Ringwood City Zoning Code
§ 40-9.13
Golf Courses.
[Ord. No. 1996-06 § 1]
a.
Conditional Use; Zones Permitted. Golf courses shall be permitted as a conditional use in the following zones: C-200; R-40V; GB-80; I-60 and RT-40.
b.
Permitted Accessory Uses to Golf Courses. The following uses shall be permitted as accessory uses to a golf course:
Club house (including dining rooms, common rooms, pro shop, social rooms, kitchen and locker rooms), snack bar/refreshment stands, residences for employees engaged in the maintenance and operation of the golf club facility, putting greens, practice range, cart paths, parking lot, maintenance facility/garage, cart storage facility, water supply impoundment/hazards, tennis and paddle tennis courts, swimming pools, conference center, banquet facility and the general public.
c.
Bulk Controls.
1.
Minimum tract size: 150 acres.
2.
Minimum number of holes for golf course: 18.
3.
Minimum distance to external property lines:
(a)
Buildings: 100 feet (except guard houses and entrance shelters).
(b)
Parking lots: 50 feet (may be reduced to 25 feet if adjacent to nonresidential zone).
(c)
Center lines of any golf tee, fairway or green: 100 feet.
(d)
Other recreational uses: 100 feet.
(e)
Maximum impervious surface: 15%.
(f)
Maximum gross floor area of all buildings: 200,000 square feet.
(g)
Maximum height of buildings: 2 1/2 stories or 35 feet.
d.
Site Plan Approval.
1.
Anyone proposing a golf course shall be required to submit a site plan to the Planning Board for its review and approval in accordance with Chapter 38 Site Plan Review.
2.
In its review of a site, the Board shall be satisfied that the application achieves the following:
(a)
The integration of the proposed golf course with the existing development and land uses adjacent to the site, including safe locations for golf holes (tees, holes and greens) and practice areas, as related to adjacent roads, development and other neighboring site improvements.
(b)
Where a golf course is adjacent to, contains or is within floodplains, open water, waterway corridors, hiking trails, flyways and associated buffers, linkages and conservation areas, the applicant may be required to provide and maintain an adequately designed walking/trail easement within the property open to the public in furtherance of the Borough's goal of linking open spaces within the community. The pedestrian easement shall be located so it does not interfere with play and shall be appropriately isolated from the general operation of the golf course. In the site plan approval process, consideration shall be given to providing access to any required walking/trail easements.
(c)
Assurances that the necessary infrastructure and utilities including sanitary disposal system, potable water and irrigation water are available from on-site, Borough or private systems. The provision of infrastructure and utilities shall not have a detrimental effect on groundwater or surface water resources.
(d)
The golf course shall have two safe and adequate access and egress points from one or more public roads. One of the two accesses may be provided for emergency access only. The two means of access and egress shall be connected internally and may be achieved by use of a stabilized surface sufficient to allow passage by emergency vehicles.
(e)
Adequate provisions shall be made for solid waste collection and storage. All solid waste storage facilities shall be adequately screened and buffered.
(f)
All lighting shall be designed to be directed downward and to avoid glare and spillover on adjacent properties. The maximum height of lighting standards shall not exceed 20 feet.
(g)
One identification sign not exceeding 40 square feet shall be permitted at the entrance to the golf course. All other signs shall be directional signs and shall not exceed four square feet. All signs, including size, location, materials and design shall be approved as part of site plan approval.
(h)
Amplifier systems shall be designed so as not to be heard beyond the property lines.
e.
Parking Requirements. The number of parking spaces shall be as few as necessary to serve the golf course and accessory uses. The number shall be determined by a parking needs study to be conducted by the applicant and filed at the time of the application. Specific uses enumerated under subsection 38-3.2 and permitted as accessory uses as part of a golf course shall provide off-street parking as required in subsection 38-3.2.
f.
Buffers.
1.
A minimum buffer of 35 feet consisting of planted materials, trees, berms, fences or combinations of the above shall be located between buildings, parking, recreation facilities and the exterior property line to shield and block buildings, parking and recreational uses.
2.
A vegetative buffer area shall be maintained between any turf area which is to be chemically treated and any nonintermittent stream. The buffer area shall be of sufficient size and design to protect the stream from chemicals carried by stormwater runoff.
g.
Special Events. Special events, such as tournaments, shall be approved by the Borough Council. There shall be assurances that adequate provisions will be made by the golf course to handle the crowd generated by such an event and to satisfactorily mitigate off-site impacts including traffic management, transportation services, parking, trash removal and waste disposal, security and safety and sanitary effluent treatment. The golf course may be required to post a performance guarantee for these purposes. All local permissions and permits now or hereafter required for special events shall be obtained prior to the event.
h.
Clearance of Woodlands. The course shall be designed, to the extent possible, to preserve existing woodlands and wooded corridors. Clearance of mature woods shall not exceed 50% of the total acreage of land within the tract.
i.
Turf Management and Water Quality Assurances.
1.
As part of the application for site plan approval, the applicant shall submit an integrated turf management plan and an integrated pesticide and pest management plan specific to the operation and maintenance of the proposed golf course. These plans shall be prepared in accordance with guidelines established by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and shall also take into account guidelines promulgated by the United States Golf Association. These plans will include best management practices (BMP's) to prevent or minimize any adverse impacts of chemical applications on the groundwater and surface water resources associated with the golf course.
2.
Assurances shall be provided that any adverse impacts on groundwater or surface water quality resulting from the golf course will be mitigated by the owner. The applicant shall provide for the monitoring of water quality of the groundwater and surface water resources associated with the golf course. The monitoring program, including the timing and frequency of testing and the identification of chemical parameters to be tested, shall be established at the time the integrated turf management plan and integrated pesticide and pest management plan are approved as part of the conditional use application. The monitoring program shall be consistent with the guidelines established for monitoring plans by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), Bureau of Water Quality Analysis. The results and findings of any water quality monitoring shall be submitted by the owner to the Borough for information purposes.
j.
Compliance with Other Ordinances. In addition to obtaining site plan approval pursuant to Chapter 38 as provided in paragraph d above, golf course applicants shall comply with all other municipal land use and development ordinances including, but not limited to: Chapter 35, Land Use Provisions; Chapter 25, Soil and Soil Removal; Chapter 24, Tree Preservation and Protection and Chapter 27, Flood Management and Control.
k.
Compliance with Other Governmental Regulations. In addition to the foregoing, golf course applicants shall comply with all other applicable statutes, ordinances, resolutions, directives, rules and regulations.