice, soffit line, fenestration, floor-to-floor elevation, size, scale and setbacks, to enhance the visual relationship.

All pedestrian entrances and walkways shall be well-lit and separate from service entrances.

Satellite dishes, barbed wire, television and radio antennas, rooftop mechanical equipment shall be screened from view from any public street. None of these shall be located on the front facade of a building or any area visible from a public street.

Buildings shall be designed so as to be aesthetically pleasing from all viewing points and shall be oriented toward the street so as to provide a continuous and varied streetscape. Aluminum or vinyl "clapboard" or "dutchlap" style siding is prohibited as an exterior wall material on any wall visible from a public street. Additionally, direct-applied finish system (DAFS), exterior insulation and finishing system (EIFS), or similar materials are prohibited as exterior materials.

There shall be a unified and detailed streetscape plan prepared for the redevelopment area, which takes into consideration the surrounding streetscape plans for the other redevelopment areas.

Street trees should be planted at regular intervals and no further than 35 feet on center from each other. Other streetscape amenities such as decorative benches, trash receptacles, pedestrian bollards, clear signage including "wayfinding" signage, and light poles shall be included in the streetscape.

Any proposed development shall comply with § 51-193, Landscaping, and any tree protection ordinance and/or landscaping ordinance adopted by the City.

Applicability. The regulations set forth in this article are not applicable to traffic regulatory or traffic safety signs on private property which are deemed unnecessary for public safety or to signs on the interior of a structure which are not visible to outside view.

Sign area. Except where otherwise indicated, the "sign area" shall be construed to mean the aggregate area of all signs on the lot.

Abandonment. At the termination of a business, commercial or industrial enterprise, all signs pertaining thereto shall immediately be removed from the public view. Responsibility for violation shall reside with the property owner, according to the latest official tax roll listings.

District standards. Business establishments which are located within districts where a unified theme is encouraged or where specific design standards are established may be permitted to vary from the requirements of this article, subject to study by the Site Plan Review Committee and to review and approval by the Planning Board. In considering such signs, the Planning Board shall use the following criteria:

Street address. The street address shall be displayed prominently in Arabic numerals, facing the street, and shall be of a size and placement visible and legible to police, fire and emergency services personnel.

Reflective paint. Reflective, neon or iridescent paint is prohibited for signs.

Damaged and weathered signs. Any sign where elements of the display area or panel are visibly cracked, broken or discolored, where the support structure or frame members are visibly corroded, bent, broken, torn or dented, or where the message can no longer be read under normal viewing conditions shall be immediately repaired or removed and replaced with a conforming sign.

Construction signs. One nonilluminated construction sign, not exceeding 16 square feet in area, shall be permitted on construction sites, provided that it shall be removed within seven days after the issuance of the first certificate of occupancy.

Signs with statements, words or pictures of any obscene, indecent or immoral character, such as would offend public morals or general standards of decency.

Signs which simulate or include official traffic signs or signals or which contain words such as "stop," "go slow," "caution," "danger," "warning" or like words or designations.

Illuminated signs in which the colors of red, green or amber are used and which are located within a radius of 100 feet of a traffic signal.

Signs which are internally and/or externally illuminated by rotating, flashing or intermittent lights, including digital or video displays and signs which move and rotate in any manner or which have such components, except that signs not exceeding four square feet which denote time-and-temperature changes are permitted.

Any sign which obscures a sign displayed by a public body or which obscures the motorist's view of oncoming traffic.

Signs and decorations which utilize or take the form of banners, pennants, printed sails, series of posters, ribbons, streamers, strings of light bulbs, spinners, balloons or other stationary or moving devices, except as permitted as temporary signs.

Signs painted directly on the outside of buildings.

Signs used to advertise garage sales, yard sales, rummage sales, flea markets or other such activities, except that one such sign may be displayed on the subject property for a period not to exceed 14 days.[1]

Temporary signs mounted, stapled, nailed, pinned, taped, glued or otherwise affixed to the exterior walls of buildings and privately owned fixtures.

A-frame signs, except those which are approved as temporary signs.

Signs which are erected, attached to or constructed on the roof of any building or structure.

Private signs located within the street right-of-way or which are attached to public utility poles, lampposts, public signs or like structures.

Signs which are affixed to other signs.

On-site and off-site business signs that are portable signs held by hand, including but not limited to banners, pennants, placards, posters and spinners.

All other sign types, uses and purposes not explicitly permitted.

Hotels and motel inns may have one identification sign for each lot frontage, but not more than two. Such sign shall not exceed an area of 150 square feet.

A theater may be allowed:

A commercial establishment on the second floor of a building may have:

Monument sign.

Wall-mounted sign.

Awning sign.

Window sign.

Projecting sign.

Temporary sign, freestanding.