THE TOWNSHIP OF EWING

COUNTY OF MERCER, NEW JERSEY

ORDINANCE NO. ________

1st Reading _________________ Date to Mayor _________________

2nd Reading &

Public Hearing _________________ Date Returned _________________

Date Adopted: Date Resubmitted to Council ___________

_______________________________ Approved as to Form of Legality

Effective Date:

_______________________________

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE REVISED GENERAL ORDINANCES OF THE TOWNSHIP OF EWING,

COUNTY OF MERCER, STATE OF NEW JERSEY, AMENDING CHAPTER 15, THE LAND DEVELOPMENT
ORDINANCE, TO INCLUDE FLOOR AREA RATIO STANDARDS

First Reading

MEMBER AYE NAY ABS NV RES SEC

Murphy

Apai

Steinmann

Wollert

Summiel

Second Reading

MEMBER AYE NAY ABS NV RES SEC

Murphy

Apai

Steinmann

Wollert

Summiel

By ____________________________Date _____________Accepted ______Rejected ______

Mayor

Reconsidered
By Council _________________________________Override Vote YEA ______NAY _____

__________________________________ _________________________________
President of the Council Municipal Clerk

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 TOWNSHIP OF EWING

ORDINANCE NO. _________

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE REVISED GENERAL ORDINANCES OF THE

TOWNSHIP OF EWING, COUNTY OF MERCER, STATE OF NEW JERSEY, AMENDING
CHAPTER 15, THE LAND DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE, TO INCLUDE FLOOR AREA
RATIO STANDARDS
WHEREAS, the building oversized homes on lots not meant to accommodate such
building sizes is occurring in the Township of Ewing; and,

WHEREAS, these single-family homes, informally labeled “McMansions,” are

constructed in a fashion that attempts to consume the entire building envelope of a site and
typically takes full advantage of side yard setback distances; and,

WHEREAS, the primary concern for residents in an area where this occurs is the impact
placed on the character of the neighborhood when oversized homes are constructed in areas
primarily consisting of modest-sized dwellings; and,

WHEREAS, to limit the area on which a residential dwelling is permitted to be built, the
Ewing Township Council desires to adopt an ordinance, based on a recommendation from the
Township Planning Board, as memorialized in Resolution 2006-19, to implement a Floor Area
Ratio (“FAR”) standard for the R-1, R-2, and R-3 Residential Zones.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Township Council of the Township

of Ewing that Chapter 15, LAND DEVELOPMENT, of the Code of the Township of Ewing,
and the Official Zoning Map of the Township of Ewing are hereby amended and supplemented
as follows:

§ 15-8. DEFINITIONS

Floor area, gross shall mean the total floor area in a building measured by using the outside
dimensions of the building at each story or floor. The floor area of units, stories, contiguous
buildings, etc., sharing a common wall shall be measured from the center of interior walls and
the outside of exterior walls. In residential uses the gross floor area shall exclude the area of the
garage, attic, open porch, balconies, patio, cellar or basement, exterior stairs whether covered or
uncovered, breezeways, carports, and chimneys projecting beyond the exterior face of the walls
of the structure or building. attics not used as primary living spaces, the portions of half story
floors where the rooms with sloped ceilings have ceiling heights that are less than 6 feet, open
and enclosed porches which are not heated and cannot be counted as primary living spaces,
balconies, patios, cellar or basement entrances, exterior stairs, and chimneys projecting beyond
the exterior face of the walls of the structure or building, except when any of the aforementioned
areas are utilized for primary living space as defined in Section 15-8 of the Ewing Township
Land Development Ordinance, then said areas shall be included in the calculation of gross floor
area. In nonresidential uses, the gross floor area shall exclude, but not be limited to, accessory
buildings, whether attached or detached, loading areas, whether roofed or unroofed, exterior
stairways or stairwells, mechanical equipment not situated within the exterior walls of the
building and indoor parking areas.

Primary living space shall always include any bedroom or sleeping quarters and shall also
include a dining room, family room, living room, library, study, recreation room or any other
common gathering area. For the purposes of calculating gross floor area, a finished basement
used as a recreation area, home office or similar type use shall not be counted as primary living
and shall not be included in the FAR, provided that these types of living spaces are provided and
located within the interior walls of the dwelling unit on another floor. Garages that are no longer
used for “residential garage type uses” (i.e. for storage of automobiles or boats or RV or similar
type vehicles, tools and equipment typical of a residential type garage or tools for the
maintenance of the property, residential type workshops, etc.) and are converted to primary
living spaces shall be included in the calculations of the Gross Floor Area. Once a garage is
converted to a primary type living space, it shall be included as part of the Gross Floor Area
calculations.

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§ 15-12. SCHEDULE, AREA, YARD AND BUILDING REQUIREMENTS

Amend schedule to include Floor Area Ratio standards established below for R-1, R-2, and R-3
zones.

§ 15-14. R-1 – RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT-SINGLE FAMILY DETACHED

§ 15-14.4. Lot, Area, Yard, Height, and Coverage Requirements.

d. Floor Area Ratio Standard (FAR) and Base Floor Area Requirements.

COLUMN 1 COLUMN 2 COLUMN 3 COLUMN 4

LOT SIZE (Square STARTING POINT MULTIPLIER BASE FLOOR AREA

Feet “SF”) (SF) (SF)

0 – 7,499 0 0.2 600

7,500 – 9,999 7,500 0.18 2,100

10,000 – 14,999 10,000 0.045714 2,550

15,000 – 20,999 15,000 0.075 2,925

21,000 and up 21,000 0.02827 3,350

Using these calculations the following building sizes would be permitted in each zone depending
on lot size:

0 – 7,499: up to 2,100 SF
7,500 – 10,000: 2,100 to 2,550 SF
10,000 – 14,999: 2,550 to 2,925 SF
15,000 – 20,999: 2,925 to 3,300 SF
21,000 and up: 3,350 SF to a number dependent on the lot size
1 acre lot – 4,000 SF
2 acre lot – 5,216 SF

PROCESS

1. Determine the LOT SIZE range in which your lot falls into (Column 1).
2. Determine number of square feet by which your lot exceeds the STARTING POINT
square footage (Column 2) for the range.
3. Identify the MULTIPLIER to be used (Column 3).
4. Identify the BASE FLOOR AREA to be used (Column 4).

EXAMPLE – This example will use a lot with a total area of 8,700 square feet.

1. Subtract the lot area square footage from the STARTING POINT (Column 2) square
footage. For this example, 8,700 square feet minus 7,500 square feet equals 1,200 square
feet (8,700 – 7,500 = 1,200).
2. To determine any additional permitted floor area, multiply the difference of your lot area
and the STARTING POINT (calculated in Step 1) by the MULTIPLIER (Column 3) for
the appropriate range. For this example, 1,200 square feet (from Step 1) multiplied by
0.18 equals 216 square feet (1,200 x 0.18 = 216).
3. Add any additional permitted floor area (calculated in Step 2) to the BASE FLOOR
AREA of the appropriate range (Column 4). For this example, the BASE FLOOR AREA
is 2,100 square feet plus the additional permitted floor area of 216 square feet (from Step
2) equals a total maximum permitted floor area of 2,316 square feet (2,100 + 216 =
2,316).

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§ 15-15. R-2 – RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT-SINGLE FAMILY DETACHED

§ 15-15.4. Lot, Area, Yard, Height, and Coverage Requirements.

d. Floor Area Ratio Standard (FAR) and Base Floor Area Requirements.

COLUMN 1 COLUMN 2 COLUMN 3 COLUMN 4

LOT SIZE (Square STARTING POINT MULTIPLIER BASE FLOOR AREA

Feet “SF”) (SF) (SF)

0 – 7,499 0 0.2 600

7,500 – 9,999 7,500 0.18 2,100

10,000 – 14,999 10,000 0.045714 2,550

15,000 – 20,999 15,000 0.075 2,925

21,000 and up 21,000 0.02827 3,350

Using these calculations the following building sizes would be permitted in each zone depending
on lot size:

0 – 7,499: up to 2,100 SF
7,500 – 10,000: 2,100 to 2,550 SF
10,000 – 14,999: 2,550 to 2,925 SF
15,000 – 20,999: 2,925 to 3,300 SF
21,000 and up: 3,350 SF to a number dependent on the lot size
1 acre lot – 4,000 SF
2 acre lot – 5,216 SF

PROCESS

1. Determine the LOT SIZE range in which your lot falls into (Column 1).
2. Determine number of square feet by which your lot exceeds the STARTING POINT
square footage (Column 2) for the range.
3. Identify the MULTIPLIER to be used (Column 3).
4. Identify the BASE FLOOR AREA to be used (Column 4).

EXAMPLE – This example will use a lot with a total area of 8,700 square feet.

1. Subtract the lot area square footage from the STARTING POINT (Column 2) square
footage. For this example, 8,700 square feet minus 7,500 square feet equals 1,200 square
feet (8,700 – 7,500 = 1,200).
2. To determine any additional permitted floor area, multiply the difference of your lot area
and the STARTING POINT (calculated in Step 1) by the MULTIPLIER (Column 3) for
the appropriate range. For this example, 1,200 square feet (from Step 1) multiplied by
0.18 equals 216 square feet (1,200 x 0.18 = 216).
3. Add any additional permitted floor area (calculated in Step 2) to the BASE FLOOR
AREA of the appropriate range (Column 4). For this example, the BASE FLOOR AREA
is 2,100 square feet plus the additional permitted floor area of 216 square feet (from Step
2) equals a total maximum permitted floor area of 2,316 square feet (2,100 + 216 =
2,316).

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§ 15-16. R-3 – RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT-SINGLE FAMILY DETACHED

§ 15-16.4. Lot, Area, Yard, Height, and Coverage Requirements.

d. Floor Area Ratio Standard (FAR) and Base Floor Area Requirements.

COLUMN 1 COLUMN 2 COLUMN 3 COLUMN 4

LOT SIZE (Square STARTING POINT MULTIPLIER BASE FLOOR AREA

Feet “SF”) (SF) (SF)

0 – 7,499 0 0.2 600

7,500 – 9,999 7,500 0.18 2,100

10,000 – 14,999 10,000 0.045714 2,550

15,000 – 20,999 15,000 0.075 2,925

21,000 and up 21,000 0.02827 3,350

Using these calculations the following building sizes would be permitted in each zone depending
on lot size:

0 – 7,499: up to 2,100 SF
7,500 – 10,000: 2,100 to 2,550 SF
10,000 – 14,999: 2,550 to 2,925 SF
15,000 – 20,999: 2,925 to 3,300 SF
21,000 and up: 3,350 SF to a number dependent on the lot size
1 acre lot – 4,000 SF
2 acre lot – 5,216 SF

PROCESS

1. Determine the LOT SIZE range in which your lot falls into (Column 1).
2. Determine the number of square feet by which your lot exceeds the STARTING POINT
square footage (Column 2) for the range.
3. Identify the MULTIPLIER to be used (Column 3).
4. Identify the BASE FLOOR AREA to be used (Column 4).

EXAMPLE – This example will use a lot with a total area of 8,700 square feet.

1. Subtract the lot area square footage from the STARTING POINT (Column 2) square
footage. For this example, 8,700 square feet minus 7,500 square feet equals 1,200 square
feet (8,700 – 7,500 = 1,200).
2. To determine any additional permitted floor area, multiple the difference of your lot area
and the STARTING POINT (calculated in Step 1) by the MULTIPLIER (Column 3) for
the appropriate range. For this example, 1,200 square feet (from Step 1) multiplied by
0.18 equals 216 square feet (1,200 x 0.18 = 216).
3. Add any additional permitted floor area (calculated in Step 2) to the BASE FLOOR
AREA of the appropriate range (Column 4). For this example, the BASE FLOOR AREA
is 2,100 square feet plus the additional permitted floor area of 216 square feet (from Step
2) equals a total maximum permitted floor area of 2,316 square feet (2,100 + 216 =
2,316).

Section 3. This Ordinance shall take effect after final publication according to law.

STATEMENT

This Ordinance amends the Revised General Municipal Ordinances of the Township of Ewing to
establish floor area ratio standards.

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