Harrison Township City Zoning Code

Single-family detached. The following types of single-family detached units are permitted:

Single-family attached, including townhouses, two-family buildings, or other configurations.

Flats (i.e., multifamily).

A maximum of 50% of age-restricted units may be flats.

Recreational facilities for the use of residents shall be provided including a clubhouse totaling at least 25 square feet per unit up to 250 units and 15 square feet per unit over 250 units.

A separate homeowners' association shall be formed consistent with § 225-51 of this chapter.

Minimum lot size: 5,500 square feet.

Minimum lot width: 50 feet.

Minimum lot frontage: 40 feet.

Minimum lot depth: 100 feet.

Yards:

Minimum lot size: 1,500 square feet.

Minimum lot width: 20 feet.

Minimum lot frontage: 20 feet.

Minimum lot depth: 75 feet.

Yards:

Maximum number of units per building: 40.

Maximum height: four residential stories or 48 feet.

Minimum yards: 25 feet.

Building-to-building setback:

Front setback: five feet minimum and 15 feet maximum.

Side street setback: 10 feet minimum.

Side interior setback: zero feet minimum.

Rear setback: 20 feet minimum.

Live/work units shall meet the requirements of a single-family attached unit.

Excessive uniformity in the exterior design and appearance of dwellings erected in the same residential neighborhood may adversely affect the desirability of the residential area and impair the value of both improved and unimproved real property in such areas. The Village Center, in which residential lot sizes are modest and, consequently, houses will be close together, is particularly susceptible to the negative impacts of such uniformity. It is the purpose of this section to prevent these and other harmful effects of excessive uniformity in design and appearance of dwellings and thus promote and protect the general welfare of the community.

Not more than one construction permit shall be issued for any particular single-family detached dwelling unit design when the houses are substantially alike in exterior design and appearance unless such houses on the same street are separated by a distance of at least 220 feet or two homes. Homes will be considered as substantially alike if they are of the same model, same elevation alternate and same basic materials.

Except for flats, each market-rate dwelling unit shall have a one-or-more car garage with the intent of having two on-site vehicle spaces.

Garages may be detached from or attached to the principal dwelling unit. In either case, the garage shall be aligned either parallel with or perpendicular to the alignment of the principal building. Each garage shall be serviced by a driveway of at least 20 feet in length.

The architectural design of the garage, including the proportions, roof pitch, exterior materials, windows/doors, color, etc., should be coordinated and compatible with that of the principal dwelling unit.

Off-street parking shall not be located between a building and a street unless the visual impact has been minimized by the construction of walls, fences, berms or the installation of appropriate landscaping.

No outside storage or overnight parking of commercial vehicles or boats, recreational vehicles, trailers or similar conveyances shall be permitted, unless the commercial vehicle is part of a commercial use and is parked in a designated area, screened and shielded from any roadway.

Off-street parking shall be set back from property lines as follows:

Parking spaces shall be provided in the following ratios and shall be cumulative for mixed-use structures:

All parking areas must serve units and uses located within Harrison Township.

Parallel parking shall be provided on all street types unless designated otherwise. Diagonal head-in parking may be permitted along the front of commercial uses and/or the community green. Curbside parking shall not be permitted within 25 feet of an intersection.

Planted parkways shall be provided, except where the road abuts the community green. The parkway shall be a minimum of five feet in width. Sidewalks shall have a minimum width of five feet, except along commercial uses where the sidewalk in commercial areas shall be larger. At corners, handicapped ramps shall be provided. Sidewalks in commercial areas shall be continued across street surfaces using paving materials to delineate crosswalks.

A minimum of 25% of the total tract area of a PVC shall be dedicated for common open space uses, which may include open space, conservation, passive and active recreation and stormwater management as below. No more than 50% of the required common open space shall be in the form of wetlands, wetlands buffers, floodplain, swales, recharge areas, and detention and retention basins if designed as an aesthetic feature.

The nonresidential area in a PVC shall have at least one town park and may have plazas, greens, squares and greenways.

All developments requiring site plan or major subdivision approval shall submit a landscape plan prepared by a licensed professional landscape architect, in accordance with the standards of Article VI, Note 23 — Landscape Standards of the Township Development Ordinance, except as superseded or specified below by this article.

In order to celebrate and reinforce a sense of place and for ecological benefit, a minimum of 50% of all plantings shall be species native to the region and a maximum of 50% of the plantings may be nonnative, noninvasive species. Lawn should not be used as a ubiquitous ground cover but primarily for places for active recreation and occupation. Lawn should cover a maximum 50% of all planted areas. Exceptions to this guideline are allowed for parks for active recreation where lawn would be expected and single-family residences in which up to a maximum of 75% of the planted area could be in lawn. Fertilization and maintenance of planting should be as ecologically sustainable as possible, by engaged organic methods and low-spray or no-spray and toxicity protocols wherever feasible.

The term "canopy tree" generally refers to a tree two and one-half inches to three inches in caliper measured six inches DBH and a minimum of 12 feet in height. (Certain desirable species may be slightly less in height at equivalent caliper thickness. In this case, industry standards should be referred to for height requirements.) The above requirements refer to the canopy tree size at the time of project sales, not planting date. This allows the developer to plant some streets and other public spaces before commencement of building construction, thereby allowing trees to mature to an equivalent size of the more recently planted trees around newly constructed buildings.

Canopy trees shall be planted in accordance with the following minimum standards:

Whenever an off-street parking area exceeds 100 spaces, the area should be divided into a minimum of four equal sections with each section being divided by a landscaped divider strip (minimum 10 feet wide) with canopy trees and planted with ground cover or low shrubs (36 inches in height or less).

Hedges, privacy or ornamental fences of varying heights may be used to block view of parking areas, storages areas, loading docks or other utilitarian views from residential or public areas. No cyclone or chain link fencing shall be permitted.

Canopy trees shall be planted in residential lots in a PVC in accordance with the following minimum standards. [NOTE: Existing native trees on lots may be retained to satisfy the canopy tree requirement. The canopy tree planting requirements for residential units in mixed-use buildings with nonresidential uses shall be as specified for commercial planting, as modified by Section 13.E of this ordinance.]

To the greatest extent practical, all healthy trees 18 inches DBH or more shall be preserved.

There shall be a tract perimeter buffer of 25 feet from any existing adjacent residential areas or zones consisting of preserved existing and supplemental landscape material and/or fences to provide a reasonable visual buffer.

The tract perimeter buffer for all other locations shall be 15 feet.

Lots for apartment and nonresidential uses shall balance the functional requirements of parking with the provision of pedestrian amenities. Transition areas between parking and civic, commercial, or residential uses shall be designed with textured paving, landscaping, and street furniture approved by the Planning Board.

Parking lot layout, landscaping, buffering, and screening shall be provided to minimize direct views of parked vehicles from streets and sidewalks, avoid spillover light, glare, noise, or exhaust fumes onto adjacent residential properties, and provide the parking area with a reasonable measure of shade, when trees reach maturity. In order to achieve these objectives, parking lots exposed to view shall be surrounded by a minimum of a four-and-one-half-foot-high, year-round visually impervious screen, hedge, or wall. The height of any required screen, hedge or wall shall decrease where driveways approach sidewalks or walkways in order to provide adequate visibility of pedestrians from motor vehicles, and shall not interfere with clear sight triangle requirements.

The interior of all parking lots shall be landscaped to provide shade and visual relief. This is best achieved by protected planting islands or peninsulas within the perimeter of the parking lot. Parking lots with 10 or fewer spaces may not require interior landscaping if the Planning Board determines that there is adequate perimeter landscaping. In parking lots with 11 or more spaces, a maximum of one deciduous shade tree shall be required to be planted in the parking lot for every five parking spaces. A six-foot planting diamond, or equivalent planter, is required per tree. Choice of plant materials, buffer width, type of screening, location, and frequency of tree planting shall be flexible, provided these objectives are designed to the satisfaction of the Planning Board.

Parking lot layout shall take into consideration pedestrian circulation. Pedestrian crosswalks shall be provided, where necessary and appropriate, shall be distinguished by textured paving, and shall be integrated into the wider network of pedestrian walkways. Pavement textures shall be required on pedestrian accessways, and strongly encouraged elsewhere in the parking lot, as surfacing materials, or when used as accents and as approved by the Planning Board.

Solar panels erected on the roof of a building or on the ground, subject to the requirements of § 225-132D.

Preliminary architectural design standards are intended to establish general architectural concepts and serve as a guide for subsequent detailed design guidelines or site-specific designs submitted for each GDP phase as described in section B-3 of this ordinance. It is recognized that the intent of this section can be met with designs that are not anticipated by these standards. Accordingly, the Planning Board may grant, by waiver, any design standard variations it deems appropriate.

To balance village harmony and variety, the PVC will consist of overall PVC architectural design standards as described in this article plus phase- or neighborhood-specific design details to be submitted with each phase preliminary submission. Preliminary architectural design standards are divided into:

General architectural character. The architectural character of the Village Center or "Core" should be defined by using architectural styles that are coherent with traditional town centers within the northeastern portion of the United States. The structures within the Village Center or Core should try to replicate traditional detailing methods and proportions characterized by traditional architectural styles, including, but not limited to Colonial, Neoclassical, and Italianate styles. There should be a mix of architectural styles to try to create a sense of timelessness and to create a sense that the buildings were constructed during a long time period. Typical of village centers, the buildings should vary in heights ranging from one to four stories. The Village Center should have a mix of uses and building types, including, but not limited, to mixed-use residential/office over retail, office buildings, retail-specific structures, live/work units, and multifamily residential buildings. The structures themselves usually have front and side facades located on or near the right-of-way and property lines. See the site design standards for more detailed site planning information.

Specific architectural guidelines.

General architecture character. The architectural character of the residential neighborhoods should be developed by using architectural styles that are coherent with traditional towns within the northeastern portion of the United States. The structures within the Village Center or Core should try to replicate traditional detailing methods and proportions characterized by traditional architectural styles, including, but not limited to, Colonial, Neoclassical, Italianate, and Victorian styles. The residential structures may range from attached townhome structures to single-family detached units, depending on the allowable neighborhood densities of the GDP and in relation to proximity to the Village Center or Core. Where feasible, residential site layouts should also emphasize traditional unit layouts with an emphasis on hiding the parking requirements from public view through the use of rear alleys for both single-family attached and detached units. The architectural character should provide visual continuity through consistent and/or compatible design elements, architectural styles, and materials with a sensitivity to how each structure can complement and be complemented by adjacent structures.

Specific architectural guidelines.

General architecture character.

Wall-mounted or painted signs, provided the following standards are met:

One wall-mounted sign, not exceeding six square feet in area, shall be permitted on any side or rear entrance which is open to the public. Such wall signs may only be lighted during the operating hours of the business.

Wall-mounted building directory signs identifying the occupants of a commercial building, including upper-story business uses, provided the following standards are met:

Applied letters may substitute for wall-mounted signs, if constructed of painted wood, painted cast metal, bronze, brass, or black anodized aluminum. Applied plastic letters shall not be permitted.

Projecting signs, including graphic or icon signs, mounted perpendicular to the building wall, provided the following standards are met:

Awning signs, for ground-floor uses only, provided the following standards are met:

One freestanding sign, provided the following standards are met:

Businesses located in corner buildings are permitted one wall-mounted or awning sign or painted window sign for each street frontage.

Businesses with service entrances may identify these with one sign not exceeding two square feet.

One directional sign, facing a rear parking lot. This sign may be either wall-mounted or freestanding on the rear facade, but shall be limited to three square feet in area.

One monument sign may be erected to identify each section of the overall town center.

Temporary civic, cultural, and public service window posters, when posted inside commercial establishments, provided they do not, individually or combined, occupy more than 25% of the total area of said window, or five square feet, whichever is less. Temporary window signs are permitted on ground floor windows only. Political signs are not permitted.

Temporary promotional or special sales signs shall be permitted for a period not to exceed 30 days, when erected in conjunction with a commercial establishment, provided they do not, individually or combined with other window signs, exceed 25% of the total area of the display window or 16 square feet, whichever is less. Temporary signs advertising a business opening or change in ownership shall not exceed an area of 16 square feet, and shall require a temporary zoning permit specifying the date of removal. All temporary signs shall have the date of removal printed clearly on the lower right-hand corner, as viewed from the exterior. Temporary promotional signs are permitted on ground floor windows only.

Signs employing mercury vapor, low-pressure and high-pressure sodium, and metal halide lighting, plastic panel rear-lighted signs, or neon.

Signs on roofs, dormers, and balconies.

Billboards.

Signs painted or mounted upon the exterior side or rear walls of any principal or accessory building or structure, except as otherwise permitted hereunder.

Signs with changeable copy by digital or other means or which flash, rotate, spin, fade, or strobe.

Signs affixed to the exterior of a building shall be architecturally compatible with the style, composition, materials, colors, and details of the building, as well as with other signs used on the building or its vicinity.

Signs shall fit within the existing facade features, shall be confined to signable areas, and shall not interfere with door and window openings, conceal architectural details or obscure the composition of the facade where they are located.

Whenever possible, signs located on buildings within the same block face shall be placed the same height in order to create a unified sign band.

Wood and painted metal are the preferred materials for signs. Flat signs should be framed with raised edges. Wood signs shall use only high-quality exterior-grade wood with suitable grade finishes.

Sign colors should be compatible with the colors of the buildings facade. A dull or matte finish is recommended for reduction of glare and enhancement of legibility.

Signs shall be either spotlight or backlit with a diffused light source. Spotlighting shall require complete shielding of all light sources. Light shall not significantly spill over to other portions of the building or site. Backlighting shall illuminate the letters, characters, or graphics on the sign, but not its background. Warm fluorescent bulbs may be used to illuminate the interior of display windows. Neon signs placed inside the display windows shall insure low-intensity colors.

Signs shall be mounted so that the method of installation is concealed. Signs applied to masonry surfaces should be mechanically fastened to mortar joints only and not directly into brick or stone. Drilling to provide electrical service should also follow the same rule.