Wantage Township City Zoning Code
§ 13-4A PLANNED SMALL VILLAGES, COMMUNITIES AND HAMLETS
LEGISLATIVE INTENT. 1
The intent of the township committee to enact this ordinance is to:
a.
Preserve the township's natural resources and ecological balance within the context of permitting appropriate development based on sound planning and engineering principles by utilizing resource and conservation information.
b.
Maintain the rural character of Wantage Township.
c.
Maintain a sound fiscal balance by managing residential and commercial growth.
d.
Preserve the farmland around the existing concentration of protected farms to support the farm economy and to enhance the rural character of Wantage Township.
Illustration #1 | Space Farms. Beernerville, Wantage Township, NJ |
Illustration #2 | Majestic rolling hills, forests, farm fields and lakes form the rural landscape. Wantage Township, NJ[2] |
[2]
Editor's Note: The illustrations referred to herein may be found on file in the office of the township clerk.
e.
Maintain existing and establish new community and recreation facilities and services to ensure a high quality of life for current and future residents.
f.
Establish appropriate land uses around the existing center of Sussex Borough to enhance the local retail, office and service uses of the region for the citizens of Wantage.
g.
Re-establish the existing hamlets to provide convenient neighborhood retail and service uses to the local residents.
h.
Provide a range of housing types for residents of all ages and income levels with higher density and new affordable housing in "planned small community centers."
Illustration #3 | Mixed housing types in a village setting. Doylestown, PA[3] |
[3]
Editor's Note: The illustration referred to herein may be found on file in the office of the township clerk.
i.
Encourage transportation improvements in the existing development corridors to develop gateways into Wantage to enhance the character and to permit the free flow traffic and to reduce congestion.
j.
Promote the conservation and the utilization of the historic resources of the township.
k.
Reduce the excessive sprawl of development and the segregation of land uses that results in the inefficient use of land and energy resources creating dependency on the private automobile for transportation. Refer to Illustrations #4, #5 and #6.
Illustration #4 | Sprawl development an example of an out-dated single commercial use with a vast parking area. Wyckoff. NJ[4] |
Illustration #5 | Sprawl development consisting of strip malls and single commercial uses with multiple curb cuts on major roadways results in traffic congestion and an inefficient use of the land. State Highway 23 - Riverdale, NJ[5] |
Illustration #6 | Isolated commercial development requiring the use of the automobile, which adds to congestion. State Highway 15 - Lafayette, NJ[6] |
[4]
Editor's Note: The illustrations referred to herein may be found on file in the office of the township clerk.
[5]
Editor's Note: The illustrations referred to herein may be found on file in the office of the township clerk.
[6]
Editor's Note: The illustrations referred to herein may be found on file in the office of the township clerk.
l.
Discourage generic modern single-family subdivision development with no relationship to the natural environment and historic development pattern of Sussex County and New Jersey. Refer to Illustrations #7 and
Illustration #7 | An example of modern single-family large lot subdivisions constructed on productive farmland. Leap frog development patterns through the rural landscape establishes isolated developments destroying the rural landscape. Wantage, NJ[7] |
Illustration #8 | Single-family development on visible steep sloped land with no natural landscape or forested areas eliminates the desired rural character. Wantage. NJ[8] |
m.
Promote the establishment of new neighborhoods and mixed-use developments that are consistent with traditional neighborhoods, hamlets and villages in New Jersey. Refer to Illustrations #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15 and #16.
Illustration #9 | Architectural focal point of a traditional Town Center Village with mix of 1st floor retail, 2nd floor office and 3rd floor apartments. Ridgewood, NJ[9] |
Illustration #10 | Pedestrian oriented streetscape with a mix of office, retail and apartments on second floor. Ridgewood, NJ[10] |
Illustration #11 | Mixed-use neighborhood with distinct pedestrian oriented streetscape. Abbey Road London, England[11] |
[9]
Editor's Note: The illustrations referred to herein may be found on file in the office of the township clerk.
[10]
Editor's Note: The illustrations referred to herein may be found on file in the office of the township clerk.
[11]
Editor's Note: The illustrations referred to herein may be found on file in the office of the township clerk.
n.
Promote and require mixed-use developments with a variety of housing types, range of lot sizes, and mix-used structures with apartments over office and retail uses that surround a village green, related site amenities and community facilities. Refer to Illustrations #12, #13, #14, #15 and #16.
Illustration #12 | Mixed-use building with retail on first floor and apartments on the 2nd and 3rd floors adjacent to public transportation. Ridgewood. NJ[12] |
Illustration #13 | Mixed use building with office on the ground floor, office on the 1st floor and apartments on the 2nd floor Sparta, NJ[13] |
Illustration #14 | Village green with retail, office and NJ Transit bus station. Midland Park, NJ[14] |
Illustration #15 | Community park and streetscape amenities in the core of the village center. Ridgewood, NJ[15] |
Illustration #16 | Village Green bordered by mixed-use development. Source: State Plan 2001[16] |
[12]
Editor's Note: The illustrations referred to herein may be found on file in the office of the township clerk.
[13]
Editor's Note: The illustrations referred to herein may be found on file in the office of the township clerk.
[14]
Editor's Note: The illustrations referred to herein may be found on file in the office of the township clerk.
[15]
Editor's Note: The illustrations referred to herein may be found on file in the office of the township clerk.
[16]
Editor's Note: The illustrations referred to herein may be found on file in the office of the township clerk.
o.
Require developments to be physically, visually and spatially consistent with the community design standards for site plan, architectural design and landscape design found in section 13-13A. The development shall result into a coherent overall development pattern with a unified landscape and streetscape.
p.
Prohibit strip and single use commercial and residential development on large vacant tracts of 10 acres or more.
[1]
Editor's Note: The illustrations referred to herein may be found on file in the office of the township clerk.