This chapter, comprising Chapter 250 of the Code of the Township of Old Bridge, shall be known and may be cited as the "Old Bridge Township Land Development Ordinance."
It is the intent and purpose of this chapter
to exercise the authority delegated to municipalities by the New Jersey
Municipal Land Use Law (N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1 et seq.) and, in conformance
with the purposes of such law:
A.
To guide the appropriate use or development of all
lands within the boundaries of the Township of Old Bridge in a manner
that will promote and protect the public health, safety, morals and
general welfare and which is consistent with the availability and
capacity of public facilities and services;
B.
To secure safety from fire, flood, panic and other
natural and man-made disasters;
C.
To provide adequate light, air, and open space;
D.
To ensure that the development of the municipality
does not conflict with the development and general welfare of neighboring
municipalities, the county and the state as a whole;
E.
To establish population densities and concentrations
which:
(1)
Provide for a moderate increase in the existing rural
and suburban areas of the municipality so as to avoid scattered development
and premature construction of public facilities;
(2)
Will contribute to the well-being of persons, neighborhoods,
communities and regions and the preservation of the environment; and
(3)
Are consistent with the character and density of surrounding
developed areas, topography, adequacy of circulation and other community
facilities;
F.
To encourage the appropriate and efficient expenditure
of public funds by the coordination of public development with land
use policies;
G.
To provide sufficient space in appropriate locations
for a variety of uses and open space, both public and private, according
to their respective environmental requirements;
H.
To encourage the location and design of transportation
routes that will promote the free flow of traffic while discouraging
locations of such facilities and routes that result in congestion
or blight;
I.
To promote a desirable visual environment through
creative development techniques, good civil design and arrangements;
J.
To promote the conservation of open space and valuable
natural resources and to prevent urban sprawl and degradation of the
environment through improper use of land;
K.
To encourage senior citizen community housing construction;
L.
To encourage coordination of the various public and
private procedures and activities shaping land development with a
view to lessening the cost of such development and to the more efficient
use of land;
M.
To promote the conservation of energy through the
use of planning practices designed to reduce energy consumption and
to provide for maximum utilization of renewable energy sources;
N.
To achieve the desired ends of the Township's growth
management policies by limiting development which is dependent on
public facilities outside of growth areas to a fixed number of permits
per annum, in accordance with the Old Bridge Township Master Plan
and Capital Improvements Program, unless it is otherwise determined
that the Township has sufficient resources to accommodate land development
over and above the planned growth rate, as therein set forth;
O.
To preserve the ecology of water-related areas, such
as freshwater and saltwater wetlands, floodplains, and aquifer recharge
areas;
P.
To preserve the visual character of existing open
spaces;
Q.
To encourage rural residential clustering for the
preservation of open space;
R.
To encourage a large lot, single-family land use pattern
in appropriate locations;
S.
To reinforce the single-family land use pattern on
smaller lots using intensive landscaping and classical fencing;
T.
To promote the development of a new town center for
the Township of Old Bridge through the mix and distribution of appropriate
land uses and densities;
U.
To promote the rehabilitation of housing and the improvement
of deteriorating neighborhoods;
V.
To reinforce the existing urban areas with sidewalks,
landscaping and street furniture;
W.
To promote extensive landscaping, including street
trees at close spacing, landscaping in industrial, commercial, as
well as residential areas;
X.
To encourage the rehabilitation of existing commercial
areas, with particular consideration given to the issues of curbing,
landscaping, front and rear facade improvements and buffering, through
the use of creative design standards;
Y.
To limit high density residential development to detached
or semidetached homes with intensive landscaping along the streetscape;
or townhouses with fenced front yards with intensive street landscaping;
Z.
To promote the renewal of the Raritan Bay waterfront
area;
AA.
To promote the creation of new and innovative recreational
and leisure activities for all residents; and
In interpreting and applying the provisions
of this chapter, all such provisions shall be held to be the minimum
standards and requirements for the promotion of the public safety,
health, convenience and general welfare. In the event of a conflict
between the provisions of any sections of this chapter, the more restrictive
provision shall control. Where this chapter imposes a greater restriction
upon the use of any structure or land, or the height of structures,
or requires larger open spaces or areas than are imposed or required
by other ordinances or private easements, covenants or other agreements,
the provisions of this chapter shall control.
A.
Subsequent to the adoption of this chapter, including without limitation the Zoning Map adopted pursuant to Article VII, and any revisions to the Zoning Map or this chapter, three copies of the Zoning Map and this chapter shall be authenticated by the Mayor's signature, and the Seal of the municipality, attested by the Township Clerk, under the following certificates:
(1)
With respect to this chapter:
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"I certify that this document includes the Official
Land Development ordinances of the Township of Old Bridge, New Jersey,
adopted pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1 et seq., including without limitation
ordinances regarding zoning, site plan and subdivision control."
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(2)
With respect to the Zoning Map:
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"I certify that this is the Official Zoning
Map of the Township of Old Bridge, New Jersey, referred to in the
ordinances of the Township of Old Bridge, New Jersey."
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B.
Maintenance of the Zoning Map and this chapter. Authenticated
copies of the Zoning Map and this chapter shall be maintained in the
office of the Township Clerk and the Township Department of Community
Development and shall be made available for public reference. Copies
of all or a part of the Zoning Map and this chapter may be reproduced
for public distribution. One authenticated copy of the Official Zoning
Map and this chapter shall be forwarded to the Middlesex County Planning
Board by the Township Clerk in accordance with N.J.S.A. 40:55D-16.
However, the original copy of the Official Zoning Map and this chapter
shall be maintained in the office of the Township Clerk and shall
be the final authority as to the current status of zoning districts
and land development regulations in the Township of Old Bridge.
