Plainsboro Township
City Zoning Code

A drive-through facility shall be permitted only at locations where such facility is not a dominant visual element within the Village Center Zone, such as a location between neighboring nonresidential buildings.

A drive-through facility shall be limited to two service lanes, serving two teller windows or one teller window and one drive-up ATM.

A drive-through facility, accompanying driveway and associated signage shall be set back a minimum distance of 50 feet from any land zoned for residential development.

A drive-through facility and associated signage shall be provided with landscaping to visually enhance views of the facility, signage and driveway as seen from the surrounding area.

A drive-through facility may be permitted, provided that such facility does not adversely impede or conflict with pedestrian and/or vehicular circulation in the area.

The Planning Board shall be satisfied that the proposed facility and the traffic circulation system are capable of accommodating the proposed traffic volume associated with such facility, particularly during peak hours. The stacking driveway for the facility shall provide room for at least five automobiles and shall be separated from any off-street parking areas and their access aisles, loading areas or trash enclosures.

All of the above-permitted housing types shall be provided.

As set forth in the Township Master Plan's Village Area Plan, not more than 13 of the permitted housing units may be single-family detached units, 12 townhouse units and eight multifamily units provided that the multifamily units are located exclusively on the second and third floors above permitted nonresidential uses.

Consistency with the Township's Subdivision and Site Plan Review Ordinance, as applicable.

The function and visual relationship between the planned Village Center development and adjacent developments.

Sidewalks and pathways which are linked to off-site sidewalk and pathway networks. The applicant shall utilize the Township's Master Plan Pedestrian Circulation and Bikeway Plans in designing and constructing a comprehensive pedestrian and bicycle pathway network for the development.

A planned Village Center development shall be conceived, designed, subdivided, site planned and approved by the Planning Board as a single complex according to a comprehensive site development plan. In addition, site landscaping, building design and common area maintenance guideline control standards shall be established.

The entirety of a planned Village Center development shall be developed with a common architectural theme which shall be subject to site plan approval by the Planning Board. The architectural theme shall include buildings, signing, fencing, lighting, paving, curbing, landscaping and other similar and related physical features.

The treatment of side and rear walls of any building in terms of building materials and colors shall be similar to the treatment of the front facade.

All buildings shall be designed to convey a small-scale village character. Buildings included in the VC Village Center Zone shall contain the following design elements:

Minimum distances between nonresidential and mixed use buildings shall be measured horizontally in feet and shall be measured away from the front, side and rear of each building. The distance, at the closest point, between any two buildings shall not be less than 20 feet. In the case of two or more buildings being connected through the use of a breezeway or similar feature, the minimum distance between buildings may be reduced but shall not be less than 10 feet.

No individual nonresidential building shall exceed 20,000 square feet of gross floor area (excluding the floor area devoted to permitted multifamily dwelling units) nor shall any single nonresidential building exceed 200 feet along its greatest length.

At least 40% of the total nonresidential gross floor area shall contain individual uses occupying less than 5,000 square feet of gross floor area each, and no individual nonresidential use in a single building, except for a cultural-recreational-educational facility, shall exceed 10,000 square feet except for an office use which may occupy up to 15,000 square feet in a single building.

The front facade of a single-family detached or townhouse unit shall reflect a traditional village character. Awnings, open and useable porches, stoops, bay windows and/or balconies and other decorative entries are required and may encroach into building setback lines.

Garages are discouraged along the main front facade of single-family detached and townhouse units and are prohibited forward of such facades. Garages may be front-, side- or rear-entry-types. Windows are encouraged in the walls of such garages to admit light and eliminate blank walls. Sufficient storage area to accommodate tools, auto accessories, trash/recyclable materials storage, lawn and garden maintenance equipment, etc., should be considered in sizing the garage so that an accessory storage structure will not be necessary (see § 101-197H). Individual bay overhead garage doors are encouraged. Detached garages should be offered as a permitted option on certain available single-family detached and semidetached units.

All single-family detached and townhouse units are encouraged to have clearly defined front yards using landscaping, hedging, fencing or a brick or stone wall, none of which shall exceed three feet in height.

Townhouse units shall be strategically located along the public square, as appropriate, to enhance the overall character and design of the planned village center development. However, no garages serving such townhouse units shall face the public square. Where the rear of the townhouse units are visible from an exterior or interior street, such building elevations and yard areas shall be specially designed and treated to present a pleasant appearance to such street.

Townhouse buildings shall consist of no more than seven townhouse dwelling units in order to prevent the development of long and monotonous buildings. There shall be different roofline heights and vertical offsets in each overall townhouse building. No more than two adjacent townhouse units shall have the same building offset, which shall vary by at least four feet.

The multifamily dwelling units shall have access provided by an outside entrance or stairway serving the residential units exclusively.

All single-family and townhouse dwelling units shall have private outdoor space, which may include a deck, patio and/or terrace. Such outdoor space shall be enclosed, as appropriate, by a decorative wall or fence, evergreen hedge, or combination thereof.

The scale and massing of buildings on any given street shall be harmonious.

The location of nonresidential and mixed use building entrances and orientation of buildings shall minimize distances to walk from one building to another. Buildings with more than one facade facing a public street, parking lot, open space area or square shall be required to provide multiple front facade treatments.

All uses shall be conducted within completely enclosed buildings unless otherwise specified herein.

The layout of nonresidential and mixed use buildings and parking areas shall be designed so as to provide an aesthetically pleasing and efficient arrangement.

Nonresidential and mixed use buildings shall be arranged to reduce visibility of service areas from streets, customer parking areas and adjacent properties.

Nonresidential and mixed use buildings shall be provided with off-street loading and service areas separate from parking spaces and shall be situated as much as possible to the rear of the building and out of the general traffic flow.

New buildings or additions on any given street shall generally be consistent with the predominant or emerging setback pattern for the street.

Street-level store fronts and building entrances shall be open and inviting to pedestrians.

Buildings located and oriented around open space shall have awnings, canopies and/or colonnades. Stationary aluminum or metallic awnings shall be prohibited.

Restaurants shall be permitted to operate outdoor cafes on sidewalks, provided that pedestrian circulation and access to building entrances is not impaired.

Special ground texture treatment shall be required for pedestrian crossings in streets and elsewhere to include brick, stone, cobbles and/or other suitable material.

Air-conditioning units, heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, exhaust pipes or 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.

Street furniture such as benches, street lamps, bicycle racks, trash receptacles, tree grates, bus stops, landscape planters and hanging baskets and the like shall be provided. The Planning Board may require that some street furniture shall be permanently secured to the sidewalk.

All streets, alleys and sidewalks and pathways shall connect to other streets within the village center development and connect to existing streets outside the village center development, as appropriate. Dead-end streets are generally not permitted within village center developments unless such condition is unavoidable, subject to Planning Board approval.

A public square shall be constructed by the developer of a planned village center, and it shall serve as the site organizing element of the development. The square shall measure not more than 150 feet by 200 feet. The square shall include streets on at least three sides and be surrounded by a cultural-recreational-educational facility, other nonresidential and mixed use buildings and townhouses. The square shall become the visual focus for the village center development. One-way vehicular circulation shall surround the square with curbside parking on the outside. Pedestrian connections to and through the square shall be provided. Design elements such as patterns in pavement, a fountain, gazebo, sculpture, bollards, sitting areas and landscaping shall be incorporated into the design of the square. Upon its completion, such square shall be dedicated to the Township as a public park.

The developer shall be required to submit a detailed traffic study showing the project's impact on the existing surrounding roadway network which includes, but is not necessarily limited to, the Plainsboro Road/Scudders Mill Road intersection, the Plainsboro Road/Schalks Crossing Road intersection, the Scudders Mill Road/Schalks Crossing Road intersection and the Plainsboro Road/Dey Road intersection. The developer's traffic study shall incorporate ingress and egress features that minimize the impact of traffic from the development onto the existing surrounding roadway network. A fair share determination of the development's contribution shall be assessed for any off-site improvements needed to maintain an acceptable level of service with review input from the Township Engineer.

Vehicular access to and from the Village Center Zone shall be via no more than two roadway curb cuts onto Schalks Crossing Road as indicated on the Traffic Circulation Plan Element of the Master Plan. No more than one roadway curb cut shall be permitted onto Dey Road and no more than one right-in and/or right-out curb cut shall be permitted on Scudders Mill Road, subject to the applicant submitting a traffic analysis for review and approval by the Planning Board.

Schalks Crossing Road shall be designed and constructed as a boulevard.

Street trees shall be required along public streets as per § 85-24 of the Township Code.

To the greatest extent possible, all portions of the Village Center Zone shall be linked via a sidewalk and pathway network as approved by the Planning Board; the Village Center Zone shall be pedestrian-oriented, with a design that enables and encourages pedestrian and bicycle circulation, with linkages to the surrounding village area. The applicant shall utilize the Township's Master Plan Pedestrian Circulation and Bikeway Plans in developing a pedestrian and bicycle pathway network. Adequate bicycle storage facilities shall be provided.

The number and location of off-street parking spaces shall be determined by the schedule provided in § 85-44 of Chapter 85 of the Township Code entitled "Subdivision and Site Plan Review." These off-street parking requirements shall not be regarded as inflexible as they pertain to a planned Village Center development.

If the applicant can demonstrate that not all of the required number of parking spaces are needed at the time of initial occupancy and operation of the uses, then the additional required parking which is demonstrated as not needed may be landbanked or reserved for future parking on a space-per-space basis. The location of future parking areas shall be indicated on the site plan and left and maintained as landscaped areas. The methodology used by the developer to calculate the reduced number of parking spaces may take into consideration the methods recommended in Shared Parking, published by the Urban Land Institute (1984), or other recognized standards acceptable to the Planning Board. Off-street parking shall provided as required in § 85-44 of Chapter 85 unless the developer can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Planning Board through the use of a shared parking analysis, taking into full account and consideration the parking needs of a proposed cultural-recreational-educational facility, that an adequate amount of parking will be provided on the site for all proposed land uses.

The number of required parking spaces may be reduced on a space-per-space basis if the applicant can demonstrate that suitable alternative parking spaces are located within close proximity to the subject property or site, through a shared parking arrangement with an adjoining use. Those spaces, to be counted towards this shared parking arrangement, must be demonstrated to be available during the hours of operation of the affected uses, and access to those spaces must be provided for vehicles and pedestrians in a safe and efficient manner, including shared driveways and interconnected walkways where possible.

The Township Planner/Zoning Officer may conduct site visits to confirm that the amount of parking provided is being utilized by the development and, in fact, that the parking remains sufficient to meet the needs of the development. If at any time it is determined that this is no longer the case, the construction of additional banked or reserved parking spaces may be required by the Director of Planning and Zoning to meet the demand.

Parking lots shall be kept as small and compact as possible and interspersed in convenient locations intended to service building clusters. The minimum distance between the edge of a right-of-way, a parking lot or driveway and any building shall be 10 feet.

Parking stalls and access aisle dimensions shall be adequate to accommodate anticipated volumes, types of vehicles and turnover.

There shall be landscape improvements between all streets abutting and within the Village Center development and off-street parking improvements and within the front, side and rear setback areas. The landscape improvements may include sidewalks, decorative paving, grass, shrubs, trees and decorative walls or fences, as appropriate, to shield adjacent roadways and nearby residential properties from parking lot automobile headlight glare, automobile fumes and noise.

Belgian block curbing shall be provided at the outer edge of the paved surface in all parking lots and along all accessways.

Parking lots and accessways thereto shall be properly drained, and all such areas shall have a paved hard surface.

Parking lots shall be designed to minimize pedestrian and moving vehicle conflicts. Sidewalks, landscaped islands, signage and pavement texture differentiation shall be required where appropriate to ensure the safe movement of pedestrians. Where pedestrian and vehicle paths cross, that area shall be designated by changing pavement materials, signals, signage, striping and/or changes in pavement texture, as required by the Planning Board.

All landscaping in parking lots shall be carefully located so as not to obstruct vision. Parking viewed from the public right-of-way or from any property used for residential purposes shall be suitably shielded by landscaping. Tree types shall be selected from those specified in Trees for New Jersey Streets — 2nd Revision 1974, published by the New Jersey Federation of Shade Tree Commission. Trees that cause damage or excessive site maintenance problems due to root systems or leaf shedding shall be avoided. Trees and other landscape treatment that can withstand parking area conditions are encouraged.

All off-street parking lots and accessways shall be so arranged that cars and trucks may be turned on the lot so that it is not necessary to back into any roadway.

Adjacent on-site parking lots shall have vehicular connections. Interconnections to adjacent off-site parking lots are encouraged.

All off-street loading and service areas shall be provided with landscape screening to the satisfaction of the Planning Board. The method of screening shall consist of walls and gates compatible in color and texture with the building material, buffered by deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs, so as not to be visible from neighboring properties and streets.

All utilities shall be installed underground and all uses shall be connected to approved and functioning public water and sanitary sewer systems. Prior to approval, an applicant must obtain a certificate from the appropriate agency allocating capacity in the system to the development.

Each permitted use shall provide an area for the orderly deposit and pickup of refuse which is concealed from adjoining properties, customer parking areas and nearby roadways. No trash shall be allowed to extend above or beyond the enclosure. This area shall be visually screened by a decorative wall and landscaping. The overall design, including materials and colors, shall be architecturally compatible with the principal building and shall not be located within buffer areas. Also, the applicant shall provide an effective litter management plan subject to Township approval. Such management plan shall be submitted with an application for final site plan approval.

All provisions and facilities for storage, other than pickup of refuse and recyclable materials, shall be contained within a principal building.

Those portions of all front, side and rear yards not used for off-street parking, loading or unloading areas and vehicular or pedestrian circulation shall be planted with trees, shrubs, plants or grass and other suitable landscaping materials, or a combination thereof, and maintained in good condition.

All parking lots shall be bordered by landscaping containing trees and shrubs, as well as low decorative walls or combination walls/fences, as appropriate, to screen automobiles from nearby roadways or from any property used for residential purposes. Whenever feasible, the Planning Board shall require that at least 10% of the total parking lot area be used for interior landscaping to include such things as trees and shrubs. Such interior landscaping shall be distributed throughout the parking lot in planting islands to provide the maximum shade and buffer from noise and glare. All parking lot landscaping shall adhere to the following minimum requirements:

Buffering shall be located within minimum yard setbacks. Buffers areas shall be located along the edge of parking lots and property lines that abut residentially zoned lots or uses to minimize reflection of lights and to minimize debris from being blown to or seen from adjacent or neighboring residential properties. Buffering shall be designed to reduce the impacts of noise, movement of people and vehicles and to shield activities from adjacent properties and nearby roadways. Buffering shall consist of decorative walls or fences, evergreen trees, ornamental trees, shrubs, or a combination thereof, and shall be installed to have an immediate positive impact. All buffer areas shall contain a minimum eight-foot to ten-foot tall evergreen trees planted at an average of 10 trees per 100 linear feet; a minimum of three-inch to three-and-one-half-inch caliper shade trees planted at an average of three per 100 linear feet; a minimum eight-foot to ten-foot tall ornamental trees planted at an average of 1.5 per 100 linear feet; and minimum three-foot tall shrubs planted at an average of 55 per 100 linear feet.

Landscaping shall be provided in public areas and adjacent to buildings. Where possible, shade trees shall be planted on the south side of buildings to shield them from the summer sun and evergreens on the north side of buildings to serve as windbreaks.

Landscaping shall provide for a variety and mixture of plant materials taking into consideration their susceptibility to disease, colors (by season), textures, shapes, blossoms and foliage.

Shrubs used within the development shall have an initial height of not less than three feet and planted at intervals appropriate for the activities involved.

Landscaping shall be used to accent and complement buildings. For example, groupings of tall trees to break up long, low buildings and lower planting for taller buildings.

Landscape details such as gates, decorative walls and benches shall be integrated into the overall design.

Detention basins, headwalls, outlet structures, concrete flow channels, rip rap channels and other drainage improvements shall be screened with plant material and/or berms. Such drainage structures, as appropriate, shall be situated in the least visible location or, if visible, incorporated into the natural curves of the land. Detention basin embankments and the basin itself shall be extensively landscaped with wet-site-tolerant plant materials, with the intention of recreating a seasonal and high-water wet ecosystem. The detention facility shall be sized to accommodate the future growth of vegetation planted in the basin.

Lighting shall be the minimum required for safety and shall be provided in the least intrusive manner. Traditional freestanding light fixtures shall be required in parking lots and along streets and pedestrian pathways. The style of the freestanding light fixtures used shall be consistent with the traditional styled street light fixtures planned for the village area along Schalks Crossing Road. By way of example, a traditional street light and parking lot light fixture shall be similar to the Hagerstown Model V03 by HADCO, which is a high-quality traditional freestanding light fixture appropriate to a village environment. The height of such fixtures shall be appropriate to their setting.

Streets, parking lots, intersections, points where various types of circulation systems merge, intersect or split, stairways, sloping or rising paths and building entrances and exits shall require illumination. Lighting shall be provided where buildings are set back or offset if access is provided at such points.

Freestanding lights shall be located and protected to avoid being easily damaged by vehicles or vandalized. The height of such lights shall in no case be greater than 15 feet. All lighting shall be serviced underground.

The source of the illumination for freestanding and building-mounted lights shall generally be shielded, and the style of the light and light standard shall be consistent with the architectural style of the proposed structures.

Spotlight-type fixtures attached to buildings and visible to the public are prohibited. Where lights along property lines will be visible from adjacent properties, the lights shall be appropriately shielded and/or the mounting heights will be reduced.

All lights under a canopy structure shall be ceiling-mounted and recessed so the lens does not extend beyond the ceiling so as not to produce glare.

Sidewalks and pathways may be lit with low bollard-type standards, not to exceed two feet in height.

All proposed lighting plans shall be accompanied by a point-by-point plan indicating numerical illumination levels. The plan shall indicate the average, minimum, maximum and minimum to maximum illumination levels for maintained footcandles.

Decorative walls may be required by the Planning Board to complement the structural style, type and design of a principal building.

Decorative walls or fences shall be constructed of durable, high-quality materials and shall display a high level of quality in finish and detail. Gates in walls between streets and open areas may be necessary.

Plantings shall be considered as part of any wall or fence plan.

No hedge, wall or fence of any type shall be erected or maintained if it is deemed a safety hazard in obstructing the view of motorists.

No permitted use within the zone shall use any noisemaking devices such as phonographs, loudspeakers, amplifiers, radios, television sets, machinery or similar devices so situated as to be heard outside any building.

No smoke, fumes or objectionable odors shall be emitted from any building.

There shall be a consistent sign design theme throughout the village center development. A unifying design theme shall include style of lettering, method of attachment, construction, material, size, proportion, lighting, position and day/night impacts. Color of letters and background shall be carefully considered in relation to the color of the material of the building(s) or where the signs are proposed to be located. Signs shall be a subordinate rather than predominant feature of any building. The lettering and sign shall be compatible with the architecture of the building.

A comprehensive signage plan shall be provided which covers overall project identification, window signage and lettering, individual building/tenant identification, traffic regulations, pedestrian crossing, street identification, parking and directional instructions. All signage must be consistent with a small-scale village character. A signage hierarchy shall be established governing the above signage categories.

All permanent signage shall be affixed to a building facade, canopy or arcade; be located no higher than the sills of second-story windows; and be visible to both pedestrian and drivers.

Blinking and flashing signs are prohibited.

Signs painted on the exterior walls of any building are prohibited.

Neon signs and other exposed tube-type signs, all flashing, intermittent, moving or fluttering signs, such as banners, flags or pennant signs, signs producing glare or using bare bulbs or tubing, such as fluorescent or neon signs, and all other signs per § 101-156 of the Plainsboro Township Code, (or as subsequently amended regulations) and signs that obstruct pedestrian traffic, such as sandwich board signs, are prohibited.

In addition to all other signage, restaurants, cafes, luncheonettes and delicatessens may be permitted the following, limited to one sign per business: a wall-mounted display featuring the actual menu, but not to exceed three square feet in area.

The area, brilliance, character, color, degree, density, intensity, location and type of illumination of any sign shall be the minimum necessary to provide for the readability of the proposed sign by the public without shedding further illumination on nearby buildings. All sources of illumination shall be shielded or directed in such a manner that the direct rays therefrom are not cast upon any property other than the lot on which such illumination is situated. Illumination shall be steady in nature, not flashing, moving or changing in brilliance, color or intensity.

Special mounting standards shall be used for traffic directional, handicapped parking and other similar on-site signage.

All signs shall be produced using professional methods.

All window lettering and signs shall be inside the window and shall be considered interior signs.

Window lettering or signs, including temporary and permanent, shall be permitted only if the rectangle or square confining such lettering or sign, or the background upon which it appears, does not exceed 30% of the window area. Any painted area of any window shall be construed as window lettering or signs, whether or not such area actually contains lettering or advertising.

The window lettering or sign shall pertain only to the establishment occupying that portion of the premises where the window is located.

The following window lettering and signs are specifically prohibited:

All window lettering and signs shall be kept in good repair.

Awnings, including awnings with a sign(s), shall be architecturally compatible with the building to which they are attached. All awnings shall be reviewed and approved by the Planning Board during the site plan review and approval process. Alternatively, design standards relating to awnings, with or without signs, shall be prepared for review and approval of the Planning Board.

Awnings must be kept in good repair, clean and unfaded.

Awnings must be substantially attached to the main building structure.

Awning lettering and numbers as well as style and colors must aesthetically blend with the building.

Letter height shall not exceed one-third of the awning height and in no event shall it exceed eight inches.

Where applicable, awnings shall contain street numbers.

Awnings shall not contain phone numbers or product advertising, including product logos.

A village-wide plan which shows the development proposed within the context of the overall Plainsboro village area.

A context plan which shows surrounding street, sidewalk, landscaping and other connections and relationships between the proposed development and development in the immediate surrounding area.

A minimum of three precedent photo examples of buildings and streetscapes that are similar to the proposal. Precedent examples from outside the region are encouraged, but they should reflect an historic architectural style that relates to the proposed development.

A parcel plan which deals exclusively with the proposed development and includes, but is not limited to, illustrative sidewalk details, street trees and landscaping, lighting standards, benches and amenities, civic spaces (if appropriate) and pedestrian street crossing materials.