Wantage Township City Zoning Code
§ 13-9B.7
Required Standards.
[Ord. No. 2014-16 § 3]
All development in the WED Zone District shall meet the following minimum standards:
a.
A WED development parcel shall have a minimum of at least 20 acres with access to Route 23 or a county road via a common access road with connections to adjacent properties in the zone district. To the maximum extent possible, there shall be no direct vehicular access to individual businesses from Route 23 or a county road. Existing undersized lots at the time of the ordinance adoption shall comply with I or LI Zone District standard whichever apply.
b.
The WED development shall have a unified architectural and design scheme which shall be subject to the review and approval of the Land Use Board at the time of preliminary site plan approval. The approved unified architectural and design scheme shall be complied with by the applicant and any future developers within the planned development. There shall be no changes to the architectural and design scheme without a formal amendment to the planned commercial development by the applicant and approval of the amendment by the Land Use Board of the Township of Wantage. The unified architectural and design scheme shall include a unified architectural appearance on all facades of the buildings, and shall provide for a common signage theme for all use on the property.
c.
Signs. Signage in the WED development shall be limited to one facade sign per use and a maximum of 36 square feet per use on the facade. There shall be no more than one freestanding sign identifying the WED development visible from Route 23 or a county road. Said freestanding sign may be located on a pylon or foundation and shall be no greater than 48 square feet on each side and shall be no higher than 16 feet in height. The freestanding sign shall not be a directory sign listing the tenants. One directory sign internal to the development may be submitted and approved. The directory sign may be up to 32 square feet on each side.
d.
Minimum lot size for any one building shall be two acres, except that the minimum lot size for hotels shall be five acres.
e.
In the WED District more than one principal use may be permitted on the same lot.
f.
The uses within the WED shall provide for parking in accordance with the parking schedule.
g.
Maximum impervious coverage. 65%.
h.
Landscape plan. Any development shall provide a landscape plan at the time of preliminary site plan approval setting forth landscape buffers between adjacent properties and within and between parking lots. The landscape islands within the parking lots shall be located at least every 40 parking spaces. The landscape plan shall provide for the initial planting of shade trees with a minimum caliper of three inches and at least one tree every 30 feet of a landscape area within the parking area or on the perimeter of the parking area and on all property boundaries. Landscape buffers shall be coordinated between uses to screen parking lots, utility and loading areas.
i.
Common access between parking lots. Any WED development shall provide for the common ingress to and egress from parking lots and for common access between parking lots even if owned by separate property owners within the development. A deed of common driveway and parking easements shall be submitted with any planned commercial development and shall be subject to the review and approval of the Land Use Board Attorney and Township Engineer. The common driveways shall be intended to limit the driveways to the access road and to prevent any need for driveways to Route 23 or a county road.
j.
Prior to the commencement of any site work, the applicant shall enter into a developer's agreement with the Township Committee of the Township of Wantage as authorized by the Municipal Land Use Law establishing certain minimum conditions relating to water, septic or sewer, fire protection, ingress and egress to ensure access for individual lots, timing and rate of development and construction of private and public improvements, performance guarantees for any common access ways and/or public improvements, maintenance guarantees for any common access ways or public improvements, and such other time period or statutory protection period applicable to the development, and such other standards and provisions as shall be deemed appropriate by the Governing Body of the Township of Wantage.
k.
Pedestrian walkways between buildings. All commercial buildings within a WED development shall provide for safe vehicular and pedestrian ingress to and egress from parking lots and drives and building areas. In addition, a pedestrian plan shall be submitted with the application at the time of preliminary site plan application providing for pedestrian access from parking spaces devoted to particular uses to the buildings to which the parking spaces are devoted. The architectural scheme for the WED development shall provide for internal pedestrian circulation within buildings and between uses within buildings and for connection between buildings and parcels. Such connections may include covered walkways and/or internal pedestrian walkways.
l.
Evaluation Standards and Criteria. In order to foster the attractiveness of a site designated as a WED, Wantage Economic Development and the surrounding neighborhoods and thereby preserve property values, and in order to provide an efficient road and utility network, ensure the movement of traffic, implement comprehensive planning and better serve the public health, safety and general welfare, the following standards and criteria shall be utilized by the Land Use Board in reviewing all site plans and subdivision plats relating to a WED development application. These standards shall not be regarded as inflexible requirements. They are not intended to discourage creativity, invention and innovation.
1.
The landscape shall be preserved in its natural state, insofar as practicable, by minimizing tree and soil removal. Except for existing undersized lots, all WED development shall provide a minimum front yard of 100 feet from Route 23 or a county road, which shall be a landscaped area.
2.
Proposed buildings shall be related harmoniously to the terrain and to other buildings in the vicinity that have a visual relationship to the proposed buildings.
3.
The distance between buildings shall be sufficient to provide adequate light and air.
4.
With respect to vehicular and pedestrian circulation, including walkways, interior drives and parking, special attention shall be given to location and number of access points to the public streets, width of interior drives and access points, general interior circulation, separation of pedestrian and vehicular traffic and arrangement of parking areas that are safe and convenient and, insofar as practicable, do not detract from the design of proposed buildings and structures and the neighboring properties.
5.
Special attention shall be given to property site surface drainage so that removal of surface waters will not adversely affect neighboring properties or the public storm drainage system to maximum extent practical. All storm water shall be retained on site and may be recycled.
6.
All permanent utility lines, pipes and conduits shall be located below ground, and all other installations and appurtenances shall be adequately screened.
7.
The size, location, design, color, texture, lighting and materials of all temporary and permanent signs and outdoor advertising structures or features shall not detract from the design of proposed buildings and structures and the surrounding properties.
8.
Exposed storage areas, exposed machinery installations, service areas, truck loading areas, utility buildings and structures and similar accessory areas and structures shall be subject to such setbacks, screen plantings or other screening methods as shall reasonably be required to prevent their being incongruous with the existing or contemplated environment and the surrounding properties.
9.
Adequate provision shall be made for a sewage disposal system which shall be of sufficient size, capacity and design to collect and dispose of all sewage from all present and proposed buildings in the WED development and which shall be otherwise constructed and maintained in conformity with all applicable State, county and municipal regulations and requirements.
10.
Adequate provision shall be made for a storm drainage and surface water detention system which shall be of sufficient size, capacity and design to collect, carry off and dispose of all predictable surface water runoff within the development and which shall be otherwise constructed and maintained in conformity with all applicable State, county and municipal regulations and requirements.
11.
Adequate provision shall be made for a water system which shall be of sufficient size, capacity and design to supply potable water and fire protection to each of the buildings within the WED development and which shall be otherwise constructed and maintained in conformity with all applicable State, county and municipal regulations and requirements.
12.
Adequate provision shall be made for the collection and disposal and, where possible, recycling of garbage, trash and solid waste generated by the WED development, and such system shall be maintained in conformity with all applicable State, county and municipal regulations and requirements.
13.
Adequate provision shall be made for a system of interior roads sufficient to accommodate predictable vehicular traffic within the WED development and to ensure safe and efficient vehicular access, including access of fire-fighting equipment to and from each of the buildings within the development.
14.
In the event that the development is to be constructed in sections over a period of years, then the provisions for the sewage and garbage disposal, storm drainage and water supply and for interior roads, specified in paragraphs 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 above, need to be adequate only in respect to the sections of development which have previously received final approval and the section of development for which final approval is being sought. The developer shall supply to the Land Use Board information disclosing such adequacy and obtain the Land Use Board's approval thereof.
15.
There shall be a minimum front yard setback of 50 feet for buildings and 25 feet for any parking area. Except as otherwise provided in this section, there shall be no minimum width or frontage, no requirement as to front, side or rear yards, and no requirement concerning the location of accessory buildings or structures for any land use in the WED, planned development. However, no plan for a WED development shall be approved unless the lot widths, depths and frontages, building setbacks, percentages of lot coverage, front, side and rear yards and locations of accessory buildings or structures provided for in the site plan and subdivision plan are consistent with the public health, safety and general welfare.
16.
The height of any principal building within a WED, planned development shall not exceed 40 feet, except that hotels, and conference centers may have four stories and a height of a maximum of 45 feet.
17.
No building or structure, other than a fence or garden wall less than seven feet in height, or a sign, shall be located within a distance of 50 feet of any exterior boundary line of the site designated for a WED planned development, and no such building or structure other than those excepted above shall be located within a distance of 50 feet of any State or county road.