Visual screens provided through landscaping shall be designed in such a manner as to provide a barrier on a year-round basis around the view of the area to be screened.

Existing vegetation within the buffer shall be preserved, where possible, and supplemented with plantings and other buffer devices to provide screening of residences.

Buffer dimensions shall be measured from property lines.

Within any buffer area, utilities, driveways and streets may be permitted to cross at right angles to the buffer.

No buildings, signs (other than directional signs), structures, storage of materials or parking shall be permitted within the buffer area.

All plantings shall be installed according to accepted horticultural standards.

Vertically and horizontally meandering berms shall be used to achieve a natural, rolling park-like landscape.

Berms shall be overlapping where drainage swales are required to pass through them. The final design must be reflected upon the drainage plan.

Reverse frontage buffers shall be required where residential units and/or lots back onto any street.

The buffer shall be situated adjacent to the property line.

Any landscaped buffer shall be not less than 15 feet in width. For lots backing up on arterial streets or highways, the landscape buffer shall not be less than 20 feet.

The buffer area shall be used for no purpose other than landscaping, underground utilities or for any required sidewalk.

Landscaping shall be located to provide for climate control.

Landscaping shall be used to accent and complement buildings.

Landscaping shall be provided in public areas, parking areas, recreation sites and adjacent to buildings.

Vines and climbing plants shall be considered for large expanses of wall.

Massing trees shall be considered at critical points.

Smaller trees shall be used on narrow streets.

Ground cover shall be used to prevent erosion.

A variety and mixture of landscaping shall be provided. Consideration shall be given to susceptibility to disease, colors, season, textures, shapes, blossom and foliage in selecting species.

Local soil conditions and water availability shall be considered in the choice of landscaping.

Existing trees located within 10 feet of any street right-of-way shall be maintained unless shown to be removed as part of an approved plan. The existing grade within that space shall not be disturbed without such approval.

Entrances to nonresidential lots shall be given special landscaping treatment.

The impact of any proposed landscaping plan at various time intervals shall be considered. Shrubs may grow and eventually block sight distances. Foundation plants may block out buildings.

Existing large trees shall be saved by not varying the grade around the trees by more than six inches to 12 inches, by construction of tree wells and by erecting protective fences. Clumps or masses of trees shall be protected.

Certain trees shall be avoided because of problems.

Trees that can stand an urban environment shall be used.

Landscaping in parking areas shall be provided in accordance with this Part 3.

Impervious materials shall not be used in any landscape area. Weed-retardant mulch, porous non-woven synthetic landscape fabric or other materials shall be used.

No fence or wall shall be so constructed or installed so as to constitute a hazard to traffic or safety.

No fence in a residential zone shall be greater than four feet in height.

Hedges and other landscaping shall be exempt from the height limitations of this subsection, but shall not be located so as to constitute a hazard to traffic or safety.

The face or finished side of a fence or wall shall face the adjacent property. The "finished/preferred side" is defined as the side which best conceals fence posts, rails and other supporting parts, and/or which is painted, stained, coated when only such side is so treated.

No fence or wall shall be constructed with barbed wire, metal spikes or other such dangerous material or constructed in such manner as to be dangerous to animals or humans.

All fences which are painted shall be painted in only one color, harmonious with the surrounding area. Multicolored fences are prohibited.

No fencing shall be erected so as to encroach upon a public right-of-way or to interfere with vehicular or pedestrian traffic or with visibility on corner lots.

Split rail fences used at property corners as part of a general landscaping or decorative plan shall be exempt from the provisions of this subsection.

It shall be the sole responsibility of each property owner maintaining or erecting a fence rather that the Borough to assure that fences do not encroach on neighboring property lines.

No fence shall be erected within the Borough without a permit. Applications for fence permission shall be made, in writing, to the Building Inspector of the Borough of Prospect Park in a form approved by the Building Inspector and shall include but not be limited to the following information:

Side or rear fences may not exceed six feet in height.

Fences or walls are not permitted around mid-rise buildings.

Only shielded light fixtures shall be used. Any fixture mounted above 10 feet shall have no more than 10% of its light distribution at a vertical angle of 80° above nadir and 2.5% at an angle of 90° above nadir.

Where used for commercial and industrial purposes or for sports or recreational facilities, all light fixtures shall be equipped with automatic timing devices and shall comply with the following:

Illumination levels shall not exceed those recommended in the IESNA Lighting Handbook, 9th Edition, as amended from time to time, and IESNA Publication RP 6-01, Sports Lighting and Recreational Area Lights, as amended from time to time.

Where used for sports or recreational facilities, all lighting fixtures shall comply with the following:

The design and installation of outdoor lighting on a site shall be constructed so as to conform to the following standards:

All light fixtures shall be designed, installed and maintained to prevent trespass light.

Illuminance requirements.

The maximum height of freestanding lights shall not exceed the height of the principal building or 25 feet, whichever is less.

The style of the light and light standards shall be consistent with the architectural style of the principal building or surrounding area.

Floodlight-type fixtures attached to buildings shall be prohibited.

Freestanding lights shall be so located and protected to avoid being damaged by vehicles.

The maximum illumination at property lines shall be 0.1 footcandle at grade.

All exterior lighting shall be designed so as not to exceed the exterior lighting unit power allowances of ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2001.

All wiring shall be laid underground.

The trees shall be planted so as not to interfere with utilities, roadways or sidewalks.

Trees shall be nursery-grown stock of not less than 2 1/2 inches in caliper at breast height (dbh), with branches commencing not less than eight feet above grade when planted and staked in an approved manner. Where there is adequate existing growth, the Borough may waive this requirement.

For all major subdivision and site plans, the applicant shall arrange with the Construction Department for the underground installation of the utilities distribution supply lines and service connections in accordance with applicable law and regulations. The applicant shall submit to the Board, prior to the granting of preliminary approval, written certification from the Borough Construction Department of compliance. In such subdivisions which abut existing streets where overhead electric or telephone distribution supply lines have been installed on any portion of the streets involved, such subdivisions may be supplied with electric and telephone service from such overhead lines or extensions thereof, but the service connections from the utilities' overhead lines shall be installed underground.

The location of access facilities for servicing the utility in the proposed subdivision shall be developed in conjunction with and as part of the complete subdivision plan.

In all developments, easements along rear property lines or elsewhere for utility installations may be required. Such easements shall be at least 20 feet in width and located in consultation with the utility companies and municipal departments concerned.

Where a subdivision is traversed by a watercourse, drainageway, channel or stream, there shall be provided a stormwater easement or drainage right-of-way conforming substantially to the lines of such watercourse and such further width or construction, or both, as will be adequate for the purpose.

The Planning Board may waive the requirement for the installation of underground utilities or any other requirement in this subsection, if there are special reasons to warrant such waiver. The Planning Board, in making such determination of waiver, upon the request of the applicant or at the instance of the Planning Board on its own initiative, shall take into consideration the design features of the plan, the character of the area and all other factors which bear on the feasibility of underground utility installations within the subdivision, so as to achieve a harmonious subdivision tract.

Required spaces are within 500 feet of pedestrian access to the building served, unless some lesser distance is required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.[2]

The off-lot space is held by the same owner in fee simple title or other acceptable form of land control.

The land shall not be alienated from the parent parcel or devoted to other use, and this restriction shall be reflected in the deed.

There shall be adequate provisions for safe and convenient ingress and egress to all parking areas.

Curb cuts for one way traffic shall not be less than 12 feet nor more than 15 feet wide.

Every parking area shall have direct access to a street or alley and shall conform with the following:

The Board, at its discretion, may require roadway widening or other street improvements, including acceleration and deceleration lanes, to assure safe ingress and egress where minimum sight distances cannot be obtained. The following minimum standards are recommended:

The area behind the taper shall be cleared of all obstructions for an appropriate distance from the center line of the road to eliminate any hazardous conditions.

In outdoor parking lots with 10 or more spaces, not less than 10% of the parking area shall be suitably landscaped to minimize noise, glare and other nuisance characteristics, as well as to enhance the aesthetics, environment and ecology of the site and surrounding area. Waived required parking areas which are landscaped shall not be included in the required 10%.

The landscaping shall be located at the entrance of the lots, in protected areas along walkways, center islands and at the end of bays. In narrow islands, low spreading plants, such as creeping juniper, English ivy, myrtle and pachysandra, are appropriate.

All landscaping in parking areas shall be carefully located so as not to obstruct sight distance.

Off-street parking areas shall be effectively screened where required by the Board by a berm, fence or wall not less than four feet nor more than six feet in height, maintained in good condition; provided, however, that a screening hedge or other natural landscaping may be substituted for the required fence or wall if approved by the Board. The screening, as required by this subsection, may be waived by the Board if, in its judgment, because of topographic or other unusual conditions, said fence is not necessary to buffer adjoining property.

Parking areas, loading areas and driveways, except for one- or two-family residences, shall be curbed with granite block and paved.

The first 10 feet of the driveway of a one- and two-family residence shall be paved.

All parking areas shall be adequately drained in accordance with a drainage plan to be approved by the Borough Engineer.

Required off-street parking shall be located only in those locations as set forth below and shall meet all setback requirements set forth in that subsection.

Off-street parking facilities as accessory to any use permitted in a residential zone shall be provided on the same lot with the permitted principal building.

Off-street parking facilities as required by this chapter in nonresidential zones shall be provided on the same lot as the principal building or use or on other property or properties owned by the applicant in the same or other nonresidential zone, provided that all such property so used is within 500 feet, measured in a straight line, of any entranceway to the principal building or use.

Access to or egress from any property situated in a nonresidential zone through the use of a driveway located on property in a residential zone is prohibited.

Bicycle racks. Bicycle racks shall be provided for all multifamily and nonresidential developments at the ratio of one bicycle space for each dwelling unit or one bicycle space for each 20 off-street parking spaces or fraction thereof over 20 spaces.

Minimum setbacks and required locations for parking areas and driveways:

Location of loading berths. All loading areas shall be on the same lot as the use which is to be served. Such areas shall be located only in a side or rear yard. Such areas shall not encroach upon any required open space, accessway, off-street parking area or public right-of-way. Where located adjacent to any residential district, they shall be set back a minimum of five feet from such property line.

Access. All required off-street loading areas shall provide sufficient turning spaces and access.

Calculation of required spaces. The number of off-street loading berths required for any use shall be determined by application of the standards set forth below.

To design a new neighborhood recognizing the unique conditions of the former Tilcon Quarry.

To encourage innovative building design so that housing demand for varying age groups, families and income levels may be met by greater variety in type, design, and layout of dwellings and by the conservation and more efficient use of open space ancillary to said dwellings. To that end, the goal is cluster development to accommodate mid-rise condominium-style flats.

Require the establishment and reinforcement of the physical, visual, and spatial characteristics through the consistent use of compatible urban design and architectural design elements. Such elements shall relate the design characteristics in a harmonious manner, resulting in a coherent overall development pattern and streetscape.

Provide a layout of streets and open space edges that encourage pedestrian interconnections to Hofstra Park, civic and commercial uses.

Establish community greens which act as focal points of activity and interaction.

Provide a clearly articulated and rationally designed open space system that consists of both integrated active and passive parks.

Extend greater opportunities for housing, limited commercial and recreation facilities to all residents of the Borough.

To encourage a more efficient use of land and public services by clustering development to increase open space.

Provide an approval procedure which will require the development to relate the type, design, and layout of residential and any limited commercial uses on any site to the surrounding environs and context, and to the Borough's goal of encouraging a vibrant new pedestrian active residential neighborhood in a manner sensitive to the preservation or enhancement of property within neighboring residential areas.

Establish policies and procedures intended to promote flexibility for the marketability of unit types while requiring the maintenance of the underlying integrity of the plan in an efficient and expedient forum.

Establish a street and path network which accommodates an integrated multimodal transportation system with the intent of providing safe pedestrian connections.

Encourage shuttle service to nearby public transportation to reduce traffic congestion by reducing the need for everyday use of private vehicles.

Promote the creation of places which are oriented to the pedestrian, promote citizen security, and social interaction.

Incorporate a component specifically addressed to the needs of senior citizens.

Each dwelling unit shall contain complete kitchen facilities and toilet, bathing and sleeping facilities, as well as living space, and shall have a minimum gross floor area in accordance with the following schedule, provided that all market-rate units shall contain no greater than two bedrooms.

Market-rate one-bedroom dwelling units and/or efficiency units shall have a minimum of 700 square feet of floor area.

Market-rate two-bedroom dwelling units shall have a minimum of 900 square feet of floor area.

Provisions shall be made in any mid-rise apartment structure to provide access for the handicapped.

Parking may be permitted on the ground floor or below ground, provided it shall not be more than two levels below ground, and provided that, except for necessary driveways, no accessory parking garage or area shall be directly visible from any interior streets associated with the Q-MR-1 and Q-MR-2 Districts.

All mid-rise apartment structures shall incorporate energy conservation techniques and the utilization of alternative sources of energy to the maximum extent practical. The applicant shall submit an energy conservation analysis and report to the Land Use Board for its review at the time of submitting for final site plan approval.

All installations of utilities shall be underground and all mid-rise apartment developments shall have public sewerage facilities and water supply available prior to development or made available by the developer.

All mid-rise buildings shall be equipped with security systems designed to prevent unwanted or unauthorized intrusion of the building, unless twenty-four-hour doorman services are to be provided. The security system shall permit two-way communication between each apartment unit and the entrance area so as to provide residents with a means of identifying persons wishing to gain admittance.

Any mid-rise apartment development shall provide some recreational facilities for residents and the maintenance of any open space or recreational facilities or areas shall be the responsibility of the developer.

In addition to the required habitable floor area, there shall be a minimum storage area in each building for bicycles, carriages, furniture, and similar incidental equipment of items, equal to 35 square feet in area by a minimum of seven feet in height per unit.

General guidelines.

Building placement and orientation.

Building entries.

Bay spacing and differentiation.

Vertical differentiation.

Building stepbacks. Building stepbacks are an effective design strategy to reduce the overall mass and appearance of tall buildings and to create valuable private spaces such as terraces on upper stories. To achieve this design strategy, the following is required.

Rooftop mechanical equipment.

Building transparency.

Ground-floor elevations.

Windows.

Building materials.

As part of the goal of encouraging pedestrian-friendly design, the visibility of off-street parking areas from street, sidewalks, open spaces and other public spaces shall be minimized. The unique topography of the quarry more easily facilitates high entry roads along the periphery of the tract with a residential development area in the middle at a lower elevation. Site design encourages hiding parking areas from direct view of the elevated high access points and entry roads.

Sidewalks shall be required between parking areas and principal structures wherever pedestrian traffic occurs. They shall have a minimum of four feet of passable width. Parked vehicles shall not overhang or extend over sidewalk areas unless an additional sidewalk width of two feet is provided to accommodate such overhang.

On-site parking areas and streets shall be paved with asphalt and curbed with concrete or granite block as approved by the Borough Engineer.

Structured parking is permitted on the first and second levels of buildings and is the preferred solution, provided that such parking is hidden from direct view of streets, open spaces and other public areas by being located behind residential and common lobby spaces.

The rear parking facades can be screened architecturally as described below:

Garage entries and exits are prohibited to open onto the interior streets that border the central greens. Access to parking garages shall be via driveways or alleys that lead to the rear of the building and then to the parking garage.

Garage doors may not exceed 20 feet in width and garage curb cuts shall not exceed 24 feet in width.

Off-street surface parking lots:

On-street parking.

Parking requirements and ratios.

All streets that require sidewalks shall have a minimum pedestrian walkway clearance of four feet as per RSIS standards. This width shall be free of all obstacles and street trees shall be provided along all sidewalks.

All sidewalks shall be continuous and extend as bulb-outs or neck-downs at intersections and at ends of the parking lanes or spaces.

The quarry design standards envision the incorporation of at least two central greens in addition to other parks, plazas, stormwater basins and open spaces.

All buildings shall be oriented around central greens.

Corner parks and seating areas are encouraged throughout the tract.

Stormwater basin design shall comply with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Stormwater Best Management Practices Manual Chapter 7.

Stormwater basins shall be landscaped with grassy areas, shrubbery with a low perimeter decorative wall, with openings for easy movement of water, made of brick, stone or similar material.

All installations of utilities shall be underground and all mid-rise apartment developments shall have public sewerage facilities and water supply available prior to development or made available by the developer.

A wall of venting for mechanical rooms shall not be permitted along facades facing streets, pathways, and open spaces.

One project identification sign shall be permitted per entrance and shall not exceed 20 square feet in area on either side and eight feet in height and shall be situated within the property lines but not attached to the building. The sign may include only the name of the project, the street address, the presence or lack of vacancies and the availability of supporting or recreational facilities on the premises.

No other signs, other than pedestrian and vehicular directional signs, shall be visible from off the premises.

General. No substance shall be emitted into the atmosphere in quantities which are injurious to human, plant or animal life or to property or which interfere unreasonably with the comfortable enjoyment of life and property anywhere in the Borough. All provisions of Title 7, Chapter 27 (Incinerators) of the New Jersey Administrative Code (N.J.A.C.), or the regulations contained in this section, whichever shall be more stringent, shall apply.

Smoke. In any nonresidential zone, no smoke, the shade or appearance of which is darker than No. 1 on the Ringelmann Smoke Chart, shall be emitted into the open air from any fuel-burning equipment; provided, however, that smoke emitted during the cleaning of a firebox or the building of a new fire, the shade or appearance of which is not darker than No. 2 on the Ringelmann Smoke Chart, may be permitted for a period or periods aggregating no more than three minutes in any 15 consecutive minutes. Smoke emissions from the combustion of fuel and mobile sources and from stationary internal combustion engines shall not exceed the limits set forth in N.J.A.C. 7:27.

No open burning shall be permitted in any district.

Odors. In any zone, no odorous material may be emitted into the atmosphere in quantities sufficient to be detected.

Liquid wastes. No liquid waste shall be discharged into any watercourse in the Borough without all necessary permits from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). No liquid waste shall be discharged into the public sewage collection and disposal system unless the appropriate Borough official shall have first investigated the character and volume of such wastes and shall have certified that the Borough will accept the discharge of such waste material into the system. The applicant shall comply with any requirements of said officials, including the pretreating of such wastes, the installation of processing methods, separation or screening of wastes, control of pH and other methods of improving such wastes prior to discharge, as a condition of approval of such facilities.

Solid waste. Each property owner shall be responsible for:

Approval of the use, structure, process or resulting product or material from the State Department of Labor indicating that adequate safeguards against fire and explosion have been taken or installed.

Approval from the Borough of Prospect Park Fire Department that the applicant has complied with all applicable Borough fire prevention regulations.