Moorestown City Zoning Code

Any principal use permitted in the SRC District.

Medical offices for persons principally engaged in providing services for health maintenance, diagnosis (including testing) and treatment of human diseases, pain or other physical or mental condition of patients by physicians or other licensed health care professionals, solely on an outpatient basis, but not to include a behavioral health care center, or the testing or treatment of overnight patients.

Municipal use or purpose.

Open space.

Common recreational facilities for the use and enjoyment of residents and their guests.

Dwelling for manager or other staff of a residential building or mixed residential and commercial buildings.

Games of amusement when part of another entertainment facility, hotel or restaurant.

Maintenance garage.

Management office.

Security office.

Social service office for the benefit of residents.

Off-street surface parking and structured parking.

Fences, walls and street furniture.

Signs.

Accessory uses on the same lot and customarily incidental to the principal use.

In an MX-1 District.

In an MX-2 District.

Minimum tract area shall be 84 acres.

Minimum tract frontage shall be 1,000 feet on an arterial street.

Minimum tract width and depth shall be 1,000 feet.

Maximum tract floor area ratio of the tract shall be 0.35, except as otherwise modified herein. For the purposes of this district, the floor area of structured parking shall be excluded from the calculation of floor area ratio.

Maximum tract building coverage shall be 50% of total tract area.

Minimum lot area within the tract shall be 13 acres.

Maximum impervious surface coverage shall be 85% of total tract area.

All buildings shall be located within the inside of the existing perimeter ring road. All buildings shall be set back a minimum of 25 feet from the curbline of the ring road.

Maximum building heights. The following building heights shall apply to the MX-1 District:

Building separation requirements. Where a private road or driveway is proposed, buildings facing such vehicular passageway shall be separated by at least 50 feet; otherwise buildings shall be separated by at least 30 feet or the distance required by the New Jersey Fire Code, latest edition, whichever distance is greater.

The number of spaces, loading and other design requirements for parking lots shall conform to Article XXIII.

Parking structures. Parking structures shall not exceed four levels above grade, including the rooftop level. Three sides of any parking garage shall be mostly or fully obscured from public view from public streets, adjacent residential uses and perimeter ring road by buildings or liner buildings.

Perimeter buffer requirements. Landscape buffers shall be required along the perimeter property lines and shall retain existing vegetation that is of high quality and appropriate density. Where existing vegetation is unsuitable, it shall be augmented or replaced by new plantings in accordance with a landscape plan submitted to and approved by the board with jurisdiction. The perimeter buffer shall be installed between the tract boundaries and the ring road and suitable for its function of site enhancement, screening, and control of climatic effects.

Building within a perimeter buffer. Public and private streets affording access to the site may cross a required perimeter buffer. Accessory structures, including and of a similar nature as utilities, entrance gate facilities, signs approved as part of the signage plan, and traffic signal and street lighting systems may be placed in a perimeter buffer. No off-street parking facilities, aboveground stormwater management facilities or other buildings shall be constructed within the required perimeter buffer.

Landscape buffer screen requirements. A landscape screen surrounding loading docks, truck parking spaces, outdoor storage, utility meters, HVAC equipment, recycling containers, trash dumpsters, trash compactors, and other such service functions, except for access, shall be incorporated into the overall design. Walls and enclosures for such service uses shall be of a similar construction and material as the primary buildings to which they are associated. Such accessory structures and uses shall be adequately landscaped in conjunction with walls, screens and/or enclosures to the point where the visual and acoustic impacts of these functions are fully contained and out of view from general passersby. The minimum width of a landscape screen shall be eight feet.

Parking lot landscaping. Five percent of the area of parking lots shall be placed into landscape islands. Landscape islands shall be a minimum of eight feet in width with a minimum depth equal to a parking space. No more than 25 parking spaces shall be permitted in a single parking bay without the inclusion of a landscape island.

Outdoor plaza(s). A minimum equal to 2% of the total floor area devoted to retail sales and services (excluding any hotel use) shall be in outdoor plazas and outdoor eating areas. Outdoor plazas may consist of hardscaping, landscaping, fountains, seating, sculpture and other landscape features designed to create a destination and gathering space for residents and customers.

In the MX-1 District, a minimum of 1.5 acres shall be devoted to a town square space designed for active pedestrian use and outdoor event uses and may be used to achieve the requirement in Subsection L(2).

Internal pedestrian connections. There shall be an extensive system of pedestrian walks serving all uses within the development, providing access from residential uses to commercial uses, dwellings, parking areas, outdoor plazas, recreational and other communal facilities. Buildings shall be connected to each other, to the main shopping areas and to the public sidewalk system by pedestrian walkways. The walkways shall feature adjoining landscaped areas that include trees, shrubs, benches, flower beds, ground covers or other such materials to enhance the appearance of the walkway areas. Pedestrian walkways shall have adequate lighting.

Minimum sidewalk and plaza widths. The minimum widths of sidewalks and outdoor plazas shall conform to the following table:

Buildings should have architectural features and patterns that provide visual interest from the perspective of pedestrians and motorists. Buildings should include substantial variation in mass through the use of the three main elements of base, field and entablature in the facade as well as variations in their width. Primary building facades shall be enhanced by the use of vertical and horizontal elements, such as plinths, pilasters, arches, and cornices. The middle of the building shall be differentiated from the base by a horizontal transition line. The first story of the building should generally constitute the base of the design for any building three stories or higher. The design of the base, as well as the quality and durability of its materials, should be emphasized in the architectural design.

Doorways, windows and other openings in the facade of buildings should be proportioned to reflect pedestrian scale and movement and encourage interest at the street level. Retail stores shall have display windows. Multiple front entrances or architectural features should be incorporated into the building design in order to produce human scale elements in the mass of large structures 50,000 square feet and larger.

The minimum requirement for fenestration on residential facades shall be 20% of the total area, except that a side facade that does not contain an entrance may be reduced to a minimum of 10% of that facade.

Residential and mixed-use buildings should be designed with common entrances and internal common hallways.

Redevelopment proposed that is primarily organized as a shopping center or centers shall have at least one central corridor or spine upon which buildings are oriented in the site layout. The central spine may be, but is not required to be, the main driveway or street intersecting the arterial road system at the perimeter of the tract. A major building, such as a hotel or entertainment venue, should terminate the central spine in the interior of the site and provide an anchor for other buildings connected to it. The central spine shall have a pedestrian and vehicular system of circulation. Parallel parking along the central spine is encouraged. Pedestrian circulation along the spine shall have priority over vehicular traffic. Traffic calming devices and designs shall be utilized within the central spine in appropriate locations but are primarily anticipated at intersections of driveways or streets.

The central spine of the site shall provide for a high-quality pedestrian environment, including the provision of significant landscape architectural elements. These should include street furnishings that evoke an urban center, including benches, pedestrian scale lighting and variable pavement finishes. At least three publicly accessible focal points for the development, such as an outdoor public plaza, fountain, public art or other similar type of amenity, shall be provided along the central spine and one each in all other areas of the planned commercial center not directly connected to the central spine concept. Any individual sites located around the periphery of the tract are to be accessible via pedestrian walkways to the central spine. Parking areas are to be well screened from surrounding roadways and contain significant interior landscaping.

Buildings shall be a minimum of, or have the appearance of, two stories along the central spine. Front entrances shall face the central spine. Secondary entrances shall face either side streets or driveways, or may face rear-oriented parking lots. Buildings not on the central spine are not required to meet this standard. All entrances intended for the public shall be architecturally prominent and clearly visible. Loading areas shall be oriented to the rear of the front entrances, where designated loading is necessary. Individual establishments in excess of 50,000 square feet of gross leasable area shall be considered anchor tenants. Particular attention shall be paid to building entrances and facades for anchor tenants due to their function as focal points of the development. Entrances shall be prominent within the building facade. In the hierarchy of building materials to be used for the facade, the most expensive and durable materials shall be concentrated at building entrances.