The Township wishes to insure that all new development within the municipality provide recreational facilities as part of said development or in the alternative, that the developer contribute an appropriate assessment to the municipality for the purposes of providing such recreational facilities off site. As result thereof, the Township Committee wishes to amend Chapter
340, Subdivision and Site Plan Review, of the Code of the Township of Ocean, in order to require such improvements as a condition of approval, or, in the alternative, to provide developers with the option of making payments to the Township's newly created recreation trust fund.
There is established for the Township a Recreation Trust Fund,
which fund shall be maintained by the Chief Financial Officer of the
municipality. Developers making payments to the Ocean Township Recreation
Trust Fund, in accordance with the provisions of this article, shall
make such payments to the municipality to be held in this fund, which
funds may be utilized solely for the purchase, development, repair
and/or replacement of recreational facilities within the Township.
Any applicant seeking subdivision approval for three or more
residential building lots, as well as any applicant seeking residential
sits plan approval for three or more residential building lots, from
the Ocean Township Land Use Board, shall reserve at least one building
lot, equal in size to at least the smallest buildable lot for which
approval is granted, recreational purposes. The applicant shall be
require to improve this area for both active and/or passive recreation
and the plans for the improvement of this recreation area shall be
an integral element of any preliminary plat and final construction
drawings for any subdivision or residential site plan to which this
article is applicable. In lieu of reserving and constructing such
a recreational facility, the applicant shall have the option to pay
an assessment in the amount $1,000 per lot or dwelling unit for which
development approval is being sought, to be used for the purchase
and/or construction of new recreation facilities within the municipality
and/or the upgrading, repair and/or replacement of existing recreational
facilities within the municipality. Said recreation assessment must
be posted with the Township's Chief Financial Officer and deposited
into the Township's recreation trust fund prior to the signing of
the plat or map.