CITY OF ORANGE TOWNSHIP
PUBLIC NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that the following Ordinance was Introduced and passed on First Reading on Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at 7:00 P.M. The Ordinance will be further considered on Second Reading and Final Passage at the Regular Meeting of the Orange City Council to be held at City Hall, 29 North Day Street, Orange, New Jersey on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 7:00 P.M. at which time and place all persons who may be interested therein will be given an opportunity to be heard concerning same. Information regarding remote access to the meeting may be found on the City’s website at www.orangenj.gov. and Council’s website at www.orangetwpnjcc.org. During the week prior to and up to and including the date of such meeting copies of the full ordinance will be available at no cost and during regular business hours at the Clerk’s office or on the Council’s website for the members of the general public who shall request the same.
42 26442-2026
AN ORDINANCE OF THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ORANGE TOWNSHIP, ESSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY, AMENDING CHAPTER 210 OF THE CITY OF ORANGE TOWNSHIP MUNICIPAL CODE, ENTITLED “DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS”, TO REQUIRE TRAFFIC STUDIES IN CONNECTION WITH CERTAIN SITE PLAN APPROVAL APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED TO THE PLANNING BOARD OR ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT, AS APPLICABLE.
(Sponsored by Council Member James H. Ward, III)
WHEREAS, the Municipal Land Use Law (“MLUL”), N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1 et seq., and Chapter 210 of the Municipal Code of the City of Orange Township, entitled “Development Regulations”, require site plan approval for: residential developments involving 3 or more dwelling units; all nonresidential developments; all changes of use involving additions to parking or loading facilities; some off-street parking developments; and, all accessory uses requiring variances or increasing vehicular traffic to the primary use; and,
WHEREAS, under the MLUL and Article VI of the Development Regulations, entitled “Site Plan Review”, the Planning Board has exclusive jurisdiction over site plan applications involving only variances under N.J.S.A. 40:55D-70(c) or no variances at all, while the Zoning Board of Adjustment has exclusive jurisdiction over site plan applications involving any variance under N.J.S.A. 40:55D-70(d); and,
WHEREAS, the Site Plan Review standards require all site plan applications to include specific information and documents, set forth in detail on a site plan application checklist formally adopted by the Municipal Council codified under § 210-42(B) of the Development Regulations; and,
WHEREAS, the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment currently require a traffic study as part of their respective applications for site plan approval, this requirement is not formally codified within the application checklist set forth under § 210-42(B) of the Development Regulations; and,
WHEREAS, the Municipal Council finds that traffic impact is an important factor to consider when evaluating the feasibility of a proposed site plan and, therefore, wishes to incorporate the traffic study requirement, along with specific guidelines for conducting same, into the formal site plan approval application checklist.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT ORDAINED BY THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ORANGE TOWNSHIP, COUNTY OF ESSEX, STATE OF NEW JERSEY as follows:
Section 1 Amendment to Municipal Code.
Part II (General Legislation), Chapter 210 (Development Regulations) of the Municipal Code, as amended, is hereby further amended as follows:
- 210-42 Site plan preparation and checklist.
. . . .
- Site plan checklist.
. . . .
(34) A traffic impact study prepared and certified by a New Jersey licensed professional engineer that includes: a study-area map; summarized results; data collection dates, times, weather, and school-session status; specific methodology; assumptions; field observations; limitations; and material data gaps. Relevant existing conditions shall be described only based on field-measured data,
including without limitation: vehicle volumes and turning movements; pedestrian and bicycle activity; parking occupancy; loading and curb activity; queueing and delay; school arrival and dismissal; transit stops and dwell time; emergency access; and observed safety conflicts. Traffic volume measurements shall cover at least 72 consecutive hours including representative weekday conditions, and manual turning-movement and observational counts shall cover locally-relevant peak periods. Additional observation data may be required by the Board when reasonably related to the subject location or proposed use.
Section 3 Severability of Ordinance Provisions.
Each Section of this Ordinance is an independent Section and any part hereof found unconstitutional, void or ineffective for any cause shall not affect the validity or constitutionality of any other parts hereof.
Section 4 Conflicts and Inconsistencies.
All other Ordinances and parts of Ordinances that conflict or are inconsistent with this Ordinance are hereby repealed, but only to the extent of such conflict or inconsistency.
Section 5 Effective Date.
Following final passage, this Ordinance shall take effect upon the expiration of 20 days after publication, unless otherwise provided by the Municipal Council.
PURPOSE: To amend the City’s site plan approval application checklist set forth in the Development Regulations to require traffic studies be conducted in connection with certain applications for site plan approval heard by the Planning Board or Zoning Board of Adjustment and establish standards applicable to same.
FISCAL IMPACT: None.
________________
Trisha A. Scipio
Acting Municipal Clerk
A complete copy of this ordinance has been posted on the City (www.orangenj.gov) and Council website (http://orangetwpnjcc.org).