Not more than one construction permit shall be issued for any particular single-family detached dwelling unit design in any housing development consisting of two or more detached dwellings when the houses are substantially alike in exterior design and appearance unless such similar houses either are separated by a distance of at least 300 feet along the street on which the house fronts or are situated on individual lots which are themselves separated at all points along the side of the street on which the house fronts by a distance of at least 150 feet, and are separated at all points along the opposite side of the street on which the house fronts by a distance of a least 75 feet, whichever distance will provide the least separation between similar houses.

Houses within such specified distance from each other shall be considered uniform if the same basic dimensions and the same floor plans are used without substantial differentiations to the front exterior elevation. Acceptable ways of differentiating between differences of houses are siding, doors, roofline, setbacks, front design.

To insure conformity with the provisions of this chapter, no construction permit shall hereafter be issued for more than one dwelling in any housing development until the builder shall post or cause to be posted on each specific lot on the map of the subdivision on file with the Construction Official the type and model of each house for which a construction permit has been or is being issued.

The provisions, requirements and standards heretofore set forth shall not be considered met where there is an attempt to make minor changes or deviations from building plans and location surveys, which changes show an obvious intent to circumvent the purpose of this section.

Prior to and during construction, no topsoil shall be removed from the site or utilized as fill without approval of the Township Engineer. Soil displaced by construction shall be redistributed so as to provide a six-inch base throughout the development, which shall be stabilized by seeding and planting.

Developed areas shall be cleared of all stumps, litter, rubbish, brush, dead and dying trees, roots, debris and scrap building materials prior to receipt of a certificate of occupancy. None of this material shall be buried within the Township of Lower. This material shall be buried within a landfill approved by the State of New Jersey.

All fill shall be clean and free of decaying materials.

No changes shall be made in elevations or contours on the site other than those shown and approved on the preliminary plat.

During construction, the site shall be left daily in a sanitary and safe condition. The Construction Official or Township Engineer may require installation or construction of temporary improvements on the site to prevent personal injury, property damage, health hazards, erosion, and flooding. Such improvements may include grading, retaining walls, pipes, culverts and other site specific improvements to limit negative impacts.

Where existing materials and soil conditions are not satisfactory for utility and street construction, the unsatisfactory material shall be excavated and replaced with fill approved for that purpose by the Township Engineer.

If during construction the Township Engineer determines that underdrains or subbase outlet drains are necessary for subsoil drainage, the developer/subdivider shall have said systems designed by a professional engineer and installed, all in accordance with Division 5, Section 1 of the New Jersey State Highway Department Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction, latest revision. The plans for these systems and their construction must be approved by the Township Engineer.

The system shall be adequate to carry off or store the stormwater and natural drainage water which originates not only within the lot or tract boundaries, but also that which originates beyond the lot or tract boundaries. No stormwater runoff or natural drainage water shall be so diverted as to overload existing drainage systems or create flooding or the need for additional drainage structures on other private properties or public lands without proper and approved provisions being made for taking care of these conditions.

Techniques for computing stormwater runoff shall be as approved by the Township Engineer. The Rational Method of surface water runoff computation may be used for storm sewers and open channels with drainage basins up to 25 acres in area. The Soil Conservation Method (Urban Hydrology For Small Watersheds, Manual No. 55), or other methods approved by the Township Engineer, shall be used for drainage basins larger than 25 acres in area.

Flow capacity.

The materials used in the construction of storm sewers, bridges and other drainage structures shall be in accordance with specifications of the Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction of the New Jersey State Highway Department, current edition, and any supplements, addenda and modifications thereof. Modification or change of these specifications may be affected only with the knowledge and written consent of the Township Engineer and Planning Board.

Lots shall be graded to secure proper drainage away from buildings and to prevent the ponding of stormwater except where retention or detention basins are provided.

Drainage structures which are proposed to be located on state or county highway rights-of-way shall be approved by the state or county highway engineer's office, and a letter from that office indicating such approval shall be directed to the administrative officer and shall be received prior to the granting of final approval. Drainage structures proposed on a brook or stream with a drainage area of 1/2 square mile (320 acres) or greater shall be approved by the New Jersey Division of Water Policy and Supply, and a letter from that office shall be directed to the administrative officer.

Where a lot or tract is traversed by a watercourse, surface or underground drainageway or drainage system, channel or stream, there shall be provided and dedicated a drainage right-of-way easement to the Township conforming substantially with the lines of such watercourse, and such further width or construction or both as will be adequate to accommodate expected stormwater runoff in the future, based upon reasonable growth potential in the Township and, in any event, meeting any minimum widths and locations shown on any adopted Official Map or Master Plan. Such easement dedication shall be expressed on the plat as follows: "Drainage and utility right-of-way easement granted for the purposes provided for and expressed in the development ordinance."

Streetlighting of a type supplied by the utility and of a type and number approved by the Township Engineer shall be provided for all street intersections and along all arterial, collector and local streets and anywhere else deemed necessary for safety reasons. Wherever electric utility installations are required to be underground, the applicant shall provide for underground service for streetlighting.

All parking areas and walkways thereto and appurtenant passageways and driveways serving commercial, public, office, industrial, apartment or other similar uses, having common off-street parking and/or loading areas, and building complexes requiring area lighting shall be adequately illuminated for security and safety purposes. The lighting plan in and around the parking areas shall provide for nonglare, color-corrected lights focused downward. The light intensity provided at ground level shall be a minimum of 0.3 footcandle anywhere in the area to be illuminated, shall average a minimum of 0.5 footcandle over the entire area, and shall be provided by fixtures with a mounting height not more than 25 feet measured from the ground level to the center line of the light source spaced a distance not to exceed five times the mounting height. Any other outdoor lighting such as building and sidewalk illumination, driveways with no adjacent parking, the lighting of signs and ornamental lighting shall be shown on the lighting plan in sufficient detail to allow determination of the effects to adjacent properties, traffic safety and overhead sky glow. The objective of these specifications is to minimize undesirable off-premises effects. No light shall shine into windows or onto streets and driveways in such manner as to interfere with or distract driver vision. To achieve these requirements, the intensity of such light sources, the light shielding and similar characteristics shall be subject to site plan approval. The Planning Board reserves the right to physically inspect the lighting so as to insure compliance with the intent to insure that light pollution does not occur.

Natural features such as trees, hilltops and views, natural terrain, open waters and natural drainage lines shall be preserved whenever possible in designing and development containing such features.

No topsoil shall be removed from areas intended for lawn or open space. Topsoil moved during the course of construction shall be redistributed so as to provide at least six inches of cover to all such areas, which shall be stabilized by the approved seeding and/or planting.

A conscious effort shall be made to preserve all worthwhile trees and shrubs which exist on the site. Stripping trees from a lot or filling around trees on a lot shall not be permitted unless it can be shown that grading or construction requirements necessitate removal of trees, in which case those lots shall be replanted with trees to reestablish the tone of the area in conformance with adjacent lots. All newly planted shade trees shall be of nursery stock. Deciduous trees shall have at least a one-and-one-half-inch caliper at planting, evergreen trees shall be at least five feet tall, and shrubs shall be at least two feet tall. All trees shall be of a species approved by the Board and shall be balled and burlapped. In all cases, a sufficient number of shade trees shall be provided and planted to insure a minimum of eight trees per acre of lot area.

Lighting. Lighting used to illuminate off-street parking areas shall be arranged to reflect the light away from residential premises and streets and be in accordance with § 400-47.

Surfacing and curbing.

All public services shall be connected to an approved public utilities system where one exists. The developer shall arrange with the servicing utility for the underground installation of the utilities' distribution supply lines and service connections in accordance with the provisions of the applicable standard terms and conditions incorporated as part of its tariff as the same are then on file with the State of New Jersey Board of Public Utility Commissioners and the developer shall provide the Township with four copies of a final plan showing the installed location of the utilities. The developer shall submit to the Board, prior to the granting of final approval, a written instrument from each serving utility which shall evidence full compliance or intended full compliance with the provisions of this section; provided, however, lots which abut existing streets where overhead electric or telephone distribution supply lines and service connections have heretofore been installed may be supplied with electric and telephone service from these overhead lines, but any new service connections from the utilities' overhead lines shall be installed underground. In cases where extensions of service are needed to existing buildings or new buildings in established subdivisions, industrial parks or shopping centers, the present method of service may be continued. In the case of existing overhead utilities, however, should a road widening or an extension of service or other such condition occur as a result of the development and necessitate the replacement or relocation of such utilities, such replacement or relocation shall be underground.

In large-scale developments, easements along rear property lines or elsewhere for utility installation may be required. Such easements shall be at least 20 feet wide and located in consultation with the companies or Township departments concerned and, to the fullest extent possible, be centered on, or adjacent to, rear or side lot lines. Easement dedication shall be expressed on the plan in accordance with the provisions of § 400-46G of this chapter.

If a public treatment and collection system is accessible or planned, the developer shall construct facilities in such a manner as to make adequate sewage treatment available to each lot and structure within the development from said treatment and collection system.

Any treatment plant and collection system, including individual on-lot septic systems, shall be designed in accordance with the requirements of the State Health Department or ordinances enforced by the County Board of Health, whichever are more restrictive, and shall be subject to approval by the Township.

Streets.

Curbs. Concrete curbing shall be installed along every street and at intersections with existing Township, county or state roads and shall be laid in a manner approved by the Township Engineer. The curbing shall meet the following specifications:

Sidewalks.

Trees. Street trees should be planted at intervals depending on their types. Along all public rights-of-way, shade trees having a caliper at planting of at least 1 1/2 inches shall be planted 30 feet to 40 feet apart and otherwise conform to § 400-48C.

Certain street furniture is functional in nature and should be located where the demand is. Bike racks should be located near recreational activities and commercial establishments.

Bus shelters should be required at least at major intersections where bus service exists or is anticipated. It is desirable to provide indentations to accommodate the buses off the main travelled routes. The shelters should be designed to keep rain off those waiting for the buses and to break the wind. They should be entirely enclosed but designed to allow the interiors to be readily observed.

Trash receptacles should be located near recreational activities, at street corners, at entrances and exits to buildings, and where people naturally congregate. Open-weave receptacles should be avoided because the wind blows small bits of paper and debris from them.

Where public water is accessible, water mains shall be constructed in such a manner as to make adequate water service available to each lot or building within the development. The entire system shall be designed in accordance with the requirements and standards of the local and/or state agency having approval authority and shall be subject to their approval. The system shall also be designed with adequate capacity and sustained pressure.

Where no public water is accessible, water shall be furnished on an individual lot basis. If wells are installed on each lot and the lot also contains its own sewage disposal facilities, the wells shall be of the drilled type with a minimum of 40 feet of casing. Well installation, sealing and testing shall be in accordance with the New Jersey Standards for Construction of Water Supply Systems in Realty Improvements (Chapter 199 of the Public Laws of 1954), as amended. The well will be required to have a production of not less than six gallons per minute as established by bailor tests and certified by the well driller. Before being placed in consumer use, it shall be disinfected by the use of sodium hypochloride or other acceptable solutions and a sample collected by a local or State Health Department representative for bacteriological examination. A copy of the result of the above referred to bailor tests and bacteriological examination and a certificate from the local or State Health Officer that the owner has complied with the applicable local or state health regulations shall be submitted to the Township before the issuance of building permits in connection with each individual lot.

Any person desiring to subdivide property in any residential district may elect to apply to the Board for a major subdivision under the following reduced street improvement requirements. The Board shall examine each request to determine whether it meets the following criteria:

If it is determined by the Board that the proposed development conforms to the criteria established for rural residential development, the following reduction in standards and improvements for the local streets will be allowed:

No further subdivision of any lot or lots subdivided under these standards shall be permitted within 50 years from the date of final approval by the Township, and a statement to this effect shall be written on all plats submitted to the Township for review and approval.