Township of Independence, NJ Article III Master Plan

§ 255-32 Preparation; contents; division into subplans and subelements.

A. At such time as it shall determine that the existing Master Plan is no longer adequate, the Land Use Board shall prepare and, after public hearing, adopt a new or amend the existing Master Plan or component parts thereof to guide the use of lands within the Township in a manner which protects public health and safety and promotes the general welfare.

[Amended 2-13-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-07]

B. The Master Plan shall generally comprise a report or statement and land use and development proposals, with maps, diagrams and text, presenting where appropriate, the following elements:

(1) A statement of objectives, principles, assumptions, policies and standards upon which the constituent proposals for the physical, economic and social development of the Township are based;

(2) A land use plan element taking into account the other Master Plan elements and natural conditions, including but not necessarily limited to topography, soil conditions, water supply, drainage, floodplain areas, marshes and woodlands; showing the existing and proposed location, extent and intensity of development of land to be used in the future for varying types of residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, recreational, educational and other public and private purposes or combination of purposes; and stating the relationship thereof to the existing and any proposed zone plan and zoning ordinance; and showing the existing and proposed location of any airports and the boundaries of any airport safety zones delineated pursuant to the Air Safety and Zoning Act of 1983, P.L. 1983, c. 260 (N.J.S.A. 6:1-80 et seq.); and including a statement of the standards of population density and development intensity recommended for the Township;

[Amended 2-13-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-01]

(3) A housing plan element, including but not limited to residential standards and proposals for the construction and improvement of housing;

(4) A circulation plan element showing the location and types of facilities for all modes of transportation required for the efficient movement of people and goods into, about and through the Township, taking into account the functional highway classification system of the Federal Highway Administration and the types, locations, conditions and availability of existing and proposed transportation facilities, including air, water, road and rail;

[Amended 2-13-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-01]

(5) A utility service plan element analyzing the need for and showing the future general location of water supply and distribution facilities, drainage and flood control facilities, sewerage and waste treatment, solid waste disposal and provision for other related utilities, and including any stormwater management plan required pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40:55D-93 et seq.;

[Amended 2-13-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-01]

(6) A community facilities plan element showing the existing and proposed location and type of educational or cultural facilities, historic sites, libraries, hospitals, firehouses, police stations and other related facilities, including their relation to the surrounding areas;

[Amended 2-13-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-01]

(7) A recreation plan element showing a comprehensive system of areas and public sites for recreation;

(8) A conservation plan element providing for the preservation, conservation, and utilization of natural resources, including, to the extent appropriate, energy, open space, water supply, forests, soil, marshes, wetlands, harbors, rivers and other waters, fisheries, endangered or threatened species wildlife and other resources, and which systemically analyzes the impact of each other component and element of the Master Plan on the present and future preservation, conservation and utilization of those resources;

[Amended 2-13-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-01]

(9) An economic plan element considering all aspects of economic development and sustained economic vitality, including a comparison of the types of employment expected to be provided by the economic development to be promoted with the characteristics of the labor pool resident in the municipality and nearby areas and an analysis of the stability and diversity of the economic development to be promoted;

[Amended 2-13-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-01]

(10) A historic preservation plan element: indicating the location and significance of historic sites and historic districts; identifying the standards used to assess worthiness for historic site or district identification; and analyzing the impact of each component and element of the master plan on the preservation of historic sites and districts;

[Added 2-13-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-01]

(11) Appendices or separate reports containing the technical foundation for the Master Plan and its constituent elements.

(12) A recycling plan element which incorporates the State Recycling Plan goals, including provisions for the collection, disposition and recycling of recyclable materials designated in Chapter 307, Recycling, and for the collection, disposition and recycling of recyclable materials within any development proposal for the construction of 50 or more units of single-family residential housing or 25 or more units of multifamily residential housing and any commercial or industrial development proposal for the utilization of 1,000 square feet or more of land;

[Added 2-13-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-01]

(13) A farmland preservation plan element, which shall include: an inventory of farm properties and a map illustrating significant areas of agricultural land; a statement showing that Township ordinances support and promote agriculture as a business; and a plan for preserving as much farmland as possible in the short term by leveraging monies made available by N.J.S.A. 13:8C-1 et seq. through a variety of mechanisms, including, but not limited to, utilizing option agreements, installment purchases, and encouraging donations of permanent development easements; and

[Added 2-13-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-01]

(14) A development transfer plan element which sets forth the public purposes, the locations of sending and receiving zones and the technical details of a development transfer program based on the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40:55D-141.

[Added 2-13-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-01]

C. The Master Plan and its plan elements may be divided into subplans and subplan elements projected according to periods of time or staging sequences.

D. The Master Plan shall include a specific policy statement indicating the relationship of the proposed development of the Township as developed in the Master Plan to the Master Plans of contiguous municipalities, the Master Plan of Warren County, the State Development and Redevelopment Plan adopted pursuant to the State Planning Act, N.J.S.A. 52:18A-196 et seq., and the district solid waste management plan required pursuant to the provisions of the Solid Waste Management Act, N.J.S.A. 13:1E-1 et seq. of Warren County.

[Amended 2-13-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-07]

§ 255-33 Periodic examination.

A. The Township Committee shall, at least every six years, provide for a general reexamination of the Master Plan and this Development Ordinance by the Land Use Board, which shall prepare a report on the findings of such reexamination, a copy of which shall be sent to the County Planning Board and the Municipal Clerks of each adjoining municipality. The six-year period shall commence with the adoption or termination of the last general reexamination of such plan and regulations. The first such reexamination shall be completed within six years after August 1, 1976.

[Amended 2-13-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-07]

B. Such report shall state:

(1) The major problems and objectives relating to land development in the Township at the time of such adoption, last revision or reexamination, if any.

(2) The extent to which such problems and objectives have been reduced or have increased subsequent to such date.

(3) The extent to which there have been significant changes in the assumptions, policies and objectives forming the basis for such plan or regulations as last revised, with particular regard to the density and distribution of population and land uses, housing conditions, circulation, conservation of natural resources and change in state, county and Township policies and objectives.

(4) The specific changes recommended for such plan or regulations, if any, including underlying objectives, policies and standards, or whether a new plan or regulations should be prepared.