Township of Montclair, NJ Article XVI C-3 Central Business Zone

[Added 6-21-2016 by Ord. No. O-16-018[1]]

[1] Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed former Art. XVI, UR Urban Renewal Zone.

§ 347-100 Purpose.

The purpose of the C-3 Central Business Zone is to preserve and reinforce the character of the historic business district along Glenridge Avenue and Church Street, which was originally called Old Bloomfield Avenue. This district will reinforce the pedestrian-oriented streetscape environmental along the corridor, while also supporting the burgeoning cultural and entertainment-related uses that characterize the area.

§ 347-100.1 Permitted principal and conditional uses.

A. The following principal uses shall be permitted:

(1) Restaurants and eating and drinking establishments, but not drive-in or drive-through restaurants.

(2) Retail sales.

(3) Retail food establishments.

(4) Retail store, convenience.

(5) Art galleries.

(6) Art studios.

(7) Movie studios.

(8) Recording studios.

(9) Banks.

(10) Commercial recreation facilities.

(11) Educational play centers.

(12) Public parking decks.

(13) Mixed-use buildings that meet the following requirements:

[Added 7-26-2022 by Ord. No. O-22-17]

(a) Permitted nonresidential uses, other than office uses, are provided along the first floor of all street-facing facades with a depth of at least 30 feet measured from the building wall. A residential lobby may also occupy the first floor frontage.

(b) Any curb cut for access lanes to parking shall not interrupt the street frontage of the building.

(c) All parking shall be screened as required in Montclair Code § 347-82A.

B. The following principal uses shall be permitted on all upper floors and on the first floor only if located behind a use permitted in Subsection A and provided that the area dedicated to the use includes no more than 50% of the depth of the building:

(1) Educational or quasi-educational establishments.

(2) Arts studio, commercial.

(3) Gyms and health clubs.

(4) General, business and professional offices, including medical offices, finance, insurance and real estate offices.

(5) Municipal, county, state and federal government offices.

(6) Nonprofit institutional uses.

C. The following principal uses shall be permitted on all but the first floor:

(1) Apartments.

§ 347-100.2 Conditional uses.

The following principal uses shall be permitted as conditional uses:

A. Private parking decks, subject to the following conditions:

(1) The facade of the parking deck facing a public street shall have an architectural finish in keeping with the commercial character of the surrounding area.

(2) In order to maintain the commercial streetscape, commercial uses shall be maintained at the ground level of the parking deck on a public street for a minimum depth of 30 feet.

[Amended 7-26-2022 by Ord. No. O-22-17]

B. Commercial parking lots, subject to the following conditions:

(1) All commercial parking lots shall prepare a site plan that shall be approved by either the Planning Board or the Board of Adjustment.

(2) The approved site plan will indicate the number of cars that may be parked in the lot, and no more than the approved number of cars shall be parked on the site at all times.

(3) The parking lot shall be designed consistent with the requirements set forth in §§ 281-9, 347-102 and 347-104 of the Montclair Code.

(4) The parking lot shall be surrounded by a fence or landscaping designed to screen the cars from public view and must be designed to maintain sight triangles for pedestrian and vehicular traffic at all points of egress.

(5) Any trash receptacles located in the parking area shall be enclosed pursuant to § 281-8.1H of the Montclair Code.

§ 347-100.3 Permitted accessory uses.

The following principal uses shall be permitted as accessory uses:

A. Uses that are customarily incidental to a principal use.

B. Parklets.

C. Surface parking.

§ 347-100.4 Prohibited uses.

Any use not permitted is strictly prohibited, including the following uses:

A. Drive-in and drive-through establishments, including banks.

B. Adult entertainment uses.

C. Tattoo parlors, including body-piercing establishments.

D. New and used automobile sales, automobile rentals, automobile service stations, automobile repair establishments and automobile washing establishments.

E. Manufacturing, research and development, wholesale trade or warehouse establishments and bus and truck depots.

F. Storage establishments, including mini-storage warehouses.

G. Pawn shops.

H. Check-cashing shops.

I. The retail or wholesale sale of weapons or firearms, as the same are defined in N.J.S.A. 2C39-1.

J. Head shops.

§ 347-100.5 Area, height and setback requirements.

A. Lot size requirements.

(1) Residential uses: 20,000 square feet.

(2) Mixed-use buildings and nonresidential uses: 10,000 square feet.

[Amended 7-26-2022 by Ord. No. O-22-17]

B. Lot width requirements.

(1) Residential uses: 100 feet.

(2) Mixed-use buildings and nonresidential uses: 60 feet.

[Amended 7-26-2022 by Ord. No. O-22-17]

C. Principal structures:

(1) Maximum building height: thirty-seven feet.

(2) Maximum number of stories: three stories.

(3) Front yard setback: zero feet, and no building shall be set back further than the greater setback of buildings on the adjoining lots.

(4) Side yard setback: zero feet, except that where a side yard is provided, such side yard shall be a minimum of six feet.

(5) Minimum rear yard setback: 10 feet.

(6) Maximum density: 40 units per acre.

(7) (Reserved)[1]

[1] Editor's Note: Former Subsection C(7), regarding commercial uses in a mixed-use building, was repealed 7-26-2022 by Ord. No. O-22-17.

(8) Where off-street loading presently exists, subsequent development shall continue to require off-street loading.

D. Accessory structures.

(1) No parking or accessory structure shall be permitted in the front yard.

(2) Maximum height: 15 feet.

(3) Side yard setback: four feet.

(4) Rear yard setback: four feet.

E. Public parking decks are excluded from the requirements set forth Montclair Code § 347-100.5.