[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Garfield 8-16-1983 by Ord. No. 1815 (Ch. 214 of the 1979 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Uniform construction codes — See Ch. 114.
Flood damage prevention — See Ch. 146.
Grading of land — See Ch. 172.
Land use — See Ch. 188.
Subdivision of land — See Ch. 290.
Zoning — See Ch. 341.
This chapter shall be known as and may be cited as the "Site Plan Review Ordinance of the City Garfield."
The provisions of this chapter are designed to provide a comprehensive review, guide and procedure to regulate site design of land development. It is further designed to protect and enhance natural features, features of historic significance; to improve natural and man-made environment to protect areas from flooding and erosion; to maximize, within limits of practicability and feasibility, solar gain to buildings; to provide adequate water supply, drainage, shade trees, sewerage and other utilities essential to residents and occupants; to preserve suitable sizes, shapes and locations of land for public use; to make standards governing grading, improvement of streets, drives and sidewalks, curbs, gutters, streetlights, fire hydrants, sewer drains and other improvements; to ensure that a site plan conforms to the applicable provisions of Chapter 341, Zoning; to ensure performance in substantial accordance with final site plan approval; to ensure that no taxes or assessments for local improvements are due or delinquent on property which is the subject of a site plan application; to provide for safe and sufficient vehicular and pedestrian circulation and parking; and to provide exterior lighting for safety in addition to streetlighting.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
SITE PLAN
A development plan of one or more lots on which is shown:
A. 
The existing and proposed conditions of the lot, including, but not necessarily limited to, topography, vegetation, drainage, floodplains, marshes and waterways;
B. 
The location of all existing and proposed buildings, drives, parking spaces, walkways, means of ingress and egress, drainage facilities, utility services, landscaping, structures and signs, lighting and screening devices; and
C. 
Any other information that may be reasonably required in order to make an informed determination pursuant to this chapter or any other ordinance requiring review and approval of site plans.
Except as herein provided, no permit, certificate of occupancy or notice to proceed shall be issued unless and until there is an approval of any site plan development by the City of Garfield Planning Board or the City of Garfield Board of Adjustment, if the latter Board shall have jurisdiction pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-76 or any other law. Plans for site development shall be prepared by state-licensed architects or engineers and shall be subject to architectural review and approval by the Board having jurisdiction.
This chapter shall not apply to one-family and two-family residences.
The Board, upon resolution, may, if it so desires, contract with any expert to report to it on any element of any site development plan which the Board must consider hereunder so long as the Board shall have first collected from the applicant whose plan is to be reviewed sufficient funds to be held in escrow, as hereinafter provided, to pay the fee of such expert.
No building permit will be issued for any structure covered by this chapter until an approved site plan, development plan or approved amendment of such plan has been secured by the applicant and presented to the Construction Code Official/Zoning Officer. No certificate of occupancy will be issued for any structure or use of land covered under this chapter unless the structure is completed or the land is developed or used in accordance with an approved site plan or approved amendment of such site plan.
A. 
The developer shall submit to the Secretary of the Board a site plan and such other information as is reasonably necessary to make an informed decision as to whether the site plan meets the requirements necessary for preliminary approval. Of those architectural plans required to be submitted for site plan approval, the preliminary plans and elevations shall be sufficient. If an application for preliminary site plan development is found to be incomplete, the developer shall be notified in writing of the deficiencies therein by the Board or the Board's designee for the determination of completeness within 45 days of the submission of such application or it shall be deemed to be properly submitted.
B. 
A tracing and nine copies of the site development plan and related information shall be submitted to the Board 10 days prior to the Board meeting at which approval is requested.
C. 
At the request of the developer, the Board shall grant an informal review of a concept plan for a development for which the developer intends to prepare and submit an application for development. The developer shall not be required to submit any fees for such an informal review. The developer shall not be bound by any concept plan for which review is requested, and the Board shall not be bound by any such review.
D. 
If the Board requires any substantial amendment in the layout of improvements proposed by the developer that have been the subject of a hearing, an amended application for development shall be submitted and proceeded upon as in the case of the original application for development. The Board shall, if the proposed development complies with this chapter, grant preliminary site plan approval.
E. 
Upon the submission to the Secretary of the Board of a complete application for a site plan for 10 acres of land or fewer, and 10 dwelling units or fewer, the Board shall grant or deny preliminary approval within 45 days of the date of such submission or within such further time as may be consented to by the developer. Upon the submission of a complete application for a site plan which involves more than 10 acres and 10 dwelling units or fewer, the Board shall grant or deny preliminary approval within 95 days of the date of such submission or within such further time as may be consented to by the developer. Otherwise, the Board shall be deemed to have granted preliminary approval of the site plan.
The site plan shall be at a scale of not less than one inch equals 40 feet and shall show and include the following:
A. 
The name of the development, date, North point, scale, name and address of the owner, name of the person responsible for the preparation of the site plan and the Tax Map lot and block numbers.
B. 
The location, showing adjacent property owners, locations, height and size of all existing and proposed buildings and curbs and dimensions.
C. 
Provisions for off-street parking and off-street loading and unloading. All parking spaces shall be numbered, and the total number of spaces and total square footage of parking shall be shown on the site plan.
D. 
The boundaries of the property, building setback lines and easements, location of utility poles and fire hydrants, if any.
E. 
Existing and proposed drainage facilities, sewer and water lines.
F. 
Proposed and existing highway and interior curbing.
G. 
The location and width of proposed driveway and curb cuts. State highway requirements shall be adhered to in all cases.
H. 
The location of all existing driveways within 200 feet of the lot.
I. 
Directional arrows on pavement indicating the flow of traffic.
J. 
The proposed screening and landscaping.
K. 
The total area of the site and coverage of the site by all buildings.
L. 
A written description of the industrial operation in sufficient detail to indicate the effects of this operations in producing noise, glare, vibration, smoke, fumes, gas, dust, odor, fire hazards and explosion hazards.
M. 
The proposed number of shifts to be worked and the maximum number of employees on each shift.
N. 
Any other data or evidence that the Board may reasonably require in order to make a determination hereunder or in accordance with any other law or ordinance pertaining to the premises or its operation.
O. 
The location, size, slopes, types of piping, direction of flow of sanitary sewer lines, with any existing or proposed pumping stations and connections to existing mains and proposed connections to building sewer lines and all details of construction of piping and manholes, complete with rim elevations and inverts.
[Added 9-22-1987 by Ord. No. 1951]
P. 
The location, size, slopes and type of water lines, fire lines and domestic water lines, with connections to mains and buildings, together with water meters, lawn hydrants and fire hydrants.
[Added 9-22-1987 by Ord. No. 1951]
Q. 
The location of electric power and light lines, telephone and television cable lines, together with manholes, underground conduits, transformers and transformer protections and meters.
[Added 9-22-1987 by Ord. No. 1951]
R. 
A sanitary and storm sewer study prepared by a licensed professional engineer indicating the impact the development or subdivision will have on the surrounding sewer lines, including:
[Added 9-22-1987 by Ord. No. 1951]
(1) 
The daily peak flow, in percentage and volume to be generated by the development.
(2) 
The daily unused capacity, in percentage and volume, of all surrounding sewer lines.
(3) 
The daily peak flow of all surrounding sewer lines into which the subdivision's or development's lines will flow, either directly or indirectly.
S. 
A water study prepared by a licensed professional engineer indicating the impact the subdivision or development will have on the surrounding domestic water, fire and water lines, including:
[Added 9-22-1987 by Ord. No. 1951]
(1) 
The estimated daily peak consumption, in percentage and volume, to be generated by the development or subdivision.
(2) 
The estimated daily unused capacity, in percentage or volume, of existing lines.
T. 
A traffic study prepared by a licensed professional engineer indicating the impact the development or subdivision will have on the surrounding roads, including:
[Added 9-22-1987 by Ord. No. 1951]
(1) 
The estimated peak hourly traffic to be generated by the development or subdivision.
(2) 
An assignment of estimated peak hourly traffic, by percentage and volume, to surrounding roads.
(3) 
A determination of unused capacity of surrounding roads during peak hours.
[Added 6-8-1994 by Ord. No. 2161]
A. 
Definitions. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
MULTIFAMILY HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
A building containing three or more dwelling units occupied or intended to be occupied by persons living independently of each other, or a group of such buildings.
RECYCLING AREA
Space allocated for collection and storage of source-separated recyclable materials.
B. 
There shall be included in any new multifamily housing development that requires subdivision or site plan approval an indoor or outdoor recycling area for the collection and storage of residentially-generated recyclable materials. The dimensions of the recycling area shall be sufficient to accommodate recycling bins or containers which are of adequate size and number and which are consistent with anticipated usage and with current methods of collection in the area in which the project is located. The dimensions of the recycling area and the bins of containers shall be determined in consultation with the Municipal Recycling Coordinator and shall be consistent with the district recycling plan adopted pursuant to Section 3 of P.L. 1987, c. 102 (N.J.S.A. 13:1E-99.13) and any applicable requirements of the Municipal Master Plan, adopted pursuant to Section 26 of P.L. 1987, c. 102.
C. 
The recycling area shall be conveniently located for the residential disposition of source-separated recyclable materials, preferably near, but clearly separated from, a refuse dumpster.
D. 
The recycling area shall be well lit and shall be safely and easily accessible by recycling personnel and vehicles. Collection vehicles shall be able to access the recycling area without interference from parked cars or other obstacles. Reasonable measures shall be taken to protect the recycling area, and the bins or containers placed therein, against theft of recyclable materials, bins or containers.
E. 
The recycling area or the bins or containers placed therein shall be designed so as to provide protection against adverse environmental conditions which might render the collected materials unmarketable. Any bins or containers which are used for the collection of recyclable paper or cardboard, and which are located in an outdoor recycling area, shall be equipped with a lid, or otherwise covered, so as to keep the paper or cardboard dry.
F. 
Signs clearly identifying the recycling area and the materials accepted therein shall be posted adjacent to all points of access to the recycling area. Individual bins or containers shall be equipped with signs indicating the materials to be placed therein.
G. 
Landscaping and/or fencing shall be provided around any outdoor recycling area and shall be developed in an aesthetically pleasing manner.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 249, Recycling.
A. 
Preliminary approval of a site plan shall confer upon the applicant the following rights for a three-year period from the date of the preliminary approval:
(1) 
The general terms and conditions on which preliminary approval was granted shall not be changed, including but not limited to use requirements, layout and design standards for streets, curbs and sidewalks, lot size, yard dimensions and off-tract improvements and any requirements peculiar to the site plan approval. However, nothing herein shall be construed to prevent the municipality from modifying by ordinance such general terms and conditions of preliminary approval as relate to public health and safety.
(2) 
The applicant may submit for final approval on or before the expiration date of preliminary approval the whole or a section or sections of the preliminary site plan, as the case may be.
(3) 
The applicant may apply for and the Board may grant extensions on such preliminary approval for additional periods of at least one year, but not to exceed a total extension of two years, provided that, if the design standards have been revised by ordinance, such revised standards shall govern.
B. 
The applicant may apply for thereafter, and the Board may thereafter grant, an extension to preliminary approval for such additional period of time as shall be determined by the Board to be reasonable, taking into consideration:
(1) 
The number of dwelling units and nonresidential floor area permissible under preliminary approval.
(2) 
The potential number of dwelling units and nonresidential floor area of the section or sections awaiting final approval.
(3) 
Economic conditions.
(4) 
The comprehensiveness of the development, provided that, if the design standards have been revised, such revised standards shall govern.
A. 
The Board shall grant final approval if the detailed drawings, specifications and estimates of the application for final approval conform to the standards established by ordinance for final approval and the conditions of preliminary approval, provided that the Board may permit minimal deviations from the conditions of preliminary approval necessitated by change of conditions beyond the control of the developer since the date of preliminary approval without requiring the developer to submit another application for preliminary approval.
B. 
Final approval shall be granted or denied within 45 days after submission of a completed application to the Board or within such further time as may be consented to by the applicant. Failure of the Board to act within the period prescribed shall constitute final approval and a certificate of the administrative officer as to the failure of the Board to act shall be issued upon request of the applicant, and it shall be sufficient in lieu of the written endorsement or other evidence of approval herein required.
C. 
Whenever review and approval of the application by the County Planning Board is required by Section 8 of P.L. 1968, c. 285 (N.J.S.A. 40:27-6.6), the Municipal Planning Board shall condition any approval that it grants upon timely receipt of a favorable report on the application by the County Planning Board or approval by the County Planning Board by its failure to report thereon within the required time period.
The zoning requirements applicable to the preliminary approval first granted and all other rights conferred upon the developer, whether conditionally or otherwise, shall not be changed for a period of three years after the date of final approval. If the developer has followed the standards prescribed for final approval, the Board may extend such period of protection for extensions of one year, but not to exceed two extensions. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, the granting of final approval terminates the time period of preliminary approval pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-49 for the section granted final approval.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
[Added 9-22-1987 by Ord. No. 1951]
A. 
As a condition of every subdivision or site plan approval, the Planning Board or Zoning Board of Adjustment, as the case may be, shall, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-42, determine the pro rata share of costs of providing reasonable and necessary street improvements, water, sewerage and drainage facilities and easements therefor, located outside the property limits of the subdivision or development, which improvements are necessitated or required by the construction or improvements within the subdivision or development.
B. 
Consideration shall be given to the Master Plan, N.J.S.A. 40:55D-28, circulation and utility service elements, as well as the benefits conferred upon the surrounding and common property owners.
C. 
Experts employed by the Planning Board or Zoning Board of Adjustment to evaluate the costs and benefits of the necessary and required off-tract improvements shall be paid by the applicant.
The Board or governing body may require and shall accept for the purpose of assuring the installation and maintenance of on-tract improvements performance and maintenance guaranties pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-53.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
A. 
Site plan.
(1) 
Preliminary site plan.
(a) 
For approval of multifamily residential, including garden apartments and townhouses: $200, plus $10 for each proposed dwelling unit.
(b) 
All other site plan approvals, exclusive of variance or subdivision fee costs: $100, plus $10 per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area.
(2) 
Final site plan.
(a) 
For approval of multifamily residential, including garden apartments and townhouses: $5 per dwelling unit, provided that the minimum fee shall be $100.
(b) 
All other site plan approvals, exclusive of variance or subdivision fee costs: $5 per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area, or a minimum of $100, whichever is greater.
(3) 
Simultaneous filing of preliminary and final site plan.
(a) 
For approval of multifamily residential, including garden apartments and townhouses: $250, plus $10 for each proposed dwelling unit.
(b) 
All other site plan approvals, exclusive of subdivision fee costs: $15 per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area, or a minimum of $150, whichever is greater.
(4) 
Amended site plan application. For approval of an amended site plan application: $75.
B. 
Deposit for costs. In all matters wherein either the applicant or the approving authority is required to publish notice of a hearing or a determination of the authority, the application shall be accompanied by a deposit intended to reimburse the City for the cost of such notification in an amount of $50, payable at the time of the submission of the application.
[Amended 2-20-1990 by Ord. No. 2032]
All provisions of Chapter 188, § 188-28, are hereby incorporated.