South River City Zoning Code
§ 350-24
Lincoln School Neighborhood Overlay District.
[Added 8-25-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-28; 8-3-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-16; 8-3-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-16]
A.
Intent. The purpose of the Lincoln School Neighborhood Overlay District (LSNOD) is to revitalize the long-vacant, former public school site and surrounding properties in the Borough of South River. It provides an alternate set of development standards incentivized to transform a vacant property into a productive land use, thus improving the fiscal health of the Borough. The plan allows property located at this visible intersection to be developed into a mix of housing and neighborhood business uses in a form-based development. The details of this overlay zone have been designed to advance the intent and purpose of the Borough of South River Master Plan, namely, to promote redevelopment of vacant buildings and to provide a reasonable transition between the downtown business district and the residential neighborhoods located north of Main Street. Ancillary intents shall also be to:
(1)
Promote the effective rehabilitation of the original Lincoln School property and surrounding properties;
(2)
Allow for the expansion of redevelopment into the Lincoln School neighborhood, particularly on properties abutting the original school parcels, so as to assemble a workable development site;
(3)
Provide for regulation of bulk, height, parking, setback and buffering elements of site development where the current R-75 standards would not be useful in buffering anticipated uses from the abutting residential properties;
(4)
Direct appropriate traffic volumes to access points to the site to minimize impacts to nearby residential neighborhoods;
(5)
Ensure capacity of all utility, infrastructure and parking systems serving the site is adequate to support any proposed development;
(6)
Encourage redevelopment through an enhanced but appropriate density and flexibility of land uses as stipulated in this section;
(7)
Promote public safety and flood resiliency with new development constructed in accordance with flood management requirements of the State of New Jersey and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
B.
Overlay option.
(1)
The Lincoln School Neighborhood Overlay District (LSNOD) regulations described in this subsection shall replace all previous Lincoln School Overlay District regulations. This overlay district shall overlay, not replace, the existing development requirements of the R-75 Single-Family Residential District and shall exist as an alternative set of development standards for the properties located within the boundaries of the overlay district. When proposing development, a developer either may utilize the existing zoning regulations of the underlying district or may opt to utilize the standards of the Lincoln School Neighborhood Overlay District (LSNOD) set forthwith in this section, but not both.
(2)
The adoption of this section shall signify an amendment to the Zoning Map of the Borough of South River amending the following properties currently in the R-75 Single-Family Residential District to also be included in the Lincoln School Neighborhood Overlay District (LSNOD):
Block 38 | Lot 18, also shown as Lot 18.01 |
Block 38 | Lots 6, 7, 8, 8.01, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.01, and 17.01 |
C.
Principal permitted uses:
(1)
Single-family residential dwellings in accordance with the standards of the R-75 Residential Zone.
(2)
Multifamily dwellings in an apartment building or townhouse format.
(3)
Mixed-use buildings or developments with ground-floor neighborhood retail and/or commercial uses and upper-floor office, commercial and/or residential uses.
(4)
Neighborhood retail, general or medical office, personal services, banking services, fitness centers, child care, or similar business.
(6)
Restaurants, quick-food stores, snack bars, and restaurant-taverns, including restaurants designed primarily for on-site, off-site, or outside eating and walk-up windows and service, but excluding vehicle drive-through windows.
D.
Permitted accessory uses. Any accessory use or building which is customary and incidental to a permitted principal use on the lot shall be a permitted accessory use/building.
E.
Prohibited uses:
(1)
Taverns and nightclubs.
(2)
Hotels, motels, boarding- and rooming houses.
(3)
All uses not specifically permitted by zone or by state or federal law are prohibited, inclusive of, but by no means limited to, industrial uses, refineries, heavy manufacturing, slaughterhouses, explosives, industrial uses of any type including bulk storage, fabrication and automotive sales or service.
(4)
All adult uses prohibited under § 350-16G(1) shall be prohibited uses in this district.
(5)
Drive-through windows or uses of any type.
F.
Bulk requirements.
(1)
Minimum lot area shall be 40,000 square feet.
(2)
Minimum lot width shall be 150 feet.
(3)
Minimum lot depth shall be 150 feet.
(4)
Principal buildings.
(a)
Minimum front yard setback shall be a minimum of 20 feet to the front property line on all sides of a lot fronting on a county road or collector road as shown on the Borough Master Plan and shall be 25 feet to the front property line on all other streets. When the top-most floor of the building employs a step-back, sloped roof, mansard roof, or similar architectural design element to reduce the appearance of building mass from the street, the front setback to the street may be reduced to 15 feet.
(b)
Minimum setback for all other side yards and rear yards shall be 50 feet.
(c)
Development may include more than one principal building per lot.
(5)
Accessory building side yard and rear yard setbacks shall be a minimum of five feet.
(6)
Where development abuts any property maintained as undeveloped by means of a deed restriction or similar instrument, the setback requirement to this property for all buildings, pavement, walkways, and parking may be reduced to zero feet.
(7)
Maximum percent of building coverage by all buildings shall be 40%.
(8)
Maximum percent of impervious coverage by all buildings and impervious surfaces shall be 75%.
(9)
Maximum building height shall be three stories, and building height shall not be greater than 42 feet. However, when a ground-level parking area, resident storage area, or other flood-resilient building element is proposed to cover at least 40% of the ground level of the building, preventing the use of this level as an habitable space, and where two or more levels of habitable space are proposed above said level, the permitted building height may be increased to a maximum of four stories and a building height dimension no greater than 52 feet.
(10)
The maximum density shall be 18 dwelling units per gross acre of land.
G.
Parking, loading, and lighting requirements.
(1)
All parking requirements provided in the Residential Site Improvement Standards (RSIS) and in § 350-27, Off-street parking requirements, of this chapter of the Code of the Borough of South River shall apply, except where modified herein in this subsection.
(2)
Off-street parking spaces, together with appropriate access thereto, shall be provided on the same lot as the building they are intended to serve.
(3)
Off-street parking spaces may be located in a front yard; however, all parking shall be screened in accordance with the landscaping and screening requirements of this chapter.
(4)
All parking spaces shall be set back five feet to any property line and five feet from any principal building, except where abutting a property maintained as undeveloped by means of a deed restriction, where the setback requirement to the property for buildings, pavement, walkways, and parking shall be reduced to zero feet.
(5)
When constructed to comply with RSIS and Borough specifications, on-street parking may be provided along the frontage of Maple Street and/or William Street. Such parking shall be provided in a bump-in or similar design to maintain the required width for two-way vehicle movement on these streets exclusive of the width of the parallel parking spaces. Pavement half-widths on these frontages shall be widened where necessary to comply with RSIS requirements relative to on-street parking on a two-way street.
(6)
When a development property has frontage on more than one street, parking access shall be provided on the street(s) of lower traffic volume. No driveway access shall be permitted on Reid/Prospect Street.
(7)
All proposed development shall be accompanied by a parking/traffic impact statement addressing the impacts of trip generation and on-site circulation on the surrounding intersections, neighborhood, and roadway system.
(8)
When more than 2,500 square feet of nonresidential space is proposed, one commercial loading zone shall be required. This loading space may be a shared space for all commercial uses and tenants within a development site.
H.
Signs.
(1)
The sign regulations of the Main Street Rehabilitation District, § 350-20N, shall apply except where modified herein.
(2)
No freestanding commercial signs shall be permitted.
(3)
Wayfinding and directional signs may be proposed throughout the interior portions of a site and shall be no greater than eight square feet.
(4)
No sign shall be closer than 15 feet to any property line.
I.
Landscaping and buffering.
(1)
All landscaping, buffering, street tree, shade tree, screening, and tree replacement requirements of this chapter of the Code of the Borough of South River shall apply.
(2)
A minimum area of 2,000 square feet shall be integrated into the Reid/Prospect Street frontage of the development as a passive landscape area/outdoor plaza, outdoor eating area, public art space, civic space, or space for customer and resident gathering, etc. This area should be attractively landscaped with a mix of shade trees, plantings, hardscaping, low walls, seating, outdoor furniture, etc.
(3)
Where development is proposed abutting a lot containing a residential use, a five-foot-deep and eight-foot-high landscape buffer consisting of screening trees, plantings and fencing shall be provided on the development site.
J.
Pedestrian accommodations and access.
(1)
Pedestrian connections shall be provided along the fronts of buildings and between buildings and shall connect to the public sidewalk and crosswalks.
(2)
Where pedestrian routes intersect with vehicular drives, pedestrian crossings shall be adequately striped, raised, and/or textured for safety.
(3)
All accessways shall comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and provide barrier-free access, including access for persons utilizing strollers and bicycles.
(4)
Secure, covered, bicycle parking should be provided.
K.
Stormwater management.
(1)
Development shall conform to the Borough of South River stormwater management regulations.
L.
Solid waste and recycling.
(1)
Development shall be designed to provide for adequate storage and disposal of residential and commercial solid waste, including recycled materials. All areas for solid waste and recycling collection shall be located within buildings or parking facilities in side or rear yards. No trash storage is permitted in a required front yard. All trash and recycling locations shall be enclosed and located in a manner which is obscured from view by a fence, wall, planting or combination thereof.
M.
Curbs, sidewalks, utilities, and other public improvements.
(1)
All development shall include the installation of curbs and sidewalks on all street frontages and other necessary public improvements on the property as well as abutting rights-of-way, as required by this chapter.
(a)
All developments shall be required to construct any off-tract improvements necessitated by their development. All utility improvements necessary to support the development shall be the responsibility of the developer.
(b)
The developer shall be responsible for providing the necessary engineering reports to indicate that there is sufficient municipal water and sewer capacity available for the maximum build-out of the project.
(c)
On-site utilitarian improvements, such as utility transformers or meter banks, shall be located in fully screened areas in side or rear yards only. Placement of these or similar utilities in front yards or on front facades shall be prohibited.
(d)
Development abutting a county right-of-way shall generally provide curbing to county specifications, followed by a planting strip containing grass and street trees, followed by a sidewalk, followed by a front yard landscape area, subject to any modifications by the Middlesex County Planning Board. If street trees are not permitted within the county right-of-way, they shall be provided along the frontage of the development property abutting the area of county jurisdiction.
(e)
All utilities shall be installed underground, and all unnecessary utility poles along the street frontage of the site shall be removed.
N.
Environmental requirements.
(1)
A preliminary environmental assessment shall be required when demolition, rehabilitation and/or remediation is proposed of any former educational, commercial or institutional building older than 50 years old at the time of application. All on-site remediation shall be conducted with the approval of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to meet the standards of remediation commensurate with the use proposed. The work and cost of all such remediation shall be at the sole cost of the developer.
O.
Fiscal impact requirements.
(1)
All applications for development in the Lincoln School Neighborhood Overlay District (LSNOD) shall be accompanied by a fiscal impact statement analyzing the economic impact of the proposed development to the Borough of South River.
P.
Architectural appearance and unit requirements.
(1)
Any application for development shall be accompanied by architectural exhibits showing an attractive building(s) of high architectural quality. No specific building style is required; however, brick, natural stone, precast concrete, and other materials shall be provided to reflect permanence and resilience. Dormers, parapets, mansard roofs, varied rooflines, dental moldings, quoins, etc., should be included.
(2)
Buildings should have a clear base, middle and top. Residential windows should contain grids and mullions along with shutters, French balconies, or other decorative or brickwork window trims. Appropriate screening should be provided for ground-level parking structures. Clock towers, cupolas, turrets, or other focal elements should be considered and should respect the alignment of surrounding streets, intersections, and street views. Vinyl siding, stucco, and external insulation finishing systems should not be proposed in visible areas.
(3)
Roofs of buildings lower than two stories shall be sloped or mimic the appearance of a sloped roof.
(4)
Where ground-floor retail/commercial uses are proposed, a minimum 60% of the ground-floor facade facing the street(s) shall contain glass fenestration to allow views into the ground-floor spaces.
(5)
All developments shall comply with all affordable housing regulations of the Borough in effect at the time of building permit application.