[Amended 1-14-80 by Ord. No. 79-203; 8-27-01 by Ord. No. 01-28; 09-21-15 Ord. 15-16]
Editor's Note: RP Ordinance was amended in its entirety 8-27-01
by Ord. No. 01-28.
Unless specifically prohibited in this article, the following
regulations shall apply to all R-P Districts.
The purposes of the RP Single-Family Rural Preservation District
are:
A.
To promote the retention of existing agricultural lands and to support
ongoing agricultural activities through a combination of land use
policy, acquisition of development rights, creative development techniques
and limitations on land use activities that interfere with continued
farming;
B.
To retain the largely undeveloped and rural character which pervades
western and southwestern East Brunswick, in part by limiting the introduction
of growth-inducing infrastructure;
C.
To provide land use management strategies which promote the conservation
of sensitive natural resources and which limit the impact of future
development of this area;
D.
To promote the conservation of open space through public acquisition,
acquisition of less than fee interests and implementation of land
use policies supportive of permanent preservation of open space areas;
E.
To support the objectives of the State Development and Redevelopment
Plan including the retention of large contiguous areas of agriculture
and open space, and providing for development which respects the carrying
capacity of land and water resources while also preserving unique
and sensitive natural areas.
Principal uses and buildings permitted are as follows:
A.
Single Family dwellings.
B.
Public recreational and community center buildings and grounds including
but not limited to parks and playgrounds.
C.
Structures used for private and commercial horticultural, agricultural
or forestry purposes, exclusive of greenhouses; provided that no structure
or areas enclosing farm animals of any kind shall be within seventy-five
(75) feet of any lot line.
D.
All agricultural activities and farm related uses of land which meet
the definition in the New Jersey Farmland Assessment Act.
E.
Buildings used exclusively by the federal, state, county or local
government for public purposes.
F.
Family day care home.
[Added 09-21-15 Ord. 15-16]
A.
Places of assembly based upon the following standards:
[Amended 09-21-15 Ord. 15-16]
[Added 09-21-15 Ord. 15-16]
Accessory uses, structures and buildings permitted are as follows:
A.
Home occupations as defined in § 228-3A of this chapter.
B.
Private garages as defined in § 228-3A of this chapter, provided, however, that the garage shall be for not more than three private cars or two private cars and one commercial vehicle that is no greater than 20 feet in length, 7 feet in width or 8 feet in height, as defined in § 228-224C.
C.
Greenhouses are a permitted accessory use and structure provided
that the aggregate square footage of all structures situated on the
site do not exceed 55,000 square feet or fifteen percent (15%) coverage
of the total lot area, whichever is less.
D.
As part of a permitted principal agricultural, nursery or horticultural
use, landscape contracting and sales of products grown on the site
are permitted accessory uses provided the activities are subordinate
to the permitted primary use of the site, including but not limited
to a farm, forest tract or nursery.
E.
Cottage industry when conducted as an accessory use on the same tract
as a permitted principal agricultural or horticultural use and as
defined in § 228-3A of this chapter. Such use shall be clearly
incidental and secondary to the use of the property for agricultural
or horticultural purposes and does not change the character thereof.
Prohibited uses and buildings are as follows:
B.
Professional occupations.
D.
Sex clubs and massage parlors.
E.
Newspaper Vending Machines.
F.
Limousine or livery service.
G.
Storage yard for wreckers and damaged or disabled vehicles associated
with a wrecker operation.
H.
Sale of products not crafted on the agricultural property from which
they are sold.
I.
Second kitchens in single-family dwellings.
[Amended 09-21-15 Ord. 15-16]
B.
Contiguous Parcel - Open Lands Cluster Development - one dwelling
unit per three and one-half (3.5) acres provided that:
1.
The application for development shall involve a tract with a minimum
of seven (7) contiguous acres.
2.
Development may be arranged on lots no less than fifty thousand (50,000)
square feet in area;
3.
Sixty-five percent (65%) of the tract shall be designated as "open
lands" and deed restricted against further development;
4.
The design of a development utilizing this option and the open lands
resulting from it shall promote the following Township objectives:
Retention of large contiguous farmland areas, stream corridor and
wetlands preservation, steep slope protection, reduction of impervious
coverage, protection of the site's natural features, connections to
and between approved open lands on neighboring parcels, and compliance
with the design criteria set forth in subsection 6.10;
5.
The development is in compliance with Municipal Land Use Law 40:55D-45
"Findings for Planned Development";
6.
All lots created shall be deed restricted against further subdivision;
7.
The required open lands shall be contained in one deed restricted
contiguous parcel;
8.
Preliminary Approval shall be conditioned upon the applicant obtaining
Health Department approval and Department of Environmental Protection
approval (to the extent required by state law) for any proposed community
septic system.
C.
Planned Development Utilizing Noncontiguous Parcel Clustering - one
dwelling unit per three and one-half (3.5) acres provided that:
1.
The application for development shall involve tracts with a minimum
of seven (7) total acres.
2.
All parcels shall be in the RP Rural Preservation Zone;
3.
Minimum lot area shall be thirty thousand (30,000) square feet;
4.
The development is in compliance with Municipal Land Use Law 40:55D-45
"Findings for Planned Developments";
5.
Preliminary Approval shall be conditioned upon the applicant obtaining
Health Department approval and Department of Environmental Protection
approval (to the extend required by state law) for any proposed community
septic system;
6.
Seventy-five percent (75%) of the combined area of the non-contiguous
parcels shall be designated as "open lands" and deed restricted against
any further development.
7.
The design of a development utilizing this option and the open lands
resulting from it shall promote the following Township objectives:
Retention of large contiguous farmland areas, stream corridor and
wetlands preservation, steep slope protection, reduction of impervious
coverage, protection of the site's natural features, connections to
and between approved open lands on neighboring parcels, and compliance
with the design criteria set forth in subsection 6.10;
8.
All lots created shall be deed restricted against further subdivision.
D.
Dedication of Prime Agricultural Lands - one Dwelling Unit per three
acres.
1.
For either Contiguous Open Land Cluster Development or Planned Development
Utilizing Non-Contiguous Parcel Clustering, the density of a development
where all the designated "open lands" consist of Prime Agricultural
Soils may be one dwelling unit per three acres.
E.
Planned Senior Citizen Residence ("PSCR") Option Within RP Zone -
one dwelling unit per two acres.
1.
The application for development shall involve a tract with a minimum
of three hundred and fifty (350) contiguous acres.
2.
Minimum lot area shall be five thousand (5,000) square feet.
3.
The development shall be found to be in compliance with Municipal
Land Use Law 40:55D-45 "Findings for Planned Developments".
4.
Preliminary Approval shall be conditioned upon the applicant obtaining
Health Department approval and Department of Environmental Protection
approval (to the extent required by state law) for any proposed community
septic system or sewer system.
5.
No extension of the sewer system to service such a development will
be approved unless the extension is confined to the area immediately
contiguous to the end of the existing sewer system northwest of Cranbury
Road.
6.
Eighty percent (80%) of the total area of all tracts shall be designated
as "open lands" and deed restricted against any further development.
7.
The design of a development utilizing this option and the open land
resulting from it shall promote the following Township objectives:
Retention of large contiguous farmland areas, stream corridor and
wetlands preservation, steep slope protection, reduction of impervious
coverage, creation of public recreation and open space, protection
of the site's natural features, connections to and between approved
open lands on neighboring parcels, and compliance with the design
criteria set forth in subsection 6.10.
8.
All lots created as part of the PSCR shall be deed-restricted against
further subdivision.
9.
At least ten percent (10%) of the units constructed as part of the
PSCR shall be affordable to and occupied by low-and moderate-income
households.
10.
All units are to be one story, single-family detached.
11.
Bulk requirements are as follows:
[Added 09-21-15 Ord. 15-16]
A.
Minimum Lot Width: one hundred twenty (120) feet.
B.
Front Yard Setback for Principal and Accessory Structures: fifty
(50) feet.
C.
Side Yard Setback for Principal and Accessory Structures: one side:
20 feet; two sides: forty (40) feet.
D.
Rear Yard Setback: forty (40) feet.
E.
Accessory Building Rear Yard Setback: fifteen (15) feet.
F.
Maximum Height: thirty-five (35) feet.
G.
Building coverage: twenty-five (25%) percent.
A twenty-five (25) foot wide buffer is required to be located
on the residential lot where any proposed subdivision abuts an existing
agricultural use or open lands to be dedicated for agricultural use.
All buffer areas shall be planted and maintained with a dense screen
of trees, shrubs and evergreens of such a type and nature as to provide
a solid all-season screen. Such plant material shall be at least six
(6) feet in height when properly planted and the use of indigenous
native species arranged to resemble existing woodland patterns shall
be maximized. Existing tree lines and hedgerows are encouraged to
be incorporated into this buffer area.
A.
Where development must be located on open fields or pastures due
to greater constraints in other parts of the site, dwellings shall
be sited on the least prime agricultural soils, and in locations at
the far edges of the parcel, as far as possible from existing collector
or higher classification roads.
B.
Residential lots in the subdivision shall be visually buffered from
existing roads by a fifty (50) foot wide planting screen consisting
of a variety of indigenous native trees, shrubs and wildflowers to
maintain the rural character of the district.
C.
The subdivision shall be designed to protect existing hedgerows and
treelines between fields or meadows.
D.
Site development shall be arranged to leave significant views and
vistas unblocked or uninterrupted particularly as seen from existing
public roads.
Open lands created as a result of these regulations may be used
for recreation, agriculture, resource protection or amenity purposes.
Open lands shall be freely accessible to all residents of a development
if retained in private ownership or to the general public if in municipal
ownership with the exception that agricultural open land shall be
permitted to have access to that land restricted to those solely engaged
in agricultural pursuits, provided that such open lands are accessible
to other agricultural uses and lands. Land designated as "open lands"
shall be maintained as such and may not be separately sold, subdivided
or developed.
Any existing structure that was lawfully in OP-1 zone use as
of the effective date of this act may be enlarged or expanded provided
that such modification shall be carried out in accordance with the
OP-1 standards applicable as of the effective date of this act.
