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JACKSON TOWNSHIP'S HOUSES OF WORSHIP ORDINANCE AMENDMENT IS TABLED AS COUNCIL REVIEWS NOTICE REQUIREMENTS


Jackson Township's Council has tabled their final reading on Ordinance 14-23 as they review the Statutory notice requirements for such an ordinance amendment, Council President Martin Flemming announced.


Flemming was likely referring to the Municipal Land Use Law's requirement of "personal notice" to all affected property owners before final adoption of zoning ordinances which proposes "a change to the classification or boundaries of a zoning district."




Under the Township's current zoning ordinances, houses of worship are permitted as a conditional use in the R1, R2, R3, R5, R9, R15, R20, PMURD, MF, MUNC, HC and NC zones provided that the lot, use and structures shall adhere to the following:


Lots shall not have their primary frontage or access on a residential access or residential neighborhood street or any lower order street, as defined by the Residential Site Improvement Standards.


The required minimum lot area shall be two acres.
The required minimum lot width shall be 200 feet.
The required minimum lot frontage shall be 200 feet.
No principal building shall be located closer than 100 feet to any public street right-of-way and no closer than 50 feet to any rear or side property line.
No accessory building or structure shall be permitted in any front yard, nor shall any accessory building or structure be located closer than 30 feet to any rear or side property line.
The maximum permitted building coverage shall be 25%.
Perimeter buffer. A landscaped buffer shall be required around the entire length of side and rear property lines, except where access drives or other accessory features must, of necessity, traverse this reserved strip. The minimum landscape buffer widths shall be as follows: From a nonresidential use or district: 25 feet. From a residential use or district: 50 feet. A required buffer shall be landscaped with trees, shrubs, and other suitable plantings for beautification and screening. Natural vegetation should be retained to the maximum degree possible. On those sites where no existing vegetation is present or existing vegetation is inadequate to provide screening, the applicant shall suitably grade and plant the required buffer area, such that this planting shall provide an adequate screen of at least six feet in height so as to continually restrict the view. A minimum on-center distance between plantings shall be such that upon maturity the buffer will create a solid screen. The buffer may be supplemented with a fence of solid material where necessary.


Other site standards: The front yard, exclusive of walkways, pavilion areas, or driveways, shall be landscaped with grass, trees, shrubs, ground cover, flowers, existing vegetation, or any suitable combination thereof. Plantings shall conform, however, to restrictions on corner lot placement, in order to protect visibility.


Under the introduced amended ordinance, houses of worship will also be permitted as a conditional use in the R30, RG2, and RG3 zones.


Houses of worship will be permitted to include a social (banquet) hall for hosting events related and ancillary to the practice of religion, a mikvah (which may be part of the shul building or a principal use in a freestanding building), and a parsonage house or dwelling unit for the religious leader (it is unclear whether this will be permitted only as part of the shul building or even in a separate freestanding building).


In the R1, R2, R3, R5, R20, R30, RG2, RG3, HC, NC, PMURD, MUNC and MF zones:


As in the existing ordinance, lots shall not have their sole frontage or access on a residential access or residential neighborhood street or any lower order street, as defined by the Residential Site Improvement Standards.


In a NC or HC zone a house of worship is permitted on a local street.


The required minimum lot area shall be one acre.
The maximum building height of any principal structure shall be 35 feet.



Bulk Standards for houses of worship on lots between one and two acres:


The required minimum lot width shall be 150 feet or the requirement of the zone, whichever is greater.
(It appears that the existing minimum lot frontage will be eliminated).
Minimum Lot Depth: 200’ or the requirement of the zone, whichever is greater
Minimum Front Yard: 60’
Minimum Side Yard (each): 20’
Minimum Rear Yard: 50’
Maximum building coverage: 20% of the gross lot area or the maximum permitted in the zone, whichever is greater
Maximum lot coverage: 70% of the gross lot area
Parking shall be permitted in the front yard provided parking is set back 15 feet from the
public street right-of-way. Parking located within a front yard shall be screened from the adjacent right-of-way with a hedgerow or closely grouped cluster of plantings that shall be maintained at a height of no less than 20” and no greater 30”. In no event shall screening interfere with sight triangles.
Parking area, circulation drive and/or accessory structure setback to any side or rear property line adjacent to a residentially zoned property shall be 10 feet.
Parking area and circulation drive setback to any side or rear property line adjacent to commercially or industrially zoned properties shall be 3 feet.
A decorative, solid six 6 foot fence and and/or natural vegetative buffer of a minimum width of 5’ shall be provided along all parking, circulation drives and structures adjacent to residential zones or properties improved with residential uses.


Bulk Standards for houses of worship on lots two acres or greater:


The required minimum lot width shall be 200 feet.
The required minimum lot frontage shall be 200 feet.
No principal building shall be located closer than 100 feet to any public street right- of-way and no closer than 50 feet to any rear or side property line.
No accessory building or structure shall be permitted in any front yard, nor shall any accessory building or structure be located closer than 30 feet to any rear or side property line.
The maximum permitted building coverage shall be 25%.

Buffer requirements:


Perimeter buffer. A landscaped buffer shall be required around the entire length of
side and rear property lines, except where access drives or other accessory features
must, of necessity, traverse this reserved strip. The minimum landscape buffer widths
shall be as follows:
i. From a nonresidential use or district: 25 feet.
ii. From a residential use or district: 50 feet.
A required buffer shall be landscaped with trees, shrubs, and other suitable plantings for beautification and screening. Natural vegetation should be retained to the maximum degree possible. On those sites where no existing vegetation is present or existing vegetation is inadequate to provide screening, the applicant shall suitably grade and plant the required buffer area, such that this planting shall provide an
adequate screen of at least six feet in height so as to continually restrict the view. A minimum on-center distance between plantings shall be such that upon maturity the buffer will create a solid screen. The buffer may be supplemented with a fence of solid material where necessary.

Other site standards: The front yard, exclusive of walkways, pavilion areas, or driveways, shall be landscaped with grass, trees, shrubs, ground cover, flowers, existing vegetation, or any suitable combination thereof. Plantings shall conform, however, to restrictions on corner lot placement, in order to protect visibility.

Located in the R9 or R15 district:

Houses of worship must have the primary frontage on a local road or a road of a higher order, as
defined by the Residential Site Improvement Standards. Houses of worship shall not be located
mid-block and shall be situated on a corner lot.

The required minimum area of the lot or tract is the minimum lot area for the zoning district or 20,000 square feet, whichever is greater.

The maximum building height of any principal structure shall not exceed 35 feet.

Bulk Standards:
Minimum Lot Width: 80 feet or the requirement of the zone, whichever is greater
Minimum Lot Depth: 120 feet or the requirement of the zone, whichever is greater
Minimum Front Yard: 30 feet
Minimum Side Yard (each): 10 feet
Minimum Rear Yard: 30 feet
Maximum building coverage: 35% of the gross lot area
Maximum lot coverage: 70% of the gross lot area
Parking shall be permitted in the front yard provided parking is set back 15 feet from the public street right-of-way. Parking located within a front yard shall be screened from the adjacent
right-of-way with a hedgerow or closely grouped cluster of plantings that shall be maintained
at a height of no less than 20” and no greater 30”. In no event shall screening interfere with
sight triangles.
Parking area, circulation drive and/or accessory structure setback to any side or rear property
line adjacent to a residential use or zone shall be 10 feet.
Parking area and circulation drive setback to any side or rear property line adjacent to commercially or industrially zoned properties shall be 3 feet.
A decorative, solid 6 foot fence and and/or natural vegetative buffer of a minimum width of 5 feet shall be provided along all parking, circulation drives and structures adjacent to a residential use or zone.

Bulk standards and design criteria for Mikvah:


For a freestanding Mikvah as a principal use on a lot, the required minimum area of the lot or tract
is the minimum lot area for the zoning district or 20,000 square feet, whichever is greater.
Square Footage: Mikvahs shall be limited to 2,000 gross square feet in floor area and 4 changing
rooms in the R1, R2, R3, R5, R9, R15, R20, R30, RG2, RG3, PMURD, MUNC and MF zone districts. Mikvahs in the HC and NC zone districts shall not be subject to the floor area or changing room limitation.
The maximum building height of any principal structure shall not exceed 35 feet.
Mikvah’s serving as accessory to a House of Worship shall not have any additional parking
requirement beyond that of the House of Worship itself. In zones where Mikvahs are permitted as
a principal use, the parking requirement shall be 1 parking space per changing room plus 1
parking space per 400 square feet of associated reception or office space.


Bulk standards for a Mikvah as a freestanding principal use shall be as follows:



Maximum building coverage: 25% of the gross lot area or the maximum allowed in the zone, whichever is greater.
Maximum lot coverage: 70% of the gross lot area.
Parking shall be permitted in the front yard provided parking is set back 15 feet from the public street right-of-way. Parking located within a front yard shall be screened from the adjacent right-of-way with a hedgerow or closely grouped cluster of plantings that shall be maintained at a height of not less than 20” and no greater than
30”. In no event shall screening interfere with sight triangles.
Parking area, circulation drive and /or accessory structure setback to any side or rear property line shall be 10 feet.
Parking area, circulation drive and/or accessory structure setback to any side or rear property line adjacent to commercially or industrially zoned properties shall be 3 feet.
A decorative, solid 6 foot fence and and/or natural vegetative buffer of a minimum width of 10’ shall be provided along all parking, circulation drives and structures adjacent to residential zones or properties improved with residential uses. The
landscaping shall consist of a staggered row of Juniper (Juniperus), Arborvitae (Thuja), and/or Eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) (or other non-invasive species of plantings substantially similar in size and character) spaced no greater than 5 feet on center.


As previously reported here on FAA News, Jackson's Planning Board has already given their unanimous endorsement of this proposed ordinance.


(As previously reported here on FAA News, a review of the introduced Ordinance shows that many future shul applications may still require variances from the Zoning Board - something that shul applicants have been trying at all costs to avoid - as shuls in Jackson are currently only permitted as a Conditional Use, and under the amended Ordinance they will remain permitted only as a Conditional Use.


Additionally, it is possible that this Ordinance may be used to permit higher density residential development as homes which include a "house of worship" in one of the rooms may now be permitted with the higher density this new zoning ordinance is intended to provide as an accomodation only for houses of worship. By way of example, single family homes are currently permitted in the R2, R3, and R5 zones at 1 unit per 2 acres, 1 unit per 3 acres, and 1 unit per 5 acres, respectively. Under the introduced amended ordinance, a "house of worship with a residential home" would be permitted on 1 acres. To be fair though, this ordinance does not permit houses of worship in these zones on lots with primary frontage or access on a residential access or residential neighborhood street or any lower order street.)


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