An innovative update to the town of Hammonton's zoning code that fosters smart growth and downtown revitalization.

1. TOWN OF HAMMONTON • DOWNTOWN AREA PLAN
an AMENDMENT
to the LAND USE ELEMENT of the MASTER PLAN
Prepared by: BROWN & KEENER URBAN DESIGN

2. TOWN OF HAMMONTON • DOWNTOWN AREA PLAN
AMENDMENT to the LAND USE ELEMENT of the MASTER PLAN
Introduction
This Downtown Area Plan reflects the importance of Downtown to community life and the
appropriateness of articulating specific goals related to the unique land-use and urban design
circumstances in this area.
The Downtown Area Plan component of the Land Use Element:
• Recognizes Hammonton’s pinelands context – a rural geography that surrounds a town that is
a center of civic and economic life in the region.
• Updates the municipal policy plan for future growth and investment in the downtown
• Defines the municipal goals and objectives within the context of an overall vision for the
future of downtown
• Describes strategic approaches to Land-Use, Urban Design, Historic Preservation, Circulation
and Parking, Affordable Housing, and Open Space that support the overall vision for the
future of downtown.
Downtown Hammonton is not a dense urban place, nor is it purely a village or a suburb; it has
always been a classic American town in terms of the character of its buildings and streets, the
community and civic life that occurs there, and its economic vitality. The idea of being – and
remaining – a town, should be a fundamental guidepost in making decisions about the future.
And when this document refers to Hammonton’s “urban design” and “urban character,” it uses those
terms to describe downtown’s unique texture — the general scale and pattern of buildings, the
layout of streets, the greenery in so many places, and the quality of having been built in small
increments over a long period of time.
The purpose of this element is to state at the broadest level what Hammonton wants the future
of its downtown to be, as well as to set out specific objectives and policy directives that will
guide decision–making for Downtown over the coming years. To be fully effective, a range of
implementation tools, many of which are described in this element, should support the element.
Key initiatives include establishing a zoning framework of distinctive “Character Districts” that
reflect the subtle differences in the downtown area blocks, creating more shared and off-site
parking mechanisms, and providing more extensive design guidance for new, expanded and
renovated buildings.
The Downtown Area Plan consists of the following sections:
A - Principles, Goals and Objectives
B - Land-Use Strategy
C - Character Districts Framework
D - Urban Design Strategy
E - Historic Preservation Strategy
F - Circulation and Parking Strategy
G - Affordable Housing Strategy
H - Open Space Strategy
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3. A - Principles, Goals and Objectives
Introduction
The following principles have been the consistent themes of plans for downtown, and were
amplified and refined through a vision planning process in the fall and winter of 2009:
• Downtown is the center, the meeting place, of the entire community — and it should remain
that way.
• A mix of uses — civic places, shopping places housing and offices — knit together by green,
walkable streets are the building blocks of Hammonton’s downtown center.
• The downtown is framed by transitional “gateway districts,” where the approach and arrival
to downtown play an important role in marketing and promoting Downtown businesses to
visitors. Notwithstanding, neighborhoods adjacent to downtown should be respected and
their character should be conserved.
• Downtown’s valued places and buildings have the special scale of a town, not a city or a
suburb, and speak vividly of Hammonton’s accumulated history.
• The urban and architectural character of downtown is diverse, and it varies almost on a block-
by-block basis. This is a quality that should be reflected in development regulations.
• Pedestrian life, not vehicular traffic, should be dominant. However, vehicular traffic should be
accommodated within the downtown infrastructure to provide smooth and efficient vehicular
access and parking to visitors of the downtown area.
• Downtown is an appropriate place for more housing, including affordable housing, that will
provide diverse, transit- ccessible, non-auto-dependent housing opportunities and increase
a
the vitality of the downtown area after business hours.
B - LAND USE STRATEGY
Introduction
In Hammonton’s Downtown Area, there are key places where certain land uses should be
encouraged or discouraged, but in general, a mutually-supportive mix of retail, residential, office,
service and civic uses should be encouraged. Therefore, the zoning framework should not be
overly prescriptive in terms of land use, providing for flexibility while taking care to conserve
sensitive areas, such as the Bellevue Avenue retail area. This land-use flexibility should occur
within a framework for urban form that carefully reinforces and extends the pattern of the existing
town, and considers the impact of development on traffic and parking.
Land Use: Retail Space, Business service and office uses, Housing, Retail Activity
Downtown retail space, business service and office uses should be concentrated
primarily in the ground floor of buildings along Bellevue Avenue between Third Street
and West End Avenue, on Central Avenue below Third Street, along the White Horse
Pike and in small pockets of neighborhood or transit patron-serving commercial
in appropriate areas. Retail space that draws pedestrians away from the shopping
environment of Bellevue Avenue should not be allowed, beyond the exceptions
noted.
Mixed-use buildings along Bellevue Avenue
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4. Housing, including affordable housing, should be allowed and encouraged as a primary use in
every zoning district, and a variety of housing types (from twins to multiple dwellings) should be
permitted in each district to allow for greater diversity in housing options. Affordable housing
would be developed through the Town’s existing inclusionary housing ordinance, which should
continue, and other means outlined in the “housing” section of this element and the Master Plan.
Nowhere in Downtown should parking be regarded as an acceptable primary use of a private
property; it should only be a secondary use. The Town should not permit the demolition of any
structure to allow for parking, with the exception of interior block buildings that have no street
frontage, and only after consideration is given to the historic value of the building, the impact on
neighbors, the impact on circulation, and other issues of public concern.
Density / Development Strategy
It is important to recognize that Hammonton is not likely to see a great amount of development
all at once. Rather, change will occur by way of a constant flow of small, incremental
reconfigurations and/or additions to Downtown’s built fabric, at the pace the market can absorb
new space and over the course of many decades. Essentially, growth will happen just as the town
has grown in the past: as demand warrants additional investment.
The slow pace of change will enable the Town to plan for any impacts on municipal infrastructure
or services. This is why scale and texture of development that is permitted on any given site is so
important; the design of each building will have a more immediate impact on character than the
overall development capacity of downtown.
C - CHARACTER DISTRICTS FRAMEWORK
Introduction
Use-based zoning is a successful tool for preserving and creating neighborhoods of a single use
type. However, the complexities of downtown areas require zoning districts with an emphasis
on form rather than use to protect neighborhood character and achieve other community design
and functionality goals. The Character District-based Zoning Framework is intended to give
direction for an eventual revision to the Land Development Ordinance. The proposed framework
incorporates the following basic approaches and assumptions.
Districting strategy
Most of the Downtown Area, now generally zoned B-1 and M-D, will is to be reorganized into
Downtown Districts. Portions of White Horse Pike that are closest to Downtown, as well as the
major connecting route between the two, will be reorganized into Gateway Districts. In general,
the new districts are established to reflect the distinct design character of different areas in and
around downtown. They tend to be defined by the streets that anchor them, such as Bellevue
or White Horse Pike. Generally the character of the zones reflects the current character of the
Downtown Area and its surroundings — subtle, block-by-block intensification of scale and use
until one reaches the “Main Street” area of Bellevue closest to the train tracks.
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5. District Overview
To accomplish the principles, goals, and objectives laid out in this document, the downtown area zoning will
be updated to accommodate this new organizing system, while the surrounding Zoning districts will remain as
currently zoned. To reflect the subtle changes in character within both the historic central downtown as well
as the portions of White Horse Pike nearest the center, a number of distinct Downtown Districts and Gateway
Districts are recommended.
Gateway
Crossroads
Gateway
Boulevard
Gateway
Avenue
Near
Town
In Town
Railway
In Town
Downtown Proposed character-based districting strategy
1. Proposed Gateway Districts
Gateway Avenue - The areas flanking Bellevue Avenue between the downtown court and White Horse Pike
along with the areas flanking Central Avenue between the downtown core and Broadway are currently
located in the R-1 and R-2 Zones. This is an important connecting route that runs through residential
neighborhoods near the center of Hammonton. They are made up primarily of detached Single-Family
Homes on larger lots.
GOAL: to preserve residential character, while allowing for some additional flexibility to improve walkability
and connections to other “near town” residential neighborhoods.
Gateway Boulevard - Made up of the parcels that are currently zoned B-2 “Highway Business” along White
Horse Pike between Fairview Avenue and Broadway. Revisions to the B-2 “Highway Business” may be made
to create this district, or this smaller area might become a completely new zone.
GOAL: to preserve the current commercial character of the B-2 zone, but with added provisions to reflect
current community needs.
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6. Gateway Crossroads - Comprising the blocks immediately surrounding the intersection of
White Horse Pike, Bellevue Avenue and Route 206, which are currently zoned B-2 “Highway
Business.” This area would remain primarily for mid-sized retail and other commerce, but it
would expand Building Type options.
GOAL: to allow for new development that could be arranged in a way that would signal
to those travelling along White Horse Pike that this is the gateway and access point to an
important area, and would improve the connection to the Main Street area of Bellevue.
2. Proposed Downtown Districts
Near Town - Although made up primarily of detached Single-Family Homes on larger lots, the
areas proposed for “Near Town” are currently located in R-1, R-2, B-1, and MD Zones. The new
designation will simplify this.
GOAL: to preserve the residential character of the blocks involved, while allowing for some
additional flexibility to improve walkability and connections to other “near town” residential
neighborhoods.
In Town, Railway - Made up of the parcels currently zoned MD between 13th and 11th,
this district now includes a mix of residential, light industrial, and other commercial uses
along the railroad tracks and near the center of town. Despite this distinction, it will be
similar character to D3 “In Town,” and will include larger buildings that can host low-impact
manufacturing, institutional, and residential uses.
GOAL: to expand the options for the commercial employment and light industrial uses that
are not appropriate for other Downtown Zones, while also improving options for downtown
living.
“In Town” (D-3) - Made up of the parcels currently zoned R-1, R-2, and B-1 that surround the
Main Street blocks, this district now includes a mix of residential and commercial uses. The
“In-Town” zone/district will
GOAL: to expand options for retail growth in the center of Hammonton while supporting
Main Street activities and improving options for downtown living.
Downtown - Historic and cultural heart of Hammonton, this zone/district will consist almost
entirely of the mixed-use and commercial properties fronting Bellevue between 3rd and
Washington. It should preserve the existing “Main Street” character, so Building Types should
be limited.
GOAL: to reinforce the main purpose of the area as the shopping and gathering focus of the
community.
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7. D - URBAN DESIGN STRATEGY
Introduction
As of summer 2010, Downtown development is largely regulated by use-based zoning districts
whose urban design requirements allow for buildings that do not relate well to the existing
texture. One zoning district, B-1, is mapped over large portions of Downtown, allowing, for
example, the same urban pattern in the historic heart of town near 2nd & Bellevue as it does
around 3rd & Cottage, which have very different physical and economic character. In general,
urban design regulations in Downtown should be tailored more specifically to smaller districts.
Principles for Urban Design
The urban design provisions in each downtown and gateway district should follow the following
general principles.
1. The most important relationship to maintain is that of the building to the street. The
placement, composition and façade design of buildings should reinforce the walking
character of every block in every district downtown. Spaces between buildings and curblines
should be kept free of parking, and designed with elements such as greenery, small urban
spaces and porches.
2. The massing of buildings should reflect patterns of existing building types, particularly in
terms of building shape and composition, as well as the relationship to the street.
3. Front and side setbacks should follow the existing texture, which is characterized by buildings
constructed largely to the street-line and with party walls in parts of downtown, then small
increments of increased front
and side setbacks as one moves
away from the center of town.
4. Buildings taller than three
stories should not be permitted.
5. Maximum lot, building or
façade dimensions should
be established in places
where long buildings could Examples of walkable downtowns with similar design principles
be constructed along public
rights-of-way, or where site assemblages are likely.
6. On-site parking should always be placed behind or beneath buildings, never between a
building and a street except in designated areas, such as those along White Horse Pike. Curb
cuts and drive-through facilities should be minimized; street-facing garage doors should
not be allowed. Surface parking should not be visible from the street; covered parking areas
(under buildings, in garages) should have doors and walls that close off parked vehicles from
view of adjacent properties. Connectivity, especially between parking lots on neighboring
properties along White Horse Pike, should be increased.
7. Impervious coverage ratios should be reduced in order to accommodate on-site stormwater
management and enhance downtown’s sense of greenery.
8. Adequate transitions should be located between downtown and adjacent residential
neighborhoods. These transitions should respect Hammonton’s town-like character.
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8. Basic guidelines for Urban Design, Architecture, and the Public Realm
Subsequent to the adoption of this master plan, Hammonton should develop a comprehensive
range of design guidance for development. In whatever form this guide takes, it should go
beyond what is incorporated in the zoning ordinance in shaping the public realm. In doing this,
some of the key issues to address are:
1. Signage design for parking and pedestrian wayfinding
2. A comprehensive strategy for streetscape elements that are part of the public realm. This
would include:
a. benches
b. planters and tree grates
c. lighting
d. trash and recycling
receptacles
In addition, there should be
guidelines for street elements
placed by private businesses,
particularly café tables and chairs. Historic residential structures near Downtown Hammonton
1. A comprehensive landscape strategy for streets, pedestrian connections and public spaces
2. A comprehensive lighting strategy for streets, pedestrian connections, public spaces and
facades.
3. Guidelines for the design of signs as “Sign Types”
4. Design guidelines for storefronts, lighting, and window displays.
5. Design guidelines for side and rear buffers and screening to allow for appropriate transition
between various uses.
6. Architectural types and styles of historic buildings
The Town should also develop a range of tools to communicate its design expectations, especially
along Bellevue Avenue and White Horse Pike, but also for other downtown streets. Possible tools
include:
1. Photo-simulations, 3D models, or illustrations of “before and after” scenarios, which would be
annotated with details about how preferred design approaches are incorporated
2. Illustrated “Pattern Book” of acceptable design approaches
3. “On call” architectural assistance
These design guidelines and tools could be developed through a collaboration of the Town,
Main Street Hammonton, the Chamber of Commerce, Historical Society of Hammonton, and
other stakeholder organizations.
E - HISTORIC PRESERVATION STRATEGY
Introduction
Downtown is the historic heart of Hammonton. Although there are no locally-designated historic
districts or National Register of Historic Places districts, there are a few individual landmarks and
significant buildings throughout this area.
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9. Resources
Downtown Hammonton is characterized not so much by a consistent architectural style than
by a range of historic styles and building types, added incrementally over the town’s history.
Downtown is also characterized by a very legible urban pattern. The area’s significance includes
a walkable network of streets and buildings whose scale and relationship to the street usually
fall within certain parameters, even though individually they demonstrate great variety in their
architectural style and type. The urban texture changes gradually, in small and subtle increments,
as one moves from the edge of Downtown to the center—with buildings becoming closer to each
other, and closer to the street.
F - CIRCULATION AND PARKING STRATEGY
Introduction
An important goal for Hammonton is to “encourage economic development and vitality for
the downtown.” An increase in economic activity, in turn, would likely lead to an increase in
transportation activity. The amount of increase could be mitigated by encouraging the use of
alternative transportation modes – walking, bicycling, transit – but some increase would be likely
regardless. As in any central business district, that will mean careful coordination of the complex
layering of users and activities in Hammonton’s Downtown Area. Therefore, circulation and
parking issues must be managed in a strategic, comprehensive, balanced and incremental manner
to ensure that resources are used to the greatest possible community-wide benefit.
The Town should consider a range of approaches to addressing these issues: from new policies to
changes to the Land Development Ordinances, from modest improvements that make walking and
biking easier to the addition of streets and gateways, and should extra capacity be needed even
after initial improvements are made, new parking areas.
Principles for Circulation and Parking Improvements
In establishing policies and creating improvements (which may be public or private) that involve
public streets and parking areas within downtown, the following principles will be followed:
1. Give first priority to enhancing the convenience, safety and comfort of pedestrians, including
persons walking from their vehicles, bicycles or transit to downtown destinations. Give second
priority to improving the infrastructure for bicycling and transit.
2. Make parking downtown more user-friendly, which is to say that access and availability be
improved. Examples of improvement include closer proximity, more pathways, stronger
management, new wayfinding signage and meters that are more convenient.
3. Give first priority to parking for the handicapped, then to visitors, residents and employees, in
that order.
4. Maintain downtown’s walkability and visual character by locating off-street parking behind
buildings.
5. Encourage shared and off-site parking, particularly for properties along Bellevue Avenue and
the surrounding blocks. The purpose of this policy is to:
a. Reinforce the concentration and continuity of activity that makes downtown walkable
b. Address localized parking shortages by making more effective use of existing resources
c. Allow for flexibility in land-use, which would rationalize disconnected parking areas and
free-up land for infill development that would otherwise be underutilized as parking lots
d. Allow for incremental infill development that supports the overall goals for the area.
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10. 6. Encourage the addition of more pedestrian walkways between parking areas and Bellevue
Avenue, in order to strengthen the circulation network.
7. Implement traffic calming on the streets surrounding downtown in order to cut down
on speeding. Any new streets that are constructed should be designed to accommodate
pedestrians on sidewalks and to calm traffic.
8. Encourage the creation of a “gateway” to Downtown Hammonton from White Horse Pike,
which will simplify circulation at the intersection where White Horse Pike meets Routes 206
and 54, while also promoting economic development.
Gateway concept with possible roadway realignment and closure. Illustration was developed as part of a community
visioning excercise, and is included for illustrative purposes only.
Should parking infrastructure be required, the following design and policy principles should be
followed:
1. New parking should not be visible from the street in downtown districts and properly
screened in gateway districts.
2. Do not remove buildings to provide more space for public or private parking, except for
interior block buildings, in special circumstances.
Phasing of Downtown Circulation and Parking Improvements
Change will be approached incrementally, starting with small modifications and improvements,
before attempting more expensive solutions. In general, the staged approach will involve:
1. Projects that make downtown circulation and parking more user-friendly for pedestrians,
bicyclists and vehicles, and that result in modest increases to parking capacity;
2. Projects that make new connections for pedestrians and policies/projects that maximize
the efficiency of existing parking resources through improved meter technology and shared
parking; and,
3. Projects that improve vehicular circulation and add significantly to parking capacity.
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11. Parking Requirement
In general, residential ratios should be set to Residential Site Improvements Standards. In general,
commercial (office, retail) ratios should be set in accordance with the Town of Hammonton Land
Development Code, Institute of Transportation Engineers Parking Generation Manual or alternative
documented sources. Provision for shared parking arrangements, in keeping with contemporary
standards, is encouraged. Opportunities to up to one-third of the requirement achievable through
shared parking. This reflects contemporary standards and surveys that found that large numbers of
parking spaces are generally underutilized downtown.
According to Transportation Analysis work in October 2009, the parking count reveals a high level of
vacancy for the majority of on-street spaces and off-street lots. Marked on-street spaces (as opposed
to blocks where on-street parking is permitted, but stalls are not striped) had the highest level of
occupancy, at 57 percent. The only three blocks to equal or surpass 90 percent occupancy were
Front Street; Bellevue Avenue between Central Avenue and 3rd Street; and Horton Street. Parking
occupancy in the off-street lots counted averaged only 48 percent, with only one lot – Atlantic County
Department of Human Services – regularly exceeding 90 percent occupancy. The three lots counted on
the suburban corridor of White Horse Pike had the lowest occupancy, at 26 percent. The parking count
thus reveals that there is ample capacity to accommodate some new or redeveloped land uses in the
downtown with the existing parking facilities.
G - OPEN SPACE STRATEGY
Introduction
The Downtown Area has few formal open spaces aside from Veterans Park and the school fields at St.
Joseph High School. However, it can feel green in many other places, thanks to the sense of openness
created by the urban pattern: the width of Bellevue Avenue compared to the relative lowness of
the buildings that line it; the generous, green setbacks in front of civic buildings like churches; the
pervasiveness of trees along many streets.
Downtown Green Priorities
The open space strategy should rely on the following goals, which address the public usability of the
system, reinforce the scale and rhythm of the downtown fabric, provide a place of community context
and to reinforce the benefit of walking:
1. Maintain the sense of openness downtown as established by the historic setbacks of buildings
from most streets.
2. Create more pedestrian connections between Bellevue Avenue and rear parking areas.
3. Improve the visual character, greenery, comfort and amenity of pedestrian places, especially the
connections to rear parking areas, and of parking areas
4. Make the open spaces that exist more usable in more ways by the general public. Consider
creating areas for seating, art displays, etc.
5. Create, where possible, small, usable open spaces in conjunction with private development, such
as sitting areas along pedestrian walkways, and to the extent possible make them accessible to the
general public.
Specific Open Space Strategies In Each District
While it is not likely that there will be a major new open space (such as a large square or park) created
in the Downtown area, possibilities for such spaces should be explored whenever they arise.
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