City of Absecon, NJ Article XIII DC Design Commercial District

§ 224-73 Intent.

[1997 Code § 224-73]

A. Intent. The purpose of the Design Commercial District is to encourage major commercial concentration with easy highway access, with sufficient controls and within an overall design motif.

B. Regulations in District. The use, height and area regulations of Sections 224-73 to 224-81, inclusive, and those regulations set forth elsewhere in this chapter, where applicable to these sections, and general regulations of Article XVIII are the regulations in Commercial District DC.

§ 224-74 Permitted uses.

[1997 Code § 224-74]

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

A. Principal uses and buildings:

(1) Retail stores and shops, restaurants and bars, fully enclosed restaurants with drive-through facilities, craft shops, barbershops and beauty parlors, banks and theaters.

(2) Offices of a doctor, dentist, lawyer or other professional person and general business, utility, governmental, insurance and similar offices.

(3) Freestanding restaurants with drive-through facilities.

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

(1) Appropriate facilities for the placement of trash and garbage and collection and removal thereof, provided that:

(a) The facility is completely enclosed and so constructed that the trash and garbage shall not be visible to the general public.

(b) Such structure meets the approval of the Construction Official and the Board of Health.

(c) Such facilities fit within the overall project design.

(d) Such facilities are buffered from principal structures, parking facilities and pedestrian and vehicular roadways.

(e) Provision shall be made for recycling as required by local and state law.

§ 224-75 Area, yard and bulk regulations.

[1997 Code § 224-75]

Area and bulk requirements shall be as follows:

A. Lot size, design center: six acres minimum.

B. Lot width: 500 feet minimum, with five-hundred-foot frontage on one or more streets.

C. Front and rear yard setbacks, all uses: 50 feet minimum each.

D. Side yard setback, all uses: 25 feet minimum each; 50 feet if side yard is located on Route 30 or New Jersey Avenue.

E. Parking perimeter setback: 25 feet minimum on New Jersey Avenue, 15 feet on all other adjacent streets.

F. Lot coverage: 60% or 70% maximum due to outstanding design, subject to Planning Board review and approval, which shall include coverage by buildings, parking areas, roadways and all other materials less porous than presently existing. In no case shall stormwater management standards be waived to allow additional lot coverage over 60%.

G. Height: 2 1/2 stories; 35 feet maximum.

H. Building length: no more than eight units in a row or 100 feet; no more than two contiguous units without variation in setback.

I. Distance between buildings. Breaks between buildings and groupings shall be 35 feet minimum at the closest point.

J. Building access. A twenty-foot minimum open space shall be maintained along the building front and a twelve-foot open space on sides and rear. This area may include pedestrian walkways and well-spaced landscaping.

K. Unit size: subject to Planning Board review.

L. Sidewalks and pedestrian circulation: subject to Planning Board review.

M. Open space. A minimum of 30% of the total lot area shall be provided and maintained as open or green space. Such space may not include parking.

N. Where possible, natural landscaping features shall be maintained to preserve existing natural resources.

§ 224-76 Exceptions.

[1997 Code § 224-76]

The height limits in this article shall not apply to church spires, belfries, cupolas or chimneys, provided that:

A. The total area covered by all such features shall not exceed 20% of the total roof area.

B. The height of such features shall not be more than 10 feet above the average roof level.

§ 224-77 Design standards.

[1997 Code § 224-77]

The following general design standards shall apply, subject to Planning Board review and approval:

A. All units shall be designed within an overall theme or motif.

B. Building construction shall consist solely of brick, wood, stone and other natural materials.

C. Sidewalks and pedestrian walkways shall be constructed of brick, Belgian block or other natural materials.

D. All lampposts and traffic signs within the center shall be constructed of natural materials.

§ 224-78 Landscaping and buffers.

[1997 Code § 224-78]

A. All areas not covered by roadways and parking areas or pedestrian walkways shall be landscaped with natural materials. A landscaping plan shall be submitted as part of the site plan application. Such plan shall be designed to preserve existing natural resources.

B. The following minimum standards shall apply:

(1) Planters. An internal planter consisting of brick, railroad ties or other natural materials of four square feet minimum shall be provided for each 20 feet of sidewalk or walkway.

(2) Parking areas. At least 5% of the parking area shall be landscaped, and a minimum of one tree for each 10 parking spaces shall be installed. The landscaping shall be located in protected areas, along walkways, in center islands and in all irregular spaces not used for parking. In narrow islands, low-spreading plants, such as creeping juniper, English ivy, myrtle and pachysandra, are appropriate.

(3) Trees. Two trees per each commercial unit shall be provided.

(4) Buffers. Buffers of eight feet minimum shall be provided between all common parking areas and adjacent design commercial uses. This width may be increased, at the discretion of the Planning Board, for adjacent existing uses. Perimeter parking buffers are contained in Section 224-75E. Such buffers shall:

(a) Consist of natural vegetation and/or in combination with new plantings of trees, evergreens and deciduous materials.

(b) Be of sufficient height and density to minimize headlights of vehicles, noise and light from structures. The only exception to this requirement shall be ingress and egress lanes and five feet to each side of such lanes.

(5) Landscaping shall be located to provide for climate control.

(6) Landscaping shall be utilized to compliment and accent buildings.

(7) All landscaping in parking areas will be carefully located so as not to obstruct vision.

(8) All planting shall be maintained and replaced regularly.

(9) Landscaping shall comply with the general standards contained in Section 224-129 of this chapter.

§ 224-79 Parking.

[1997 Code § 224-79]

Parking requirements shall conform to Section 224-128 of this chapter.

§ 224-80 Lighting.

[1997 Code § 224-80]

A. For all uses in this district, adequate lighting to ensure safe pedestrian and vehicular travel shall be provided, subject to Board review as part of the site plan process.

B. All lighting shall be designed in the style and theme of the project.

C. Lighting shall conform to Article XX, Section 224-130 of this chapter.

§ 224-81 Other regulations.

[1998 Code § 224-81]

A. All uses, principal and accessory, within this district are subject to Planning Board site plan review and approval.

B. Minimum roadway widths for ingress and egress lanes at entrance drives to the site shall be:

(1) One-way: 18 feet.

(2) Two-way: 30 feet.

C. All uses within this district shall be required to submit an impact statement as part of the site plan review process. The statement will include information called for in Article XX, Section 224-120R and additionally shall include the following for all uses:

(1) A general lighting and graphics program.

(2) Fire protection, police and other security systems.

(3) A circulation and off-street parking plan.

(4) A solid waste management recycling and disposal plan, including provisions for all waste resulting from on-site uses.

(5) A landscaping and preservation plan, including existing natural features.

(6) An open space plan and landscape maintenance program.

(7) An off-tract traffic survey showing the impact of the proposed facility on existing roadways.

(8) An energy conservation program for operation.

D. The traffic plan submitted with the impact statement shall clearly delineate and define traffic circulation. All existing and proposed roadways shall be shown. The Planning Board shall determine which roadways shall be public and which shall remain private.

E. All uses within this district shall be required to submit a block model of the site plan at a scale of one inch equals 50 feet as part of the site plan review process.