§ 175-63. Standards for development review.

   In reviewing any plan, the Board shall consider:

   A.   Pedestrian and vehicular traffic movement within and adjacent to the site with particular emphasis on the provision and layout of parking areas, off-street loading and unloading, movement of people, goods and vehicles from access roads within the site, between buildings and between buildings and vehicles. The Planning Board shall ensure that all parking spaces are usable and are safely and conveniently arranged. Access to the site from adjacent roads shall be designed so as to interfere as little as possible with traffic flow on these roads and to permit vehicles a rapid and safe ingress and egress to the site. All of the above shall be consistent with municipal, county and state requirements.

   B.   The design and layout of buildings and parking areas shall be reviewed so as to provide an aesthetically pleasing design and efficient arrangement. Particular attention shall be given to safety and fire protection, impact on surrounding development and contiguous and adjacent buildings and lands.

   C.   Adequate lighting shall be provided to ensure safe movement of persons and vehicles and for security purposes. Lighting standards shall be a type approved by the Planning Board. Directional lights shall be arranged so as to minimize glare and reflection on adjacent properties.

   D.   Buffering shall be located around the perimeter of the site to minimize headlights of vehicles, noise, light from structures, the movement of people and vehicles and to shield activities from adjacent properties when necessary. Buffering may consist of fencing, evergreens, shrubs, bushes, deciduous trees or combinations thereof to achieve the stated objectives.

   E.   Landscaping shall be provided as part of the overall site plan design and integrated into building arrangements, topography, parking and buffering requirements. Landscaping shall include trees, bushes, shrubs, ground cover, perennials, annuals, plants, sculpture, art and/or the use of building and paving materials in an imaginative manner.

   F.   Signs shall be designed so as to be aesthetically pleasing, harmonious with other signs on the site and located so as to achieve their purpose without constituting hazards to vehicles and pedestrians.

   G.   Storm drainage, sanitary waste disposal, water supply and garbage disposal shall be reviewed and considered. Particular emphasis shall be given to the adequacy of existing systems and the need for improvements, both on-site and off-site, to adequately carry runoff and sewage and to maintain an adequate supply of water at sufficient pressure.

   H.   Environmental elements relating to soil erosion, preservation of trees, protection of watercourses, and resources, noise, topography, soil and animal life shall be reviewed and the design of the plan shall minimize any adverse impact on these elements.

   I.   The extent to which the standards of the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan have been observed in the design of the development.

   J.   The balance of costs to the town of servicing the project and the revenues to be gained shall be considered in terms of the potential impact upon tax rates.

   K.   Design standards for Downtown Districts and Gateway Districts, as per Article XII, § 175-160.

[Added 11-28-2011 by Ord. No. 23-2011]