City of Somers Point, NJ Article IV R-1 Single-Family Residential District

§ 114-10 Intent; applicable regulations.

A. Intent. The purpose of the Single-Family Residential District is to permit residential development within the City of Somers Point with sufficient controls to protect natural resources.

B. Regulations in district. The use, height and area regulations of §§ 114-10 through 114-17, inclusive, and those regulations set forth elsewhere in this chapter, where applicable to these sections, and the general regulations of Article XX are the regulations in the R-1 Residential District.

§ 114-11 Permitted uses.

A building or land shall be used only for the following purposes:

A. Principal uses and buildings.

(1) Single-family detached dwellings.

(2) Parks, playgrounds and other publicly operated recreational uses or structures subject to the following requirement.

(a) The exterior architectural design shall be in keeping with other structures in the neighborhood.

(3) Public utility substation, subject to the following requirements:

(a) The exterior architectural design shall be in keeping with other structures in the neighborhood.

(b) The facilities will be necessary to service the surrounding area.

(c) There shall be no external storage of materials and/or trucks and no repair facilities.

(d) An eight-foot planted buffer will be provided on side and rear yards in accordance with the Article XXIV, Design and Improvement Standards, of this chapter. All plants not surviving one year after planting must be replaced.

B. Conditional uses. The following conditional uses may be authorized by the Planning Board, provided that applications conform to the following specifications and standards:

(1) Places of worship, including rectory or parish house, provided that:

(a) The minimum lot size shall not be less than one acre with a minimum frontage on an improved and accepted roadway of 200 feet.

(b) The lot coverage of all buildings shall not exceed 35%.

(c) Both side yards shall be 20 feet minimum; rear yard shall be 50 feet minimum, the front yard setback shall be 35 feet minimum.

(d) A buffer strip of eight feet shall be provided on all property lines not abutting streets and along the nonroadway periphery of all parking areas.

(2) Professional offices on all lots fronting on Shore Road between Ocean Heights Avenue and the northerly right-of-way line of Goll Avenue, provided that:

[Added 7-24-1986 by Ord. No. 13-1986]

(a) Exterior architectural design shall be in keeping with the residential character of the area.

(b) All parking shall be off-street.

(c) The area and bulk requirements set forth in § 114-12A through G, inclusive, shall apply.

(d) A minimum buffer strip of four feet shall be provided on all property lines not abutting a street and along the nonroadway periphery of all parking areas. Such strip shall contain landscaping or other installation as the Planning Board shall determine desirable to screen adjoining uses.

C. Accessory uses and buildings. Accessory uses and buildings shall be uses and buildings customarily incident to the principal uses listed as permitted. They shall be understood to include:

(1) Private auto garages for the exclusive use of building residents.

(2) Private swimming pools, intended for use of building residents, provided that:

(a) The water edge of the pool shall be, at minimum, 10 feet from all property lines.

(b) Adequate fencing, with lock, shall be utilized to prevent unauthorized use. Such fencing shall surround the pool itself, the yard in which it is located or the entire property and shall be at a four-foot minimum height.

(c) No swimming pool shall be permitted in the front yard or beyond the front line of the main building.

[Added 7-9-1992 by Ord. No. 20-1992]

(3) Private utility sheds, greenhouses, bathhouses and playhouses, provided that alone or in combination, the total square footage does not exceed 10% of the minimum lot area; also provided that they comply with all other sections of this chapter.

[Amended 7-9-1992 by Ord. No. 20-1992]

(4) Home occupations in accordance with the definition of "home occupations" in § 114-9.

[Amended 7-9-1992 by Ord. No. 20-1992]

(5) Decks which are raised above grade by more than eight inches, patios, spas and fenced area considered to be accessory structures.

[Added 9-13-2012 by Ord. No. 16-2012]

D. No more than one principal structure shall be erected on any lot in this district.

[Added 5-23-1996 by Ord. No. 8-1996]

§ 114-12 Area and bulk requirements.

Area and bulk requirements shall be as follows:

A. Lot size: 7,500 square feet minimum.

B. Lot width: 70 feet, minimum of roadway frontage.

C. Lot coverage: 60% maximum.

[Amended 9-13-2012 by Ord. No. 16-2012]

D. Front yard setback: 20 feet minimum for principal and accessory buildings. In the case of corner lots, all yards fronting on a street will be considered front yards and one side yard will be considered a rear yard. In all subdivisions of over three lots, front yard setbacks shall be varied from two to five feet so that no two contiguous lots shall have the same setback.

E. Side yard setback: 10 feet minimum each for principal and accessory buildings. The City Building/Code Official shall have discretion to administratively approve side yard setback(s) which are less than the required 10 feet, but no less than five feet, when such setbacks are for patios/sidewalks which are less than eight inches above grade level. If the proposal is not within the above requirements, the applicant shall request a variance(s) before the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

[Amended 9-13-2012 by Ord. No. 16-2012]

F. Rear yards: 35 feet minimum for principal buildings and five feet for accessory buildings.

G. Height.

[Amended 7-9-1992 by Ord. No. 20-1992]

(1) Principal building: not to exceed 35 feet maximum from grade.

(2) Accessory building: not to exceed 15 feet maximum from grade.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: Former Subsection H, Dwelling unit size, which immediately followed this subsection, was repealed 7-9-1992 by Ord. No. 20-1992.

H. Building coverage: 30%.

[Added 9-13-2012 by Ord. No. 16-2012]

§ 114-13 Exceptions to area and bulk requirements.

A. The height of public buildings or churches may be increased upon Planning Board review to 50 feet from grade and to not more than 3 1/2 stories, provided that all yards shall be increased one foot for each additional foot of building height in excess of 35 feet.

B. The height limits in this article shall not apply to church spires, belfries, cupolas, water towers, chimneys and flues, provided that:

(1) The aggregate area covered by all such features shall not exceed 20% of the total roof area.

(2) The height of such features shall not be more than 15 feet above roof level.

C. Lot areas shall not be less than 7,500 square feet with the minimum setbacks prescribed, except that if a lot of record prior to adoption of this chapter has less area, frontage, depth or width than herein required, such lot may be used for a detached single-family residence and for such accessory uses permitted in the R-1 District, provided that:

(1) The lot area is not more than 10% short of minimum requirements.

(2) The lot is not contiguous to other vacant lot(s) in the same ownership.

(3) The minimum setbacks are adhered to.

§ 114-14 Projections into required yards.

A. All projections, including windowsills, cornices and cantilevered roofs, into any yard shall be limited to 36 inches.

B. Projections into front yards by single-story open porches shall be limited to 12 feet. Balconies, roof overhangs, stairs and canopies shall be not more than four feet.

C. Projections into rear yards by fire escapes and balconies shall be limited to four feet.

D. Bay windows into front and rear yards shall be limited to three feet and in side yards shall be limited to two feet. The length of such window(s) shall not exceed in total 30% of the exterior wall width of which they are a part.

§ 114-15 Landscaping; fences and walls.

A. All construction within this district shall retain natural vegetation to the extent possible. The front lawn area shall not be stone covered. The types of stone permitted for off-street parking spaces shall not include industrial construction debris. The types of stone appropriate as ground cover for parking spaces shall be supplied by the Construction Official upon request.

[Amended 4-8-1999 by Ord. No. 4-1999; 9-13-2012 by Ord. No. 16-2012]

B. For all new construction within this district, a minimum of two trees shall be planted. Tree species selected shall be compatible with site soil conditions and shall be a minimum of eight feet in height. All new trees shall be set back a minimum of 24 inches from the sidewalk on the house side and shall be no closer than 10 feet from street corners.

C. Buffer strips as required for public utility and church construction within this article shall consist of evergreen trees of four feet minimum height at planting, placed in double alternating rows, eight feet on center in each row with smaller evergreens or deciduous plant material in between.

D. Fences or walls shall be permitted, provided that:

(1) All perimeter fences or walls shall be placed a minimum of two inches within the property line.

(2) No portion of any fence or wall shall be more than four feet high from existing grade, except that no portion of any fence or wall shall be more than six feet high from existing grade for the rear yard.

[Amended 7-24-1980 by Ord. No. 14-1980]

(3) No fence or wall shall be placed within 10 feet of a street corner.

§ 114-16 Off-street parking.

Parking requirements shall be as follows:

A. For all single-family dwelling units: a minimum of two off-street on-site parking spaces.

B. For churches: one off-street on-site parking space for each three seats or one for each 72 inches of seating space when benches are utilized.

C. For public utilities: one off-street on-site parking space for each employee.

D. For professional offices: one off-street parking space for each professional and employee and such client parking as site plan review determines necessary.

[Added 7-24-1986 by Ord. No. 13-1986]

§ 114-17 Signs.

The following signs shall be permitted:

A. Official highway route number signs; street name signs; official directional signs.

B. Signs advertising the sale or rental of premises, provided that:

(1) Such signs shall not exceed six square feet.

(2) Such signs shall be erected only on the premises to which they relate.

(3) Signs bearing the words "sold" or "rented" shall be removed 30 days after being posted.

C. Signs for public utility substations, churches and professional offices shall be subject to individual review and approval as part of the site plan review process. Such signs shall be freestanding, shall contain no more than six square feet of sign area per side, shall be no more than three feet six inches in height above the finished grade, including supports, shall be set back clear of all road rights-of-way, shall not interfere with any line of sight triangles and shall be placed so that their long axis is parallel to the adjoining street providing lot frontage.

[Amended 7-24-1986 by Ord. No. 13-1986]