Leonia City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XII
P District
§ 290-36 Purpose.
The Parkland District regulations were developed in recognition that a significant portion of the Borough's land area is devoted to municipal and regional parklands, and recreation facilities. The Parklands District is designed to encourage full utilization of the Borough's recreational potential while protecting the natural character of these lands and preserving them for future generations. The Borough's parkland is characterized by two types of facilities, municipal and a regional. Regulations for these two types of facilities are noted below.
§ 290-37 Definitions.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
A contiguous lot or tract of land owned and recorded as the property of the same persons or controlled by a single entity.
A place designed and equipped for the conduct of sports and leisure-time activities.
A recreational facility maintained by the Borough of Leonia or an entity thereof.
A recreational facility open to the general public and maintained by Bergen County or an entity thereof.
§ 290-38 Permitted uses.
§ 290-39 Conditional uses.
Swimming pools can be constructed in the P District in compliance with the regulations for municipal pools set forth in Chapter 254, Swimming Pools.
§ 290-40 Area, yard and building requirements.
A.
B.
Regional facilities.
(1)
Minimum parcel area: 15 acres.
(2)
Minimum buffer area: All buffer areas shall be designed in accordance with § 236-31 of Chapter 236, Site Plan Review. In addition the following regulations pertain to the required buffer areas of regional recreational facilities:
(a)
A buffer area of at least 100 feet shall be provided where a parks and recreational facility is developed adjacent to a residentially zoned parcel.
(b)
The buffer area can be comprised of open spaces, landscaped area, fences, berms or any combination thereof to physically separate or screen the parklands from adjacent residentially zoned parcel.
(c)
Within the buffer area, no principal or accessory structure nor any off street parking or loading areas, or other uses shall be permitted, except a gatehouse, utilities, and signs. Access drives may be permitted through a buffer area with minimal intrusion.
(d)
The buffer zone area may be reduced by the Planning Board to 50 feet where the proposed development is consistent and compatible with adjoining uses.
(e)
A landscaped buffer of 10 feet must be provided between all parking areas and adjacent properties, and public rights-of-way.
(3)
Maximum impervious coverage: 25%.
§ 290-41 Additional regulations.
A.
Pedestrian circulation shall be provided and shall be separated from motor vehicle circulation. There are shall be a landscaped buffer separation between all motor vehicle circulation and pedestrian circulation paths.
B.
Passive recreation: The following guidelines pertain to the development of passive recreational facilities.
(1)
Passive open space should be left in its natural state, augmented for erosion control and aesthetic value by landscaping.
(2)
Effort should be made to reduce future maintenance requirements for passive open spaces through the use of low-maintenance design elements including low-maintenance plant material. Improvements should be limited to pedestrian and bicycle circulation, trails, picnic areas and similar uses.
C.
Signs. All signs in the P District must comply with the general regulations for signs set forth in Chapter 232, Signs. In addition to the general regulations signs in the P District must comply to the following:
(1)
Lighting: Signs located at the vehicular entrance may be indirectly lit from a ground source. Lights must be placed so as not to shine directly or indirectly on neighboring properties. Signs internal to the park shall not have lighting, either direct or indirect.
(2)
Materials: All signs must be made of natural materials, such as wood or stone, to compliment the natural atmosphere of the parks themselves
(4)
Interior signage: Directional and special use area signage within parks is permitted as follows:
(a)
No more than one special use identification sign, such as those at picnic groves and ball fields, is permitted per special use entry. Such sign shall not exceed four square feet.
(b)
Directional signs throughout parks along roadways and trails shall be permitted as necessary.
(c)
In all cases except those regulated by DOT, all interior signs must be made of natural materials, such as wood or stone, to compliment the natural atmosphere of the parks themselves.
D.
Lighting. All proposed lighting shall conform to the general requirements set forth in § 236-30 of Chapter 236, Site Plan Review. In addition, the following regulations pertain to the lighting of recreational facilities:
(1)
Lighting fixtures within parking areas for recreational facilities shall be mounted no higher than 20 feet above grade.
(2)
The following are the required lighting levels (in footcandles) for parking areas for recreational facilities:
(3)
Lighting levels for recreational facilities shall not exceed those recommendations in the latest edition of IESNA RP-6 (Sports Lighting).
(4)
Adjacent to residential zoned parcel, no direct light source will be visible at the property line at ground level and above.
(5)
Lighting for outdoor recreational facilities shall be so designed, installed and operated as to confine at least 90% of the illumination to the recreational area. Recreational facility fixtures shall be on elevated poles or structures so that illumination is directed downward. No significant illumination may extend above a horizontal plane from the lighting fixture. For aerial sports (e.g. baseball, softball, football, tennis, golf) luminaires shall not be aimed above 60° from vertical. The height of recreation facility lighting shall be set at the minimum height needed to provide the effective illumination of the outdoor recreation facilities in accordance with the IESNA standards.
(6)
Illumination from recreational facility fixtures shall be shielded to minimize glare extending toward roadways or other places where impairment of motorists' vision might cause hazard. All such recreational facilities shall have either:
(7)
All outdoor light fixtures maintained on public or private property, whether installed before, on or after the effective date of this article, shall be turned off between 10:00 p.m. (local time) and sunrise except when used for lighting necessary for security purposes or to illuminate walkways or roadways.
(8)
The outdoor operation of searchlights, lasers or other high-intensity beams is prohibited.
(9)
In the case of flags, statues or other top-of-pole-mounted objects which cannot be illuminated with down-lighting, upward lighting may be used only in the form of one narrow-cone spotlight which confines the illumination to the object of interest.
(10)
Nonconforming fixtures grandfather provision. All outdoor lighting fixtures existing and legally installed and operative before the effective date of this article are exempt from the requirements of this article. Whenever a nonconforming fixture is replaced or moved, the replacement thenceforth shall meet the requirements of this article.
(11)
The applicant shall submit to the Borough sufficient information, in the form of an overall exterior lighting plan to enable the Borough to determine that the applicable provisions will be satisfied. The lighting plan shall include at least the following:
(a)
A site plan, drawn to required scale, showing all buildings, landscaping, parking areas, all proposed exterior lighting fixtures;
(b)
Specification details for all proposed lighting fixtures including photometric data, designation as IESNA "cut off" fixtures, and a description on the fixtures themselves.
(12)
Proposed mounting heights of all fixtures. For the purposes of these regulations, the mounting height of a lighting fixtures shall be defined as the vertical distance from the grade elevation of the surface being illuminated to the bottom of the lighting fixture.
(13)
Analyses and luminance level diagrams showing that the proposed installation conforms to the lighting levels standards in this section.
§ 290-42 Off-street parking requirements.
A.
Public building: one space for each 250 square feet of floor area.
B.
Recreational courts and fields: one space for each 1,000 square feet of recreation area.
C.
Passive recreational uses (i.e., pedestrian trails, tracks, and open space): one space per 4,000 square feet of land area devoted to use.
D.
Playgrounds and tot lots: one space per each 750 square feet of recreation area.
F.
All parking areas must be designed to minimize the impact on adjacent properties.