Stafford Township City Zoning Code
§ 211-10
Forest Area Zone FA.
In the Forest Area Zone (FA), the following are permitted uses:
A.
Residential dwellings on lots of 3.2 acres, in accordance with § 211-9C(2), or on lots of one acre in accordance with § 211-9C(4).
[Amended 8-16-1988 by Ord. No. 88-65; 11-24-1992 by Ord. No. 92-77]
B.
Single-family residential dwelling units in accordance with the following, provided that clustering of the permitted dwellings shall be required in accordance with § 211-10S below whenever two or more units are proposed as part of a residential development:
[Amended 12-6-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-36]
(1)
The minimum lot area shall be 17.0 acres.
(2)
The minimum lot width shall be 200 feet.
(3)
The minimum front yard setback shall be 200 feet.
(4)
The minimum rear yard setback shall be 50 feet.
(5)
The minimum side yard setback shall be 25 feet.
(6)
The minimum accessory use setback shall be 25 feet.
C.
Agriculture.
D.
Agricultural employee housing as an element of and accessory to an active agricultural operation.
E.
Forestry.
F.
Low-intensity recreational uses, provided that:
(1)
The parcel proposed for low-intensity recreational use has an area of at least 50 acres.
(2)
The recreational use does not involve the use of motorized vehicles except for necessary transportation.
(3)
Access to bodies of water is limited to no more than 15 linear feet of frontage per 1,000 feet of water body frontage.
(4)
Clearing of vegetation, including ground cover and soil disturbance, does not exceed 5% of the parcel.
(5)
No more than 1% of the parcel will be covered by impervious surfaces.
[Amended 12-6-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-36]
G.
Institutional uses, including cemeteries, provided that:
(1)
The use does not require or will not generate subsidiary or satellite development in the Forest Area.
(2)
The applicant has demonstrated that adequate public service infrastructure will be available to serve the use.
(3)
The use is primarily designed to serve the needs of the Forest Area in which the use is to be located.
H.
Pinelands resources-related industrial or manufacturing uses, excluding resource extraction and uses that rely on sand or gravel as raw products, provided that:
[Amended 3-4-1997 by Ord. No. 97-17]
(1)
The parcel proposed for development has an area of at least five acres.
(2)
The principal raw materials for the proposed use are found or produced in the Pinelands.
(3)
The use does not require or will not generate subsidiary or satellite development in the Forest Area.
I.
Campgrounds, not to exceed one campsite per gross acre, provided that the campsites may be clustered at a net density not to exceed 10 campsites per acre.
[Amended 3-4-1997 by Ord. No. 97-17]
J.
Agricultural commercial establishments, excluding supermarkets, restaurants and convenience stores, provided that:
[Amended 8-16-1988 by Ord. No. 88-65]
(1)
The principal goods or products available for sale were produced in Pinelands.
(2)
The sales area of the establishment does not exceed 5,000 square feet.
K.
Roadside retail sales and service establishments, provided that:
(1)
The parcel proposed for development has roadway frontage of at least 50 feet.
(2)
No portion of any structure proposed for development will be more than 300 feet, measured along a line parallel to the roadway, from the closest part of a roadside retail sales and service establishment structure that was in existence on February 7, 1979.
(3)
The proposed use will not unduly burden public services, including but not limited to water, sewer and roads.
L.
Fish and wildlife management and wetlands management.
[Amended 12-6-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-36]
M.
Detached single-family dwellings on lots of at least one acre in size existing as of January 14, 1981, provided that:
[Amended 11-24-1992 by Ord. No. 92-77; 12-6-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-36]
(1)
The owner of the lot to be developed acquires sufficient vacant contiguous or noncontiguous land which, when combined with the acreage of the lot proposed for development, equals at least 17 acres.
(2)
All lands acquired pursuant to Subsection M(1) above, which may or may not be developable, are located in the FA Zone.
(3)
All noncontiguous lands acquired pursuant to Subsection M(1) above shall be permanently protected through recordation of a deed of restriction. Such deed of restriction shall permit the parcel to be managed for low-intensity recreation, ecological management and forestry, provided that no more than 5% of the land may be cleared, no more than 1% of the land may be covered with impervious surfaces and any such uses or activities are approved and conducted in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 211. Such restriction shall be in favor of the parcel to be developed and the Township or another public agency or nonprofit conservation organization. In all cases, such restriction shall be expressly enforceable by the Pinelands Commission. The deed restriction shall be in a form to be approved by the Township Solicitor and the Pinelands Commission.
(4)
The tax assessments for the acquired noncontiguous lands shall be combined and assigned to the land to be developed.
(5)
The lot proposed for development otherwise meets the minimum standards of § 211-9 of this chapter.
N.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the owner of a parcel of land of an acre or more in the Forest Area District shall be exempt from the density limitations of this chapter, provided that:
[Amended 3-4-1997 by Ord. No. 97-17]
(1)
The dwelling unit will be the principal residence of the property owner or a member of the immediate family of the property owner.
(2)
The parcel has been in the continuous ownership since February 7, 1979, of the person whose principal residence the dwelling unit will be, a member of that person's immediate family or a partnership or corporation in which members of that person's immediate family collectively own more than a majority interest in such partnership or corporation.
(3)
The parcel was not in common ownership with any contiguous land on or after February 8, 1979, that contains substantial improvements.
(4)
The parcel includes all vacant contiguous lands in common ownership on or after February 8, 1979.
O.
Signs.
P.
Accessory uses.
Q.
Minimum lot areas for nonresidential structure shall be determined by application of the standards contained in § 211-9G(8)(b)[4], whether or not the lot is to be served by a centralized sewer treatment or collection system. No nonresidential structure shall be located on a parcel of less than one acre in size.[1]
[Added 10-18-1988 by Ord. No. 88-78; amended 3-4-1997 by Ord. No. 97-17]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection R, which listed single-family in cluster developments and immediately followed this subsection, added 1-16-1990 by Ord. No. 90-06, as amended, was repealed 8-5-1997 by Ord. No. 97-59.
R.
Single-family detached dwellings which are not clustered in accordance with § 211-10S below may be permitted as a conditional use, provided that:
[Added 12-6-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-36]
(1)
The Planning Board finds that:
(a)
Clustering of the proposed dwellings would be inconsistent with the minimum environmental standards set forth at N.J.A.C. 7:50-6; or
(b)
Clustering of the proposed dwellings would disrupt the contiguity of the forest ecosystem to a greater degree than nonclustered development.
(2)
Minimum lot size requirement: 17 acres.
S.
Clustered single-family dwelling units in accordance with the following requirements:
[Added 12-6-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-36]
(1)
Permitted density: one unit per 17 acres.
(2)
The number of residential lots permitted within the cluster shall be calculated on the basis of the size of the parcel of land and the density permitted in Subsection S(1) above, with a bonus applied as follows:
(a)
For parcels under 50 acres in size: zero bonus units.
(b)
For parcels between 50 and 99.99 acres in size: 20% bonus.
(c)
For parcels between 100 and 149.99 acres: 25% bonus.
(d)
For parcels of 150 acres or more in size: 30% bonus.
(3)
The residential cluster shall be located on the parcel such that the development area:
(a)
Is located proximate to existing roads;
(b)
Is located proximate to existing developed sites on adjacent or nearby parcels;
(c)
Is or will be appropriately buffered from adjoining or nearby nonresidential land uses; and
(d)
Conforms with the minimum environmental standards of N.J.A.C. 7:50-6.
(4)
Development within the residential cluster shall be designed as follows:
(a)
Residential lots shall be one acre in size but may be larger if dictated by unusual site conditions. In no case shall the average size of residential lots within a cluster exceed 1.1 acres;
(b)
The minimum yard and building requirements specified in § 211-12B for the Pinelands Village (PV) Zone shall apply;
(c)
Individual on-site septic waste water treatment systems which are not intended to reduce the level of nitrate/nitrogen in the waste that comply with the standards of § 211-9G(8)(b)[4] may serve the lots within the cluster development area. Community on-site wastewater treatment systems serving two or more residential dwelling units which meet the standards of § 211-9G(8)(b)[5] or [7] shall also be permitted;
(d)
The residential cluster development area shall include such land and facilities as are necessary to support the development, including wastewater facilities, stormwater management facilities and recreation amenities; and
(e)
Permitted recreation amenities may include playgrounds, tot lots, swimming pools, tennis courts and other such recreational facilities, which are solely for use by the residents of the cluster development. Recreational amenities shall not be limited to the foregoing so that the applicant may propose additional facilities. All such facilities shall be accessory to the residential cluster development. No advertising or commercial enterprise shall be permitted. In no case may such amenities occupy more than 1/2 acre of land or the equivalent of one acre of land for every 25 residential lots, whichever is greater.
(5)
The balance of the parcel located outside of the residential cluster development shall be owned and managed by a duly constituted homeowners' association, a nonprofit conservation organization, Stafford Township or incorporated as part of one of the lots within the cluster development area.
(a)
All such land shall be permanently protected through recordation of a deed of conservation restriction. Such restriction shall be in favor of Stafford Township or another public agency or nonprofit conservation organization. In all cases, such restriction shall be expressly enforceable by the Pinelands Commission; and
(b)
The deed of restriction shall permit the parcel to be managed for low-intensity recreation, ecological management and forestry, provided that no more than 5% of the land may be cleared, no more than 1% of the land may be covered with impervious surfaces and any such uses or activities are approved and conducted in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 211.
