TOWNSHIP of BURLINGTON Comprehensive Master Plan
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TOWNSHIP of BURLINGTON Burlington County, New Jersey Comprehensive Master Plan Adopted 07/10/2008 Prepared By Burlington Township Planning DEDICATION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This 2008 Comprehensive Master Plan is dedicated to all residents of Burlington Township. Special acknowledgement is given to all municipal staff who contribute daily to the well being of our residents. A sincere thank you is given to all Township volunteers whose dedication to municipal service help define the character of our community. Township of Burlington 2008 Mayor and Council Honorable Stephen M. George, Mayor Carl M. Schoenborn, Council President Richard W. Quinn, Jr., President Pro-Tem Brian Carlin, Councilman E. L. Pete Green, Councilman George M. Kozub, Councilman Harry McConnell, Councilman Sandra V. Stewart, Councilwoman Kevin J. McLernon, Administrator Anthony J. Carnivale, Jr., R.M.C., Township Clerk Kenneth S. Domzalski, Esquire, Township Solicitor Robert L. Schreibel, P.E., P.P., C.M.E., Township Engineer 2008 Burlington Planning Board Charleen J. George, Chairperson Robert G. Davis, Vice Chairperson Honorable Stephen M. George, Mayor Brian Carlin, Council Representative and Member William Diamond, Fire Chief and Member Charles Kelly, Member Delbert D. Rife, Member Louis Schimenti, School Board Representative and Member Lacey Walker, Member Joseph Sabatino, Alternate Member #1 Celeste Niles, Alternate Member #2 Planning Board Staff Eileen R. Liss, Planning Board Secretary David M. Serlin, Esquire, Planning Board Solicitor Robert L. Schreibel, P.E., P.P., CME, Burlington Township Engineer Scott Hatfield, P.E., C.M.E., Burlington Township Assistant Engineer Wayne E. Haussler, P.E., P.T.O.E., P.P., Planning Board Traffic Engineer Joseph S. Augustyn, P.P., AICP, Associate, Alaimo Group Kevin D. Rijs, P.P., AICP, Senior Project Manager, Alaimo Group Mark E. Everett, P.P., AICP, Senior Project Manager, Alaimo Group TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW A. Land Use Planning in Burlington: Intent and Purpose B. Burlington Township: General Overview C. Northeast Regional Context II. STRATEGIC VISION, COMMUNITY GOALS, OBJECTIVES, POLICIES, AND ACHIEVEMENTS. III. MASTER PLAN ELEMENTS A. Land Use Plan B. Housing Element & Fair Share Plan (separate document) C. Community Design Plan D. Community Facilities Plan E. Circulation Plan F. Open Space and Recreation Plan G. Natural Resources Conservation Plan H. Utility Infrastructure and Service Plan I. Municipal Stormwater Management Plan (MSWMP) (separate document) J. Recycling and Energy Conservation Plan IV. LOCAL AND REGIONAL PLAN CONSISTENCY: A. Adjoining Municipalities: Municipal Zone Plan Comparison B. NJ State Development & Redevelopment Plan PLANS AND MAPS: 1. Land Use Map 2. Zoning Map 3. Community Facilities Plan 4. Circulation Plan 5. Road Map with Functional Classification 6. Recreation and Open Space Inventory 7. Environmental Features 8. Ground Water Recharge Areas 9. Soils 10. Water Supply System 11. Water Distribution Plan 12 . Sanitary Sewer System APPENDICIES: x 2000 U.S. Census Data Tables x Adjoining Municipalities: Municipal Zone Plan Comparisons x DVRPC select Destination 2030 Maps: - 2030 Land Use Plan - 2030 Greenspace Network (Southern New Jersey) - 2030 Conservation Focus Areas (Southern New Jersey) - 2004 Protected Lands - 2030 Regional Trails Network (Southern New Jersey) - 2030 Major Regional Transportation Projects - 2030 Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Infrastructure - Congested Corridors (Southern New Jersey) - 2030 Delaware Valley Aviation Facilities INCORPORATED DOCUMENTS: x Master Plan Land Use Analysis & Recommendations Age Restricted Accommodations. February 1, 2005 x Aqua Lane Redevelopment Area. December 13, 2005 x Preliminary Investigation and Proposed Redevelopment Plan – Route 130 Corridor Redevelopment Area/South. June 2007 x Route 541/295 Interchange Redevelopment Plan. August 31, 2007 I. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW The 2008 Comprehensive Master Plan serves to supplement, and where appropriate, amend or supersede specific sections in the Township's previous Master Plans. The Burlington Township Planning Board prepared the 2008 Comprehensive Master Plan to specifically provide for the following urgent community needs: 1. Maintain strong, sustainable, equitable and balanced tax based community economics. 2. Contain municipal service needs. 3. Preserve and protect natural resources and appropriate remaining open space areas including wetlands, floodplains, aesthetic vistas, forests, stream corridors, wildlife habitats, special soils, groundwater supplies and aquifer recharge areas. 4. Simplify municipal land use and zoning regulations and processes. Burlington Township’s previous Master Plan (1998) was focused on revisiting Master Plan Goals and Objectives; simplifying and consolidating proposed land uses and establishing a basis for updating the zoning ordinance; establishing a Conservation Plan complementary to open space preservation goals and objectives; and identifying passive open space preservation opportunities, techniques and funding sources. Burlington Township is a highly educated and demographically young, suburban, residential community of over twenty thousand (20,000) people. It covers approximately fourteen (14) square miles, and is strategically located along the New Jersey Turnpike (exit 5), Interstate 295 (exit 47), and Route 130. The Burlington-Bristol Bridge in neighboring Burlington City provides a valuable connection to Interstate 95. The nearby interchange in Florence Township offers direct access to both New Jersey and Pennsylvania Turnpikes. The most notable recent shifts between land use values is an 8% (62% to 70%) increase in residential value and a reduction of 3% (6% to 3%) value in remaining vacant land. In 2006, taxable values show approximately seventy percent (70%) residential, two percent (2%) apartment, seventeen percent (17%) commercial, eight percent (8%) industrial and three (3%) vacant. In 1998, Burlington’s tax base was comprised of the following mix, approximately sixty- two percent (62%) residential, three percent (3%) apartment, eighteen percent (18%) commercial, eleven percent (11%) industrial and six (6%) vacant. I. Page 1 of 9 Burlington has one of the lowest Municipal Government equalized property tax rates in Burlington County, and an A-1 credit rating. According to the NJ DCA Division of local government services, as of 2006 there were 289 vacant parcels in the Burlington Township (tax value $59,427,950 or 3% of the Total Municipal Value). In 1998 there were 1,101 vacant parcels (tax value $52,433,450 or 6% of the Total Municipal Value). Farmland parcels for the same period have decreased from 17 to 9. Burlington's remaining natural resources include stream corridors, lakes, forested areas, tidal estuaries and wetlands/floodplains. The Township has approximately 3.26-miles of Delaware River frontage. 100% 2% 3% 8% Apartment Value 11% 90% 17% 80% 18% Industrial Value 70% 60% Commercial Value 50% 40% 70% 62% 30% Residential Value 20% 10% Vacant Land Value 6% 3% 0% 2006 1998 I. Page 2 of 9 A. Land Use Planning in Burlington: Intent and Purpose The New Jersey Municipal Land Use Law (MLUL) requires each municipal planning board to adopt a Master Plan in order to implement zoning. The Master Plan serves as the basis for a municipality’s zoning ordinance. Burlington’s Master Plan guides and informs the decision making process involving all zoning provisions: The Township of Burlington is consistent with the intent and purpose of the “Municipal Land Use Law” of 1975, N.J.S. 40:55D (MLUL) by: 1. Guiding the appropriate use of its lands in a manner which promotes the public health, safety, morals, and general welfare; 2. Securing safety from fire, flood, panic and other natural and man-made disasters; 3. Providing abundant light, air and open space; 4. Ensuring that development of the community does not conflict with the development and general welfare of neighboring municipalities, the county and the State as a whole; 5. Promoting the establishment of appropriate population densities and concentrations that will contribute to the well-being of persons, neighborhoods, communities and regions and preservation of the environment; 6. Encouraging the appropriate and efficient expenditure of public funds by the coordination of public development with land use policies; 7. Providing sufficient space in appropriate locations for a variety of agricultural, residential, recreational, commercial and industrial uses and open space, both public and private, according to their respective environmental requirements in order to meet the needs of Township residents; 8. Encouraging the location and design of transportation routes which will promote the free flow of traffic; I. Page 3 of 9 9. Promoting a desirable visual environment through creative development techniques and good civic design and arrangement; 10. Promoting the conservation of open space, energy resources and valuable natural resources, and preventing urban sprawl and degradation of the environment through improper use of land; 11. Encouraging planned developments which incorporate the best features of design and layout; 12. Encouraging senior citizen community housing construction; 13. Encouraging coordination of the various public and private procedures and activities shaping land development with a view of lessening the cost of such development and to the more efficient use of land; 14. Promoting utilization of renewable energy resources; and 15. Promoting