The purpose of the district known as the special economic development district is to encourage the efficient and economic use and development of a unique area of land situated in the borough. This referenced land is unique with respect to its location, relative to the Lindenwold Terminal of the Southern New Jersey Rapid Transit System, its accessibility to U.S. Route 30 (White Horse Pike) and its present state of undevelopment relative to the land use patterns existent in the remainder of the borough. It is the further purpose of this district to permit flexibility of design and use and to provide design criteria which can be relied upon to produce development of this district which will be:

A.

A creative approach to the use of land and related physical development.

B.

An environment of stable character in harmony with and in accentuation of surrounding development.

C.

A form and variety of development which is consistent with the forecast economic, social and environmental potentials and needs of the borough and the surrounding region.

D.

An efficient use of land which will result in proportionately lowered public and private costs of serving the development.

E.

A form of development which lends itself to the creation of an attractive center of physical environment which may provide an aesthetic relief to the otherwise common suburban sprawl which presently characterizes the region.

F.

An environment which has an inherent potential for improved living conditions and convenience than could otherwise be effected through the establishment and application of other commonly employed zoning techniques.

(Prior code § 105-59)

A building or buildings may be erected or used, and land may be used, for the following types of activity:

A.

Retail sales, service and eating establishments customarily found in and associated with contemporary centers of shopping and general business, except that drive-in restaurants, where self-service or carhop service of customers is provided to accommodate food consumption on the premises outside an enclosed building or for takeout orders, are specifically prohibited.

B.

Theaters, bowling alleys and other similar places of indoor recreation and entertainment.

C.

Meeting rooms, convention halls, exhibition areas and other assembly halls and stadiums situated entirely within an enclosed building.

D.

Professional and general business offices.

E.

Automotive establishments providing for the indoor display of new passenger cars and related automotive accessories. The installation of such automotive accessories and the undertaking of minor automotive repairs (not including body work) when conducted entirely within an enclosed building and the sale of gasoline and motor oil in a facility which is detached from a building containing residential uses may be permitted when such are to be provided in accordance with an overall plan for the coordinated development of other permitted uses. Outdoor displays of and storage areas for automotive equipment and accessories are specifically prohibited.

F.

Motor hotels, motels and hotels.

G.

Accessory uses and activities which are customarily associated with and necessary to the operation and maintenance of the uses which are otherwise permitted above and which are not otherwise prohibited above. On-site incineration of trash, garbage or refuse shall not be interpreted to be an accessory use permitted by this section and is therefore a prohibited use within this district.

(Prior code § 105-60)

All development projects undertaken in accordance with the terms of this chapter shall comply with the following general criteria:

A.

Lot. A lot eligible for development within this district shall be held to be a single parcel of land as recorded on the official tax assessment maps of the borough or filed (or approved) subdivision plats and shall have an area of not less than five (5) acres.

B.

Site. A development site may be composed of more than one (1) lot.

C.

Hazards. The development shall not be such as to create inherent hazards to the property or to the health, safety and general welfare of the proprietors, employees, users, residents or the public.

D.

Recognition of existing development. The development shall provide for the definite recognition of any functional integration with existing development within the district or plans for new development within the district or plans for new development which have already proceeded and have been approved in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.

E.

Access to streets. Each development site shall abut and have permanent access to an improved and dedicated public street or highway.

F.

Access to buildings. Adequate access to buildings on the development site by emergency equipment and personnel and outside services shall be provided.

G.

Pedestrian access. Safe and convenient means of pedestrian access to all uses on the site shall be provided.

H.

Utilities. Utilities and similar facilities shall be adequately provided by the owner-developer to serve the development. Connection to publicly owned or publicly regulated water supply and sewage disposal systems which have been certified to have sufficient capacity to service the development shall be required.

I.

Subdivision. Where the undertaking of the development involves prior proceedings under the subdivision ordinance of the borough, approval of such subdivision shall not in any way be construed to imply tacit or other approval of the development.

(Prior code § 105-61)

All development projects undertaken in accordance with the terms of this chapter shall comply with the following standards and requirements of design and the schedule of design requirements incorporated within this chapter:

A.

Floor area ratio and building height. The floor area ratio (FAR) is the number of square feet of gross floor area in the building(s) for each one hundred (100) square feet of lot area. (See the schedule of design requirements.) Buildings more than ten (10) floors above grade shall be planned, designed and constructed in such manner that future additions of floors above the initial construction would be possible and feasible.

B.

Open space ratio. The open space ratio (OSR) is the number of square feet of open space on the site for each one hundred (100) square feet of gross floor area in the building(s). Open space is that part of the site not covered by the building(s) which is open to the sky from its lowest level, is accessible to all users of the site and has no dimension less than thirty (30) feet. (See the schedule of design requirements.) An unenclosed balcony or terrace projecting not more than six (6) feet into any open space shall not be an obstruction to the open space.

C.

Floor area bonus for additional open space. For each one hundred (100) square feet by which the open space provided on the site exceeds the requirements of the open space ratio, the maximum permitted floor area ratio may be increased by the factor set forth in the schedule of design requirements.

D.

Recreation space ratio. The recreation space ratio (RSR) is the number of square feet of recreation space included in the open space on the same lot for each one hundred (100) square feet of gross floor area in the building(s). Countable recreation area includes shaded outdoor sitting areas, sundecks, twenty (20) percent of the area of malls and plazas which have been improved by landscaping, sculpture and thematic architectural design and the area of all active recreation facilities (handball courts, basketball courts, swimming pools, etc.) made available to employees or the general public without charge.

E.

Setback. For the purpose of this chapter, "setback" shall be held to mean the horizontal distance measured in a straight line at right angles from the district boundary or a street line of a public street or highway. In no case shall any building(s) be set back less than ten (10) feet per story with a minimum setback of fifty (50) feet.

F.

Building spacing. Building spacing is the horizontal distance measured in a straight line between the closest points of two (2) buildings. Building spacing within this chapter and within this district shall be not less than one (1) foot for each two (2) feet of height of the taller of the two (2) buildings plus one-half the height of the shorter of the two (2) buildings. If both buildings are of equal height, the required building spacing is equal to the height of either building. In no case, however, shall the building spacing be less than thirty (30) feet.

G.

Permitted building spacing reductions. The spacing between the walls of the first one (1) or two (2) stories of adjacent buildings, in such a manner as to create a mall or plaza between the two (2) buildings, may be less than thirty (30) feet when computed in accordance with subsection F. of this section as applied to the heights of the facing walls, but in no case less than twenty (20) feet, provided that the building spacing of the towers above the mall or plaza complies with the basic building spacing requirement of subsection F. of this section.

H.

Special situations for building spacing. No building shall be closer than fifty (50) feet to any lot line within this district unless the owner of the next adjoining lot shall have first filed a legal instrument approved by the borough attorney providing that any area which is not at the time required for building spacing of existing or approved buildings on his or her lot may be used to establish all or part of the building spacing required for the building(s) on the first lot, and further that he waives all future rights to the use of said area to establish required building spacing for buildings which may be established on his lot in the future.

I.

Courtyards. A courtyard is an area open to the sky from its lowest level and is bounded on three (3) sides by the walls of the building forming the open space on the fourth side. Courtyards bounded in whole or in part on four (4) sides by the walls of the building, commonly known as "shafts" or "shaftways", are prohibited. The width of a courtyard is the horizontal distance between the closest two (2) opposing walls bounding the courtyard and is measured parallel to the outside face of the building. The depth of a courtyard is the horizontal distance from the innermost wall surface to a line connecting the outermost points of the end walls. The minimum width of a courtyard shall be equal to three (3) times the maximum depth of the courtyard.

J.

Off-street parking and loading requirements. See chapter 17.68.

(Prior code § 105-62)

Any construction, alteration, modification or change in the use of a building, structure or lot shall conform to the regulations in the borough's construction code and shall be subject to the review procedures in the boroughs development review and land use procedures ordinances.

(Prior code § 105-63)

The following geographic area of the borough is zoned as special economic development district:

Beginning at a point in the southwesterly line of the White Horse Pike (U.S. Route 30) said beginning point being at the municipal boundary line between the Borough of Stratford and the Borough of Laurel Springs, and extending thence northwestwardly along the tangents and curves of the southwesterly line of White Horse Pike a distance of 3,620 feet, more or less, to a point where the southeasterly line of Laurel Avenue extended would intersect the southwesterly line of White Horse Pike; thence southwestwardly along the southeasterly line of Laurel Avenue 2,270 feet, more or less, to the southwesterly line of Lot 14, Block 62, Plate 10 of the Official Tax Map; thence southeastwardly along the southwesterly line of Lots 14, 14A and part of Lot 2 a distance of 1,050 feet, more or less, to the northwesterly corner of the municipal boundary line of the Borough of Laurel Springs; thence southeastwardly along the municipal boundary line between the Borough of Stratford and the Borough of Laurel Springs a distance of 690 feet, more or less, to an angle point in same; thence eastwardly still along the division line between the Borough of Stratford and the Borough of Laurel Springs a distance of 1,520 feet, more or less, to the point and place of beginning.

(Prior code § 105-64)