The minimum total area to be developed as a rural village cluster shall be 150 acres. Such area shall be developed in accordance with a single comprehensive general development plan. Streets shall not be deemed to divide acreage for the purposes of this requirement.

For rural village cluster developments located in the R-150 Zoning District, the maximum number of permitted lots shall be determined by multiplying the net developable acreage of a tract, after exclusion of environmentally constrained areas and public rights-of-way, by 0.3 dwelling units per acre and multiplying the net acreage of environmentally constrained areas and public rights-of-way by one hundred 0.166 dwelling units per acre and adding the resultant figures to establish the maximum number of lots. "Environmentally constrained areas" shall include areas designated as wetlands, one-hundred-year flood hazard areas, water bodies and public rights-of-way. Detailed soil engineering and geotechnical test data undertaken in accordance with acceptable engineering standards and practices may be submitted by an applicant if he seeks amendment of the boundary limits established by state and federal regulatory agencies which define such environmentally constrained areas.

No less than 75% of a rural village cluster development shall be devoted to agricultural, conservation, open space and/or recreational purposes. All one-hundred-year flood hazard areas and wetlands shall be permanently restricted for open space. Individual residential lots or portions thereof shall not be construed as open space. Designated agricultural, conservation, open space and/or recreational areas shall be in major contiguous parcels and shall be interconnected with similar areas on abutting tracts and parcels, having adequate access to public and/or private roads and in some cases consisting of land developed for specific recreational purposes. Conservation, open space and/or recreational areas shall also be interspersed within the village cluster development. Open space may be used for sewage disposal systems using techniques conforming to applicable environmental and engineering standards. "Open space areas," for purposes of this calculation, shall not include, among other things, courtyards, cul-de-sac islands and miniparks.

All dwelling units associated with rural village clusters shall be required to locate within housing areas identified on the Plainsboro Township Land Use Map.[1]

Recreational facilities and open space.

To the maximum extent practicable, rural village clusters shall be located on land not well suited for agricultural purposes because of size, location, proximity to neighboring land uses, existing tree mass, access, shape, quality of soil and drainage. The design and location of rural village clusters shall give priority to protecting the most suitable soils for subsurface septic disposal (in unsewered areas only); to leaving prime agricultural soils for agricultural uses; to avoiding environmentally constrained areas; to locating dwellings along wooded areas to reduce impacts upon agriculture, to provide summer shade and shelter from winter wind and to enable new residential construction to be visually absorbed by natural landscape features; to not blocking or interrupting scenic vistas, as seen from the public roadways; to locating dwelling units and other improvements on the lower-quality agricultural soils.

The Planning Board shall permit the subdivision of all existing, at the time of ordinance adoption, single-family detached dwelling units with accessory uses and/or farm buildings to be located on a minimum lot size of one acre as part of the comprehensive development plan for the village cluster development.

The applicant for a rural village cluster development shall execute such statement for prospective homeowners as the Planning Board requires, which recognizes that the applicant is aware of the purposes and requirements governing the R-150 Zone; that the applicant and prospective homeowners are aware that certain disturbances and annoyances arising from usual commercial agricultural activities can reasonably be expected to occur seasonally, both during the day and night; and that, in consideration for being granted the right to construct or occupy a nonfarm single-family dwelling in the zone, the applicant hereby waives, on behalf of himself, his heirs, successors and assigns, all right to object to such reasonable commercial agricultural activities.

When the major purpose of the rural village cluster is to preserve open space for agricultural and farming purposes, all dwelling units shall be located and constructed at such places on the tract and in such a manner that, to the greatest extent possible, they shall not segment land of any one farm into awkward or odd-shaped parcel sizes difficult to support viable farming operations, nor interfere with the conduct of agriculture, on- or off-site, by limiting or interfering with the access to fields or the effectiveness and efficiency of the farmer and farm equipment, including crop-spraying aircraft.

The following minimum design, bulk and area requirements shall apply to the development of a rural village cluster:

Land permanently set aside for agricultural, conservation, open space and/or recreational uses may either be offered for dedication to Plainsboro Township, deed-restricted to remain with the original property owner, dedicated to a nonprofit organization found acceptable to the Township Planning Board and/or protected by a homeowners' community association. An open space which is not accepted for public use by the Township Committee shall be protected by legal arrangements satisfactory to the Planning Board sufficient to assure its maintenance and preservation in perpetuity for its intended purpose. Covenants or other legal arrangements shall specify ownership of the open space; method of maintenance; responsibility for maintenance; maintenance taxes and insurance; compulsory assessment provisions; guaranties that any homeowners' association formed to own and maintain open space will not be dissolved without the consent of the Planning Board; and any other specifications deemed necessary by the Planning Board. The open space left unbuilt upon after development shall be maintained in accordance with a land management plan prepared by the developer and accepted and approved by the Planning Board. The developer shall provide copies of deed covenants with prospective purchases, or conservation easements with the Township, describing land management practices to be followed by party or parties that are responsible for open space. Further subdivision of open space land, or its use for other than agriculture, conservation and recreation, shall be prohibited.

Within open space areas the Planning Board may require the developer to make certain site preparation improvements, which may include but are not limited to the following:

Notwithstanding anything in Subsection J(11) hereof to the contrary, land designated as agricultural, conservation or open space may be incorporated into private lots which conform to this article upon approval by the Planning Board that such land will be permanently protected from development as an alternative to dedication or protection by a homeowners' community association.

Any rural village cluster development shall be buffered from adjoining agricultural lands to create an effective dense barrier separating yards and fields and pastures, to ensure that the continuation of agricultural operations in the area will not be impaired by nuisance complaints. The buffer shall, inasmuch as possible, be a natural one. The dimensions of the buffer area and its treatment with landscaping, natural berms and/or fencing shall be subject to review and approval by the Planning Board. Additionally, there shall be a buffer area separating the village cluster from adjacent streets and residential areas. The dimensions of the buffer area and its treatment with landscaping, berms or fencing shall be subject to review and approval by the Planning Board. However, as a minimum, the buffer area along all lot and street lines shall be 50 feet wide.

No preliminary approval shall be granted for any subdivision or site plan in connection with the development of a rural village cluster unless the Township Health Officer and Township Engineer have approved plans for potable water supply and sewage disposal to serve the development.

All historic buildings, as identified on the Middlesex County Inventory of Historic, Cultural and Architectural Resources, located within a rural village cluster development shall be permanently protected and reused by the developer, to the extent feasible, in conformance with requirements received from the Planning Board.

Flexibility and variety in lot and building layout, roadway construction, utility design and other site improvements shall be encouraged to best relate the improvements to the land. To that end, lots, buildings and utilities shall be designed so as to minimize the alteration of the natural terrain and fit into the rural, agricultural and open space environment of the R-150 Zone.

A general land use plan at a scale of one inch to 200 feet, 1”=200', indicating the tract area and general locations of the land uses to be included in the planned development. The total number of dwelling units to be provided and proposed land area to be devoted to residential and other uses shall be set forth. In addition, the proposed types of other uses to be included in the planned development shall be set forth, and a residential density shall be provided.

A circulation plan showing the general location and types of transportation facilities, including facilities for pedestrian access within the planned development and any proposed improvements to the existing transportation system outside the planned development.

An open space plan showing the proposed land area and general location of parks and any other land areas to be set aside for conservation and recreational purposes and a general description of improvements proposed to be made thereon, including a plan for the operation and maintenance of parks and recreational lands.

A utility plan indicating the need for and showing the proposed location of sewage and water lines or community septic systems; any drainage facilities necessitated by the physical characteristics of the site; proposed methods for handling solid waste disposal; and a plan for the operation and maintenance of proposed utilities.

A stormwater management plan setting forth the proposed method of controlling and managing stormwater on the site.

An environmental inventory, including a general description of the vegetation, soils, topography, geology, surface hydrology, climate and cultural resources of the site; existing man-made structures or features; and the probable impact of the development on the environmental attributes of the site.

A community facility plan indicating the scope and type of supporting community facilities.

A housing plan outlining the number of housing units to be provided.

A local service plan indicating those public services which the applicant proposes to provide and which may include but not be limited to water, sewer and solid waste disposal.

A proposed timing schedule, in the case of a planned development whose construction is contemplated over a period of years, including any terms or conditions which are intended to protect the interests of the public and of the residents who occupy any section of the planned development prior to the completion of the development.

Consistency with the Township Subdivision and Site Plan Review Regulations,[1] except as modified herein.

The function and visual relationship between the rural village cluster and adjacent developments.

Consistent with the reasonable utilization of the land, orientation of buildings so as to take advantage of passive solar heating, summer breezes and scenic views, while minimizing exposure to winter winds.

Pedestrian walkways and bike paths which are linked to existing and/or proposed off-site walkway and bike path networks.

Minimization of glare, noise and visual intrusion of parking lots to external roadways and adjacent developments through grading, berms and/or plantings.

Satisfaction of the open space, recreational and conservation standards and purposes of this chapter.

The term of the effect of any general development plan approval shall be determined by the Planning Board using the guidelines set forth in this section, except that the term of the effect of the approval shall not exceed 20 years from the date upon which the developer receives final approval of the first section of the planned development.

In making its determination regarding the duration of the effect of approval of the development plan, the Planning Board shall consider the number of dwelling units to be constructed, prevailing economic conditions, the timing schedule to be followed in completing the development and the likelihood of its fulfillment, the developer's capability of completing the proposed development, and the contents of the general development plan and any conditions which the Planning Board attaches to the approval thereof.

The developer shall be required to gain the prior approval of the Planning Board if, after approval of the general development plan, the developer wishes to make any variation in the location of land uses within the planned development or to increase the density of residential development in any section of the planned development approved by the Planning Board.

Upon the completion of each section of the development as set forth in the approved general development plan, the developer shall notify the administrative officer, by certified mail, as evidence that the developer is fulfilling his obligations under the approved plan. For the purpose of this section, "completion" of any section of the development shall mean that the developer has acquired a certificate of occupancy for every residential unit as set forth in the approved general development plan. If the municipality does not receive such notification at the completion of any section of the development, the municipality shall notify the developer, by certified mail, in order to determine whether or not the terms of the approved plan are being complied with.

If a developer does not complete any section of the development within eight months of the date provided for in the approved plan, or if at any time the municipality has cause to believe that the developer is not fulfilling his obligations pursuant to the approved plan, the municipality shall notify the developer, by certified mail, and the developer shall have 10 days within which to give evidence that he is fulfilling his obligations pursuant to the approved plan. The municipality thereafter shall conduct a hearing to determine whether or not the developer is in violation of the approved plan. If, after such a hearing, the municipality finds good cause to terminate the approval, it shall provide written notice of same to the developer, and the approval shall be terminated 30 days thereafter.

In the event that a developer who has general development plan approval does not apply for preliminary approval for the planned development which is the subject of that general development plan approval within five years of the date upon which the general development plan has been approved by the Planning Board, the municipality shall have cause to terminate the approval.

Lot area. The minimum lot area shall be six acres.

Setback. The minimum setback from any property line shall be 200 feet and 75 feet from the public right-of-way.

Building size. The maximum area for farm stand structures shall be 1,000 square feet.

Building height. The maximum building height shall be one story not exceeding 20 feet.

Sales restrictions. All items sold from a farm stand shall be raised or produced primarily on that farm or the land upon which the farm stand is located.

Buffer. The Planning Board may require the provision of a transition buffer or fence if the Board deems it to be needed for the adequate visual separation of the farm stand operation from adjoining properties.

Circulation. Adequate circulation and parking shall be provided as specified in §§ 85-43G and 85-44.

Hours of operation. All agricultural stands' hours of operation shall be limited to daylight hours.

Lot areas. The minimum lot area shall be six acres.

Frontage. The minimum street frontage shall be 400 feet.

Front yard. The minimum front yard depth shall be 100 feet.

Side yards. The minimum side yard width shall be 100 feet.

Rear yard. The minimum rear yard depth shall be 100 feet.

Parking. All parking shall be located in the rear or side yard, at a minimum of 50 feet from any property line, and shall be screened from view from adjacent properties.

They are located on the farm of an employing farmer.

They are occupied only during that period of time when workers are engaged in agricultural pursuits.

Nothing herein shall be deemed to permit the establishment of housing facilities for transient labor not engaged in activities of an agricultural nature.

They comply with all state, county and local statutes, rules or regulations covering such housing.

The minimum total area to be developed as a residential cluster shall be 150 acres. Such area shall be developed in accordance with a single comprehensive plan. Streets shall not be deemed to divide acreage for the purposes of this requirement.

The maximum number of cluster residential lots to be permitted shall be no greater than the number of lots arrived at by the applicant submitting a sketch plat showing a conventional subdivision conforming to the permitted zone bulk and area regulations and the Township's Site Plan and Subdivision Ordinances[3] elsewhere. In computing the maximum number of lots that may be created, any lands occupied by public utility easements or wetlands or otherwise encumbered to the extent that it would be considered unbuildable shall not be considered as a lot in the preparation of the sketch plat. Lands which lie in flood hazard areas shall be deemed acceptable for calculation of cluster residential lots, provided that, by using standard subdivision design criteria, a building and its associated septic field is not located within a floodway. Dwellings shall be set back in conformance with buffer requirements found in the New Jersey Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act.[4]

Lots, as determined above, may be clustered, provided that lands not required for residential use shall be permanently restricted for agricultural, conservation, open space and/or recreational purposes.

To the maximum extent practicable, single-family residential clusters shall be located on land not well suited for agricultural purposes because of size, location, proximity to neighboring land uses, existing tree mass, access, shape, quality of soil and drainage. The design and location of residential clusters shall give priority to protecting the most suitable soils for subsurface septic disposal (in unsewered areas only); to leaving prime agricultural soils for agricultural uses; to avoiding environmentally constrained areas; to locating dwellings along wooded areas to reduce impacts upon agriculture, to provide summer shade and shelter from winter wind and to enable new residential construction to be visually absorbed by natural landscape features; to not blocking or interrupting scenic vistas, as seen from the public roadways; and to locating dwelling units and other improvements on the lower-quality agricultural soils.

The Planning Board shall permit the subdivision of all existing single-family detached dwelling units with accessory units and/or farm buildings to be located on a minimum lot size of one acre as part of the comprehensive development plan for the cluster development at the time of ordinance adoption.

The application for a cluster development shall execute such statement for prospective homeowners as the Planning Board requires which recognizes that the applicant is aware of the purposes and requirements governing the R-150 Zone; that the applicant and prospective homeowners are aware that certain disturbances and annoyances arising from usual commercial agricultural activities can reasonably be expected to occur seasonally, both during the day and night; and that, in consideration for being granted the right to construct or occupy a nonfarm single-family dwelling in the zone, the applicant hereby waives, on behalf of himself, his heirs, successors and assigns, all right to object to such reasonable commercial agricultural activities.

When the major purposes of the cluster development is to preserve open space for agricultural farming purposes, all dwelling units shall be located and constructed at such places on the tract and in such a manner that, to the greatest extent possible, they shall not segment land of any one farm into awkward or odd-shaped parcel sizes difficult to support viable farming operations, nor interfere with the conduct of agriculture, on- or off-site, by limiting or interfering with the access to fields or the effectiveness and efficiency of the farmer and farm equipment, including crop-spraying aircraft.

The following minimum design, bulk and area requirements shall apply to the development of a cluster:

During site plan and subdivision review, the following criteria shall be addressed to the satisfaction of the Planning Board:

Land permanently set aside for agricultural, conservation, open space and/or recreational uses may either be offered for dedication to Plainsboro Township, deed-restricted to remain with the original property owner, dedicated to a nonprofit organization found acceptable to the Township Planning Board and/or protected by a homeowners' community association. An open space which is not accepted for public use by the Township Committee shall be protected by legal arrangements satisfactory to the Planning Board sufficient to assure its maintenance and preservation in perpetuity for agricultural, conservation, open space and/or recreational uses as directed by the Planning Board. Covenants or other legal arrangements shall specify ownership of the open space; method of maintenance; responsibility for maintenance; maintenance taxes and insurance; compulsory assessment provisions; guaranties that any homeowners' association formed to own and maintain open space will not be dissolved without the consent of the Planning Board; and any other specifications deemed necessary by the Planning Board. The open space left unbuilt upon after development shall be maintained in accordance with a land management plan prepared by the developer and accepted and approved by the Planning Board. The developer shall provide copies of deed covenants with prospective purchases, or conservation easements with the Township, describing land management practices to be followed by the party or parties that are responsible for open space. Further subdivision of open space land, or its use for other than agriculture, conservation and recreation, shall be prohibited.

Within open space areas, the Planning Board may require the developer to make certain site preparation improvements, which may include but are not limited to the following:

Notwithstanding anything in Subsection A(7)(d) hereof to the contrary, land designated as agricultural, conservation or open space may be incorporated into private lots which conform to this article upon approval by the Planning Board that such land will be permanently protected from development as an alternative to dedication or protection by a homeowners' community association.

Buffer areas.

No preliminary approval shall be granted for any subdivision or site plan in connection with the development of a cluster development unless the Township Health Officer and Township Engineer have approved plans for potable water supply and sewage disposal to serve the development.

All historic buildings, as identified on the Middlesex County Inventory of Historic, Cultural and Architectural Resources, located within a cluster development shall be permanently protected and reused by the developer, to the extent feasible, in conformance with requirements received from the Planning Board.[6]

Building setback. No building, accessory farm building or other animal enclosure shall be located within 200 feet of any zone boundary line or nonfarm residence property line or within 50 feet of a public right-of-way.

Minimum area. The minimum agricultural area shall be six acres.

Area requirements. The minimum area for a single-family detached dwelling use shall be six acres per unit, except that where any lot boundary is coterminous with the center line of any street or road, such area shall be exclusive of the right-of-way.

Frontage. The minimum street frontage shall be 500 feet.

Lot depth. The minimum lot depth shall be 300 feet.

Front yard. The minimum front yard setback shall be 75 feet.

Side and rear yards. The minimum side yard setbacks shall be 20 feet, and the minimum rear yard setback shall be 50 feet.

Building height. The maximum building height shall be 35 feet, except that agricultural storage structures may have a height determined by the function thereof.

The design of the development shall blend with the agricultural, open space and rural atmosphere of the R-150 Zone.

The development shall not adversely affect the development of adjacent or adjoining property.

Proposed local streets shall not interconnect with existing or proposed streets in other classifications to form a continuous route. They will be designed to discourage any through traffic, will have the exclusive function of providing access to properties abutting the street and will follow the contours of the land to the greatest extent possible.

The development shall provide for off-site pedestrian and bikeway interconnections with other residential developments and public facilities, e.g., schools and parks.

The maximum street right-of-way shall be 40 feet, and the cartway shall be 24 feet with stabilized grass shoulders, only if the applicant provides for adequate amounts of off-tract homeowner and visitor parking.

Private driveways may be constructed of gravel or another porous material.

All utilities shall be installed underground.

Surface stormwater runoff may be carried in open swales within or outside the street right-of-way to appropriately located storm inlets as approved by the Township Engineer.

Curbs and gutters shall not be required except where excessive grades, drainage considerations or other site conditions require their installation.

The concrete sidewalk requirement may be waived under certain conditions. In lieu of concrete sidewalks along one side of a street contained within a subdivision, a five-foot-wide pedestrian walkway of bituminous asphalt or other material acceptable to the Township Engineer, installed along one side of a comprehensive walkway network within the subdivision providing access to individual lots and located outside of a street right-of-way, may be permitted.

The maximum length of a cul-de-sac measured from an intersecting street center line to the center point of the closed end of the cul-de-sac shall not exceed 1,500 feet.

Access to the rear lot may be through an access strip held in fee simple ownership, not through an easement over adjacent property.

The body of the lot, exclusive of the access strip connecting it to a street, shall have an area and dimensions meeting the minimum requirements for the zone.

The access strip shall be continuous and under the same ownership as the proposed rear lot.

The intersection of the access strip with a street shall be such that access to and from the street, and the improvement and use of the access strip along the full course of the access strip and proper sight triangles, as well as the drainage and other site considerations, shall be provided in a manner not adversely affecting the remainder of the tract or adjoining properties.

The proposed subdivision shall not adversely affect the development of the remainder of the parcel.

In the event an additional lot or use is proposed, and said additional lot can only achieve access via the access drive of the flag lot, the owner of the access strip shall, at his expense, pave and improve it in accordance with Township standards. Such road improvements shall be made prior to the issuance of a building permit for the additional structure. This shall not prevent the access drive to the flag lot from serving abutting lots that otherwise have street frontage.

No more than two access strips shall be contiguous. The spacing and ultimate number of access strips shall be determined by the Planning Board during the subdivision review and approval process.