The purpose of the Adult Housing Zone (AHZ) is to provide housing opportunities that will satisfy the existing need for the Borough of Northvale's age-restricted residents and also by meeting the Borough's fair share obligation for the years 1999 to 2014 in accordance with the Master Plan housing element and fair share plan dated October 17, 2005, as revised.

The purpose of this section is to establish rules, regulations, standards and procedures designed to promote development of an area within the designated Block 908, Lot 1 and Block 603, Lot 6 on the Borough's Official Tax Maps and to provide for an Adult Housing Zone.

Permitted principal use. Adult community comprised of multifamily dwellings, such as townhouses or townhouses, in detached, semidetached or attached buildings and utilities and essential services are regulated herein. These dwellings are to be occupied in accordance with Subsection D of this document.

Permitted secondary use. Passive open space in the form of residual passive recreational open spaces and overflow parking in the form of a surface parking lot for the proposed age-restricted development.

Signs.

Recreational uses, such as but not limited to common open spaces, walking paths, gazebos, swimming pools, putting greens, and tennis, shuffleboard and bocce courts.

Clubhouse buildings, which may include athletic and recreational facilities, meeting rooms, club rooms and other facilities for social activities, homeowners' association offices, mailboxes, maintenance and equipment storage and ancillary kitchen facilities.

Off-street parking for private vehicles.

Fences and walls.

Administration, maintenance, storage and utility buildings.

Storage facilities. Each dwelling unit shall provide a minimum of 32 square feet of internal storage space, which space shall not be included in any garage.

Roof -mounted solar energy systems are permitted provided that solar panels mounted on a sloped roof shall not exceed a height of 12 inches above the roof surface and that solar panels mounted on a flat roof shall be screened by a parapet or other screening measure so that the panels are not visible from any street or adjacent property.

Minimum lot area: five acres.

Minimum lot width: 175 feet.

Minimum lost frontage along a county or municipal road: 500 feet.

Minimum lot depth: 300 feet.

Minimum front yard, Borough and/or county roads: 25 feet.

Minimum front yard, internal roads: five feet.

Minimum side yard: 10 feet.

Minimum rear yard: 10 feet.

Maximum building coverage: 35% of total site area.

Maximum total impervious coverage: 65% of total site area.

Minimum required active/landscaped open space: 20%.

Maximum density shall not exceed 14 units per acre.

Residential building requirements:

Accessory use standards.

Buffer.

All housing within the AHZ Zone is subject to an age restriction whereby each house unit in the district shall be in fully occupied by at least one person 50 years of age or older.

A child or children residing with a parent age 50 or older, provided that the child or children is or are 19 years of age or older.

This restriction shall not apply to resident employees such as a manager or superintendent.

The foregoing occupancy restriction shall be set forth in a master deed or other recorded instrument applicable to all of the dwellings in the development. The master deed or other recorded instrument shall contain procedures governing the sale or transfer of units within the district so that the developer and homeowners' association can enforce the occupancy restriction set forth herein.

The master deed or other recorded instrument may be recorded on a phased basis as long as the above occupancy restriction applies to every dwelling within the phase. The above occupancy restriction also shall be set forth or referred to in every deed conveyance to an individual dwelling unit in the development.

Each unit shall be owner-occupied.

A minimum of 0.1 acre of active or passive recreation space shall be provided for each one acre of gross site area.

Buffer areas, wetlands and conservation easements shall be eligible as open space as required by this section.

Active recreation space shall be improved with facilities, buildings and structures for indoor and outdoor recreational activities consistent with the residential character of the development and the lifestyle needs of the residents therein.

All active open space shall be connected to residential areas with walkways or other reasonable means of access.

All public streets, internal roadways and private driveways shall be in accordance with the requirements of the New Jersey Residential Site Improvement Standards.

All developments in this district shall provide two points of ingress and egress. One of these access points may be for emergency use only.

Off-street parking shall comply with RSIS requirements.

Required off-street parking may be provided in common garages under residential buildings and surface parking units.

Said parking shall be landscaped, screened, lighted and conveniently located within 150 feet of the housing to be served, with the exception of guest parking.

Water facilities.

Sanitary sewerage system.

Drainage and stormwater management.

Electric, gas, telephone and cable television services, if available, shall be provided by the developer in concert with the appropriate public utility providing such services and shall be installed underground, except high-voltage electric primaries over 30,000 volts. One master television antenna or one cable television connection shall be provided for each building.

Street improvements, monuments, street names and other traffic control devices, shade trees, streetlights, sidewalks, curbs, fire hydrants and all aspects of street construction, as well as other improvements, shall be subject to local and state regulations and Borough Engineer approval.

Refuse pickup areas shall be provided and shall be located for the convenience of the residents of the developments. All such areas shall be screened on all sides with fencing of four feet in height and exterior shrubs of not less than two feet in height on at least three exposed sides.

The residents' association(s) of the development shall be required to provide for and/or contribute to the expense or cost of the upkeep, maintenance and expense of sanitary sewer system, roads, drives, parking facilities, drainage facilities, streetlighting, refuse pickup, snowplowing and all other services not provided by the Borough. Payment and provision of these services shall be in accordance with applicable laws.

The area for detention basins and other drainage control devices shall not qualify as active recreation space as required by this article. Chronically wet marsh land shall not qualify as active recreation space as required by this article.

Active recreation space for swimming pools, tennis courts and other sport and recreational activities may be improved with facilities, buildings and structures for indoor and/or outdoor recreational use consistent with the residential character of the development.

All improvements of the common open space area, as shown on the approved site plan, including recreational facilities, buildings and structures, shall be completed before a certificate of occupancy shall be granted to more than 75% of the proposed dwelling units.

All owners and residents of the development shall have the right to use the common open space and active recreational facilities, subject to reasonable rules and regulations. In the event that the proposed development shall consist of a number of stages, the developer shall provide active recreational areas proportionate in size to the stage being considered for final approval.

All open space shall be connected to residential areas with walkways or other reasonable means of access.

Building design.

Landscaping.

Concrete walkways shall be provided between residential buildings and common parking areas. Walkways shall have a minimum width of four feet.

No natural vegetation shall be disturbed except as approved by the Planning Board. The site plan shall indicate the maximum area of clearing.

Adequate lighting fixtures for walks, steps, parking areas, driveways, streets and other facilities shall be provided at locations to provide for the safe and convenient use of the same. Fixtures shall be situated and designated in keeping with the character of the development and shall be adequately shaded to screen windows of dwelling units, both off and on the development site, from direct and indirect light. No flashing, intermittent or moving light shall be permitted. All lighting, including illumination levels, shall conform to the recommendation of the Borough Engineer.

Every dwelling unit shall have two means of ingress and egress to the exterior.

Adequate sound protection between dwelling units shall be provided and designed in accordance with sound engineering principals. In the case of a townhouse, sound protection must be provided between vertical walls; in the case of a townhome, sound protection must be provided between both the vertical walls and the horizontal ceiling/floors.

The developer shall establish an organization(s) for the ownership and maintenance of off-street parking space, recreational, utility and essential service facilities for the benefit of the residents of the development, and for the maintenance of common open space. The same shall be held in perpetuity by the organization(s) subject to appropriate easements. Structures and facilities in support of recreational activity may be constructed in accordance with site plan approval. Such organization(s) shall not be dissolved and shall not dispose of said off-street parking space, recreational and/or utility and essential service facilities by sale or otherwise, except to an organization(s) conceived and established to own and maintain the same for the benefit of such development and the residents thereof. Thereafter such organization(s) shall not be dissolved or dispose of any of said off-street parking space, recreational, utility and essential service facilities without obtaining the consent of the members of the organization(s) as provided by law and also without offering to dedicate the same to the municipality. The developer shall be responsible for the maintenance of said off-street parking space, recreational, utility and essential service facilities and shall provide for all services to the development until such time as the organization(s) established for the ownership and maintenance of the same and the maintenance of common open space shall be formed and functioning.

Off-street parking spaces, recreational, utility and essential service facilities for the benefit of the residents of the development and common open space shall be maintained in reasonable order and condition and be under the jurisdiction of the applicable Property Maintenance Code of the Borough of Northvale.[1]

All documents pertaining to any neighborhood association responsible for the maintenance of said off-street parking space, recreational, utility and essential service facilities and common space shall be subject to the review by the Borough Attorney as to compliance and consistency with local ordinances and may be recorded as a covenant running with the land. The foregoing shall not apply with respect to organization(s) formed and owned by the developer with respect to the ownership, operation and maintenance of sewage collection and treatment facilities as provided in Subsection A(2) herein hereof.

Any application for development shall be processed and reviewed pursuant to the procedures and standards of Chapter 159, Site Plan Review, and, where applicable, Chapter 178, Subdivision of Land, and the laws, rules and regulations of any other governmental entity having jurisdiction over the subject matter. The Planning Board may engage at the cost and expense of the applicant and/or developer any and all necessary experts to assist the Planning Board in the review of any aspects of the application.

The applicant shall submit a comprehensive conceptual site plan for the entire area so zoned and under the applicant's control which shall include a rendering of the exterior of any new or reconstructed structure. Said plan shall be in accordance with the terms of this chapter, Chapter 159, Site Plan Review, Chapter 178, Subdivision of Land, and the laws, rules and regulations of any other governmental entity having jurisdiction over the subject matter. The comprehensive plan shall be submitted as part of the preliminary site plan application.

Off-tract improvement (if any) shall be governed by Chapter 167, Site Plan Review, and Chapter 178, Subdivision of Land, of the Code of the Borough of Northvale.

Townhome or townhouse dwelling units in detached, semidetached or attached groups.

Utilities and essential services.

Signs as otherwise regulated in the Code of the Borough of Northvale.

Noncommercial swimming pools, tennis courts and other indoor and outdoor recreation facilities.

Private garages and off-street parking for private vehicles.

Fences and walls.

Roof -mounted solar energy systems are permitted provided that solar panels mounted on a sloped roof shall not exceed a height of 12 inches above the roof surface and that solar panels mounted on a flat roof shall be screened by a parapet or other screening measure so that the panels are not visible from any street or adjacent property.

Minimum lot area: 12,000 square feet.

Minimum lot frontage along a county or municipal road: 120 feet.

Average minimum lot width (at building setback line): 120 feet.

Average minimum lot depth: 100 feet.

Setbacks from external lot lines.

Lot coverage.

[1]Accessory buildings.

Townhomes or townhouses.

The developer shall provide and maintain a buffer area, inclusive of the required yard, of not less than 15 feet from all external lot lines of the development adjacent to nonresidential uses or zones and not less than 50 feet adjacent to residential uses or zones. Said buffer area shall be kept in its natural state where wooded, and where natural vegetation is sparse or nonexistent, the area shall be planted to provide a year-round natural screen.

Only the following uses shall be permitted in a buffer area:

The required buffer area shall be included for the purpose of computing compliance with the common open space requirements and yard setback requirements of this article.

The Planning Board may modify the requirements for a buffer area upon finding that by reasons thereof the buffer area may be modified without detriment to existing or proposed uses.

Multifamily dwelling unit buildings, subject to the following conditions:

Signs as regulated.

Off-street parking.

Garages under or incorporated into the building design.

Fences and walls.

Tenant amenities including mail rooms.

Roof -mounted solar energy systems are permitted provided that solar panels mounted on a sloped roof shall not exceed a height of 12 inches above the roof surface and that solar panels mounted on a flat roof shall be screened by a parapet or other screening measure so that the panels are not visible from any street or adjacent property.

Affordable units in the PAI Overlay District shall be deed-restricted affordable units complying with the Uniform Housing Affordability Controls and Article IX, Affordable Housing Regulations, of Chapter 200, Zoning.

The affordable units shall be deed restricted for at least 30 years.

The units shall be family affordable units.

The developer shall be responsible for the costs associated with marketing the units.

Street trees shall be provided along the street frontage at an interval of 40 to 50 feet on center. Said trees shall be a minimum of three inches caliper at installation.

The front building wall foundation area shall be planted with a variety of shrubs with an installation height of at least three feet.

Surface parking areas shall be landscaped at a rate of one tree per 15 parking spaces. Said tree shall be a minimum three inches caliper in a pervious area of at least 162 square feet.

Required green areas shall be landscaped with low ground cover and grass.

All off-street parking areas shall provide a minimum average 0.5 footcandle of illumination.

Building entrances shall be well lit.

Footcandles at the property line shall not exceed one footcandle, except where there are driveways.

Buildings shall avoid long, monotonous, uninterrupted walls or roof planes. Building wall offsets, including projections and recesses shall be used in order to add architectural interest and variety and to relieve the visual effect of a simple, long wall. Similarly, roofline offsets, dormers or gables shall be provided in order to provide architectural interest and variety to the massing of a building and to relieve the effect of a single, long roof.

The maximum spacing between building wall offsets shall be 40 feet.

The minimum projection or depth of any individual vertical offset shall be 1.5 feet.

All entrances to a building shall be defined and articulated by architectural elements such as lintels, pediments, pilasters, columns, porticoes, porches, overhangs, railings, etc.

Heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems, utility meters and regulators, exhaust pipes and stacks, satellite dishes and other telecommunications receiving devices shall be screened or otherwise specially treated to be, as much as possible, inconspicuous as viewed from the public right-of-way and adjacent properties.

All rooftop mechanical equipment shall be screened from view from all vantage points at or below the level of the roof.

Trash enclosures shall be located to the rear or side of the building.

All trash enclosures shall be screened by a solid masonry wall on three sides and a heavy-duty gate on the fourth.

One wall sign per street frontage shall be permitted to identify the development.

Said sign shall be a maximum of 20 square feet.

The sign may be internally illuminated.

Multifamily dwelling unit buildings, subject to the following requirements:

Signs as regulated.

Private garages and off-street parking.

Garages under or incorporated into the building design.

Fences and walls.

Tenant amenities, including, but not limited to, recreational and fitness facilities, lobbies, leasing and management offices and mail rooms.

Roof -mounted solar energy systems are permitted provided that solar panels mounted on a sloped roof shall not exceed a height of 12 inches above the roof surface and that solar panels mounted on a flat roof shall be screened by a parapet or other screening measure so that the panels are not visible from any street or adjacent property.

Minimum lot frontage: 100 feet.

Minimum front yard setback: 40 feet.

Minimum side yard setback: 20 feet.

Minimum rear yard setback: 30 feet.

Minimum landscape perimeter buffer: 15 feet.

Minimum green area: 30%.

Maximum lot coverage: 60%.

Accessory building setbacks:

Affordable units in the RMI Overlay District shall be deed-restricted affordable units complying with the Uniform Housing Affordability Controls and Article IX, Affordable Housing Regulations, of Chapter 200, Zoning.

The affordable units shall be deed restricted for at least 30 years.

The units shall be family affordable units.

The developer shall be responsible for the costs associated with marketing the units.

Street trees shall be provided along the street frontage at an interval of 40 to 50 feet on center. Said trees shall be a minimum of three inches caliper at installation.

The front building wall foundation area shall be planted with a variety of shrubs with an installation height of at least three feet.

Surface parking areas shall be landscaped at a rate of one tree per 15 parking spaces. Said tree shall be a minimum three inches caliper in a pervious area of at least 162 square feet.

The minimum landscape perimeter buffer shall surround the site except where driveways and utilities cross the lot line. The following standards shall apply:

Pervious area shall be landscaped with low ground cover or grass.

All off-street parking areas shall provide a minimum average 0.5 footcandle of illumination.

Building entrances shall be well lit.

Footcandles at the property line shall not exceed one footcandle, except where there are driveways.

Buildings shall avoid long, monotonous, uninterrupted walls or roof planes. Building wall offsets, including projections and recesses shall be used in order to add architectural interest and variety and to relieve the visual effect of a simple, long wall. Similarly, roofline offsets, dormers or gables shall be provided in order to provide architectural interest and variety to the massing of a building and to relieve the effect of a single, long roof.

The maximum spacing between building wall offsets shall be 40 feet.

The minimum projection or depth of any individual vertical offset shall be 1.5 feet.

All entrances to a building shall be defined and articulated by architectural elements such as lintels, pediments, pilasters, columns, porticoes, porches, overhangs, railings, etc.

Heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems, utility meters and regulators, exhaust pipes and stacks, satellite dishes and other telecommunications receiving devices shall be screened or otherwise specially treated to be, as much as possible, inconspicuous as viewed from the public right-of-way and adjacent properties.

All rooftop mechanical equipment shall be screened from view from all vantage points at or below the level of the roof.

Trash enclosures shall be located to the rear or side of the building or they may be incorporated into the building design.

Freestanding trash enclosures shall be screened by a solid masonry wall on three sides and a heavy-duty gate on the fourth.

One monument sign shall be permitted to identify the development.

Said sign shall be a maximum of 40 square feet.

The sign shall be a maximum of five feet above grade.

Said sign shall be set back a minimum of 10 feet from any property line.

The sign may be externally illuminated.