Amendments to be Made to Land Use and Zoning Ordinances

Several zoning ordinances will soon be modified as the township committee did a first reading amending land use procedures and more.

“We’re just making standard updates with the current times,” Township Administrator Veronica Laureigh said. “You try to bring standards up to what’s being done today. People are doing solar and wind so we needed to put something in there.”

The laws make modifications for the procedures of variance applications, change standards for detached structures, add a line for solar and wind structures, update definitions regarding single-family units and more.

“It’s more for big projects,” Laureigh said. “If you need a building permit for a new roof, you still have to go to the zoning board. It’s not really going to impact the general public when it comes to doing minor things in the yards.”

The township does not necessarily make modifications to zoning ordinances on an annual basis but changes are especially important when the township is in the process of updating the Master Plan, a guiding document on land use and development, she said.

In October, the Planning Board developed a committee to

Since the Master Plan has not been updated in 15 years, applicants are approaching the township with a growing number of waivers and variances and boards have to reconsider ordinances because the plan is outdated, Committeeman and Planning Board member Gary Quinn said.

“We have to take and tighten up the zoning ordinances and really modify what’s permitted in what zone because it’s becoming a major problem,” Quinn previously said.

These updates primarily clean up the language so there aren’t any misinterpretations of how things should be done, Laureigh said.

The ordinances were previously approved by the zoning Board of Adjustment. The Township Committee must do a second reading at the Feb. 9 meeting before they are adopted.

Below is a brief description of each ammended ordinance.

Chapter 215, Land Use Procedures

The modification will require applicants to abide by the International Building Code when it comes to the lowest floor of a structure. It also deems a lot in which a dwelling was demolished as undeveloped.

Chapter 285, Site Plan Review

The Planning Board can grant a site plan waiver to any development, which would require site plan approval, if it consists of a building addition or an attached or detached accessory structure for the purposes of an exterior ground mounted equipment associated with solar or wind power.

Chapter 335, Zoning

A single family unit will be considered “a group of individuals not necessarily related by blood, marriage, adoption, or guardianship living together in a dwelling unit as a single housekeeping unit.” “Family” does not include any group living arrangements; for example, a fraternity or association.

The building height for accessory structures will be measured from the average grade on all sides to the highest point of any roof. Detached accessory buildings in residential zones cannot exceed 16 feet in height, as oppose to the previous 15 feet.

The maximum height of accessory buildings in an age-restricted multifamily residential development in the C-200 Limited Business Zone and the RO-150 Residential and Office Park Zone cannot exceed 16 feet, as oppose to the previous 20 feet.

Zoning permit applications for new residential construction must follow the International Building Code and all elevations must be according to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988.

In new residential construction, grading or the creation of sump conditions are not permitted on adjacent lots unless certain conditions are adhered to.

An as-built survey for all residential, commercial and industrial development must be submitted to the Zoning Officer for review and inspection by the Township Engineer prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy. Previously, the survey had to be submitted for the Zoning Officer’s approval.

Zoning permits for dwellings will cost the regular $50, plus $75 for engineer’s review of the plot plan submission and another $75 for engineering inspection.

The Zoning Officer can issue a “Stop Work Order” if it is determined that a zoning violation exists, with or without a zoning permit.