After Cherry Hill debate, committee to review "buildable area" and "building envelope" definitions

The Zoning Amendment Committee agreed to examine and clarify the ordinance language for "buildable area" and "building envelope" after members said the terms caused disagreement during a recent application review.

Committee members recalled the Cherry Hill controversy, where consultants argued that wetland buffers and driveways reduced a lot’s buildable area to the point that little or nothing remained buildable. Doug Brown and others said that while the ordinance includes building-envelope language, definitions vary by district and can be unclear to applicants.

"There's a thing called the building envelope in here. I thought we changed that last year. It's to me, the building envelope is the exterior of the building itself and the structure. And buildable area is the lot and what's left after you take out the unbuildables. That we would We don't have buildable area as a definition," one committee member said.

What happened: the committee asked staff to review existing definitions across district sections, compare how the terms are used in application reviews, and recommend a single, consistent definition or language that distinguishes 'building envelope' (the area in which a structure can be sited) from 'buildable area' (lot area after subtracting unbuildable features such as steep slopes and regulated wetlands).

What it means: clearer definitions would reduce disputes in site-plan and variance proceedings and provide applicants and boards a consistent standard for measuring developable land.

Next steps: staff will draft clarified definitions and cross-reference them across the ordinance so the terms are consistently applied in every district and in permit-review procedures.