Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • February 8, 2012 Waldwick Waldwick’s new comprehensive “Land Use Review and Zoning Regulations’ ordinance will have a public hearing next Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the borough council meeting. It represents the first comprehensive revision to the zoning ordinance since 1976. The 250-page document consolidates all development and zoning regulations into one combined chapter for ease and simplicity of reference. It was developed by the planning board under the direction of Planner Paul Grygiel and board Chairman E. Scott Lemmon and input from the borough council over several months. “This major undertaking is the basis on how we continue to move Waldwick forward into the future. It allows us to look into rules and regulations and bring them up to current speed,” commented Mayor Tom Giordano. The proposed ordinance replaces in their entirety five chapters totaling 900 pages adopted over the years: “Land Use Procedures”, “Subdivision of Land”, “Site Plan Review”, “Soil Movement” and “Zoning”. It also brings the land use development provisions up to date according to the processes, definitions and procedures of the New Jersey Municipal Land Use law and the Residential Site Council sets hearing on land use/zoning ordinance Improvement Standards. The new proposal relaxes parking requirements and adds provisions for mixed uses in commercial zones, limits oversized houses and temporary portable storage units in residential areas, and expands sections on definitions, banks and signage. Conversion of single-family houses into two-family houses is deleted, as are professional offices in the R-3 Village Residential District, and drive-in and drive-through restaurants in the VC-3 District. The VC-1 District, which allows light manufacturing, is also eliminated. All uses that are not specifically listed are prohibited, but nail salons, licensed massage therapy, tanning salons and child day care centers were added to the C-1 District. Banks were added as conditional uses in the C-2 Turnpike and C-3 Neighborhood districts. The C-3 district, which previously allowed only service businesses and professional offices, will now allow retail sales and child care day centers as permitted uses. Tattoo parlors are specifically prohibited in all zones. The I Limited Manufacturing-Industrial District now requires that all manufacturing and fabrication activities be contained within enclosed structures. Food vending machines and snack shops will be permitted as accessory uses for food consumed by patrons. Mixed uses, buildings which include apartments above non-residential uses on the ground floor, will be permitted as conditional uses in the VC-2 and VC-3 Village Center districts and the C-1 Village Commercial District. To accommodate the use, the building lot must be at least 10,000 sq. ft. with a minimum street frontage of 100 ft. A separate entrance must be provided to the upper floor, as well as two parking spaces per dwelling unit. Temporary storage units, commonly known as PODS, will require a temporary permit from the zoning official granted for an initial period of no more than 60 days, with the possibility of two 30-day extensions. No unit may remain on a property more than 120 days, cumulatively, within a 12-month period. Further extensions will require planning board approval. The unit, which may not exceed 16 ft. in length, must be placed in a location as directed by the zoning official, with preference given to the rear yard. There will be a $20 permit fee, and $10 for each extension. Off-street parking requirements will be cut in half for supermarkets, retail stores and assembly halls, from one space per 100 sq. ft. to one per 200 sq. ft. of floor area,. Restaurants will have to provide one space for every four seats and one for every two employees instead of one per two seats and one per employee. Banks will need eight spaces per teller instead of one per 200 sq. ft. of floor area; and medical offices will need a space per every 200 sq. ft. of floor area plus one space for every two employees, instead of five spaces per doctor plus one per employee. Residential driveways will be limited to 20 ft. in width, except that circular driveways extending from a driveway of 20 ft. shall be no wider than 11 ft. The setback to a property line is limited to three feet. “McMansions” will be regulated by using a floor-area ratio to limit their volume rather than their height alone. Also addressed are solar energy systems and wind energy conversion systems (WECS), all of which will require site plan approval from the planning board or the board of adjustment. Solar panels not to exceed 8 in. in height from the rooftop or 15 ft. in height if ground arrays will be permitted as accessory uses in any district. WECS will be permitted in residential districts on lots no smaller than .5 acres. They will be limited to one per property and a noise level not to exceed 55 decibels at the property line. The ordinance is available for review or copying at the Borough Clerk’s office during regular business hours for residents interested in reviewing it prior to the hearing.