Woodcliff Lakes Proposes Town House Overlay Zones in Master Plan

Public Notice:


BOROUGH OF WOODCLIFF LAKE COUNTY OF BERGEN, STATE OF NEW JERSEY  NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the following proposed ordinance was amended at a meeting of the Borough Council of the Borough of Woodcliff Lake, in the County of Bergen, State of New Jersey, held on the 16th of June, 2014, and that said ordinance will be taken up for further consideration for final passage at the meeting of the Borough Council to be held at the municipal building, 188 Pascack Road, Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, on the 14th day of July, 2014, at 8:00 PM, or as soon thereafter as said matter can be reached, at which time and place all persons who may be interested therein will be given an opportunity to be heard concerning the same. A copy of this ordinance has been posted on the bulletin board upon which public notices are customarily posted in the Municipal Building of the Borough, and a copy is available up to and including the time of such meeting to members of the general public of the Borough who shall request such copies, at the office of the clerk in said Municipal Building in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey. ORDINANCE NO. 14-04  AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 380, ZONING, OF THE REVISED CODE OF THE BOROUGH OF WOODCLIFF LAKE, COUNTY OF BERGEN, STATE OF NEW JERSEY IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH A TOWNHOME OVERLAY DISTRICT (THO)  WHEREAS, the Borough of Woodcliff Lake is a predominantly residential community with more than 57 percent of its land area zoned for residential use; and  WHEREAS, according to the Master Plan adopted by the Borough in 2002, revised in 2008, nearly all residential development consists of single family detached dwellings on lots averaging 15,000 square feet or greater; and   WHEREAS, Borough finds that there exists a need for market rate townhomes in the Borough of Woodcliff Lake, as multi-family residential development constitutes only a very small portion of the Borough’s total housing stock and is concentrated in two affordable housing developments; and  WHEREAS, the Borough’s existing R-30 Residential District is divided into three distinct areas of the Borough, one of which consists of 7.25 acres (or 7.5 acres, including the public roadways) located along County Road, to the west of Harriet Drive, and constitutes an isolated neighborhood surrounded by the most densely populated sections of the Borough and not adjacent to any other single family residential zone in the Borough except for a small portion of the R-8.15 Residential District; and   WHEREAS, in light of the aforementioned conditions as well as changes in the character of the surrounding neighborhood, the 2008 Reexamination of the Borough Master Plan stated that development other than single family detached dwellings may be appropriate for the above area; and   WHEREAS, so as to meet the need for market rate townhomes, to maximize the appropriate use of land and provide a unique residential enclave of single family residences, the Borough Council finds that it is in the best interest of the citizens of Woodcliff Lake to amend the Zoning Map and Zoning Ordinance of the Borough so as to create a Townhome Overlay District (THO) within the R-30 Residential District to encourage the future adaptive re-use of the properties within the zone to address the need for market rate multi-family/townhouse development; and  WHEREAS, the Borough Council further finds that these amendments are consistent with the Master Plan of the Borough of Woodcliff Lake and designed to effectuate its underlying objectives, policies and standards. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT ORDAINED BY THE BOROUGH COUNCIL OF THE BOROUGH OF WOODCLIFF LAKE AS FOLLOWS: SECTION I   The purpose of this Ordinance is to amend Chapter 380, Zoning, of the Code of the Borough of Woodcliff Lake to create a Townhome Overlay District (THO), which shall include the properties designated as Lots 1 and 2 in Block 303, Lots 3 and 4 in Block 303.01 and Lots 1.01, 1.02 and 1.03 in Block 401 on the Tax Map, and to set forth the permitted uses, bulk requirements and landscaping, design and pedestrian accessibility standards of the THO Townhome Overlay District, while continuing to maintain the zoning standards of the underlying R-30 Residential District.  SECTION II Section 380-7, Classification of Districts, shall be amended by the insertion of the following new district, to be inserted immediately following the R-30 Residential One-Family District: THO Townhome Overlay District SECTION III Section 380-8, Map; schedule. The referenced Zoning Map of the Borough of Woodcliff Lake, shall be amended to include that portion of the R-30 District known as Lots 1 and 2 in Block 303, Lots 3 and 4 in Block 303.01 and Lots 1.01, 1.02 and 1.03 in Block 401 in the R-30/THO Townhome Overlay District. SECTION IV A new section in Article IV shall be inserted at Section 380-14A.(7), which shall read as follows: (a) Permitted Uses: [1] Townhomes: A townhome is defined as a one-family dwelling in a row of at least three such attached units, side by side, in which each unit has its own front and rear access to the outside, no unit is located above another unit and each unit is separated from any other units by one or more vertical common fire-resistant walls.  [2] Accessory uses and structures associated with townhomes, which shall include, but not be limited to parking, patios, refuse enclosures, retaining structures, amenities, active and passive recreation uses such as swimming pools, clubhouse, fitness facilities and such other accessory uses customarily found in similar townhouse communities developed as an integrated project. (b) Bulk Standards: [1] Lot Standards within the THO District shall be as follows: [a] Minimum lot area: 7.5 acres [b] Minimum lot frontage: 700 feet [c] Minimum setbacks,  [1] Front yard to existing public streets: A minimum of 75 feet for 70 percent and 50 feet for 30 percent of County Road frontage; 50 feet for Harriet Drive [2] Front yard to internal streets: 25 feet to curb line [3] Side yard to tract residential property lines: 60 feet total of both sides, 20 feet minimum on one side [4] Rear yard to non-residential zone: 30 feet  [d] Maximum density: 5.34 units per acre  [e] Maximum building coverage: 23.5 percent, excluding decks. [f] Maximum improvement coverage: 50 percent [g] Maximum number of units in a row: 4 [h] Minimum spacing between buildings: [1] front to front: 75 feet [2] front to rear: 75 feet [3] end (side) to end (side): 25 feet [4] rear to rear: 30 feet [i] Maximum building height: 35 feet and 2.5 stories. [j] Minimum Floor Area: 1400 square feet [2] Parking requirements shall be determined in accordance with the New Jersey Residential Site Improvement Standards, but shall require a minimum of a two car garage for each Unit. (c) Landscaping Standards: [1] A 30 foot wide landscaped buffer shall be provided along all adjacent residential zones. [2] The buffer shall be composed of 50 percent evergreens. Said buffer shall include a mixture of shade trees, evergreens, ornamental trees and understory shrubs planted in a staggered fashion. At the time of installation, shade trees shall be a minimum 3 inch caliper, evergreens shall be a minimum 8 feet in height, ornamental trees shall be a minimum of 10 feet in height and understory shrubs shall be a minimum of 36 inches in height. [3] Shade trees that exist within the buffer should be preserved and enhanced with evergreens and understory shrubs as noted above. (d) Design Standards: [1] Full basements shall be permitted. [2] Each townhome shall have a maximum of three (3) bedrooms. [3] Townhomes shall have a minimum roof plane pitch of 6/12; no flat roofs shall be permitted on any principal structure. [4] The front and rear fa?ade of all buildings shall include building wall offsets (projections or recesses) to provide architectural interest and vary the massing of a building and relieve the negative visual effect of a single, long wall. Building wall offsets shall be provided along any fa?ade measuring greater than 50 feet in width. The maximum spacing between such offsets shall be 35 feet. The minimum projection or depth of any individual vertical offset shall not be less than 2 feet. [5] All buildings within the THO District shall be of the same architectural design and treatment including building materials. [6] Trash receptacles shall not be visible from County Road or Harriet Drive. Receptacles shall be enclosed with a solid masonry enclosure. Such facilities shall be designed so that they fit within an overall project design.  [7] The site plan for townhouse use shall include the use of Pickwick Lane, which shall be vacated in the manner provided by law subsequent to final site plan approval but prior to the issuance of any construction permits. There shall be no restriction, other than compliance with the provisions of this Ordinance, in the use of the land comprising Pickwick Lane in any proposed site plan. [8] The proposed site plan for townhouse use shall have an integrated roadway system incorporating every proposed building within the THO District including emergency access, visitor/guest parking and deliveries appropriate for the proposed use. (e) Pedestrian Accessibility: [1] A sidewalk shall be installed along the length of County Road to connect to the sidewalk that terminates at the northeast corner of County Road and Harriet Drive. [2] All sidewalks shall be a minimum of 4 feet wide and shall be concrete and smoothly surfaced and leveled to provide for the free movement of pedestrians. [3] All sidewalks must be designed to provide access for the physically disabled. Access ramps shall be conveniently placed and sloped to provide easy connection to streets and sidewalks, in conformance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. SECTION V Upon passage of this Ordinance upon first reading, it shall be referred to the Planning Board for review and confirmation that the proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance and zoning map, as set forth in this Ordinance, are consistent with the Master Plan. SECTION VI If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be unconstitutional or invalid, such decision shall not affect the remaining portions of this Ordinance. SECTION VII All Ordinances or any provisions of any Ordinances inconsistent with the provisions of this Ordinance are hereby repealed as to such inconsistencies. This Ordinance shall take effect immediately upon final publication and filing with the Bergen County Department of Planning and Economic Development as required by law. Deborah Dakin Acting Borough Clerk  Ridgewood News-3711644 Fee: $135.71 July 4, 2014
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