INTRODUCTION

LEGAL BASIS AND CONTENTS OF THE MASTER PLAN

The Municipal Land Use Law (MLUL), the legal basis for municipal planning in New Jersey, requires that every municipal zoning ordinance must be based on a Master Plan. In compliance with the MLUL, this plan provides the planning basis for the Borough's zone plan and development regulations. In addition, its overall purpose is to coordinate the land use policies of the Borough and to provide a clear description of the Borough, its goals and the policies that should be adopted to implement those goals.

This Master Plan is an evolutionary result of previous Mountain Lakes Master Plans, firmly rooted and building upon those plans. A number of major themes, however, distinguish this plan from previous Mountains Lakes Master Plans:

1. The importance of preserving Mountain Lakes' historic legacy as a planned residential park community, still vivid today, to the Borough's unique sense of place.
2. The long standing goal of preserving the unique and historic character of established residential neighborhoods is continued. More emphasis is placed on a better understanding of the qualities that make them unique including:
   • the importance of the Borough's original development pattern as a planned community;
   • the landscape and housing patterns, especially the continuity of design features and concentration of Craftsman-influenced style homes, that distinguish Mountain Lakes neighborhoods;
   • the importance of natural features, vegetation, terrain, lakes and especially the preserved open space areas.
3. Changes in community housing priorities are reflected in this plan especially in terms of addressing the Borough's constitutional fair share housing responsibility.
4. Creative ways of addressing and promoting the redevelopment of declining non-residential areas within the Borough are explored.

This document consists of all the elements required by the Municipal Land Use Law for a Master Plan, a Community Characteristics section, a Statement of Objectives, Principles, Assumptions, and Policies Underlying the Master Plan, a Land Use Element and a Housing Element and Fair Share Plan. Each element includes a review of existing characteristics, analysis of trends and needs, statement of goals and objectives and a proposed plan. The elements are preceded by an overview of regional and community characteristics and a statement of the overall objectives, principles, assumptions, and policies forming the basis of this plan.

BACKGROUND AND HISTORY OF THE MASTER PLAN

The first comprehensive Master Plan for the Borough was adopted in 1963 and was based upon the state enabling law predating the MLUL. A new Master Plan was adopted in 1979 prepared by the Master Plan Committee of the Planning Board with the professional assistance of Tore Hultgren, P.P. specifically following the requirements of the MLUL. In 1986, a Housing Element amendment to the 1979 plan was prepared in conformance with an amendment to the MLUL. In 1994, as part of a required periodic reexamination of the Master Plan, the need for a substantial revision and updating of the Master Plan became apparent with the recognition of the significant changes that had occurred since 1979.

The first priority for the Master Plan Committee and Housing Committee was the preparation of the key mandatory elements of a new master plan. These were prepared with the professional assistance of Kimball & Kimball, Professional Planners and William Harrison who assisted in the preparation of the background data about the Borough. A new Borough Master Plan consisting of the following sections was adopted on September 28, 1995.

• Community Characteristics
• Statement of Objectives, Principles, Assumptions, and Policies
• Land Use Plan
• Housing Element and Fair Share Plan

Subsequently, non-mandatory elements of the Master Plan (listed below) were prepared by the Master Plan Committee together with amendments to the previously adopted Land Use Plan and Housing Plan (prepared by the Housing Study Committee). These elements and amendments were adopted on October 24, 1996.

• Circulation Plan
• Conservation Plan
• Community Facilities and Utilities Plan
• Recreation Plan
• Recycling Plan
• Historic Preservation Plan
• Relationship to Other Plans
• Summary of Major Findings and Recommendations

Although firmly rooted in the 1979 plan, this Master Plan reflects the major changes since that time and attempts to anticipate future needs of the Borough that have become more apparent in the recent years.

Major Planning Issues Since 1979

Some of the major events and changes significant to planning that have occurred since 1979 in Mountain Lakes are:

• A real estate development boom in the 1980's resulted in substantial development in the Mountain Lakes area, especially in surrounding communities.
• Many homes in the Borough were substantially reconstructed and/or expanded, resulting in even larger homes on relatively small lots.
• A floor area ratio ordinance and larger setback requirements were adopted to limit the potential for houses to be built out of proportion with lot size.
• The traditionally open landscape setting of residential neighborhoods has diminished in recent years as a result of the increased use of landscape plantings that enclose individual properties.
• The Borough's population is aging, resulting in changing housing needs and a heightened recognition of the need for more diversity of housing types within the Borough for long-time residents who wish to remain in the Borough but are finding it difficult to maintain larger homes.
• The need to address the Borough's constitutional "fair share" housing obligation became a focus of community planning concern.
• Townhouse housing developments that resulted from recommendations set forth in the 1979 Master Plan were completed. These units for the most part, however, were large and expensive and as such did not fully address the need for more variety of housing opportunities in the Borough.
• Relatively large scale office development was completed on Route 46 in and out of the Borough.
• More active state involvement in land use planning went into effect including state regulation of wetlands, the adoption of the State Development and Redevelopment Plan and the Highway Access Management Code.
• Traffic congestion on Route 46 and within the Borough increased, largely resulting from development outside the Borough but contributed to by increased dependence on the automobile by Borough residents.
• Concern increased about the impact of existing and potential development on the water quality of the Borough lakes and water supply aquifers.
• There has been an increased appreciation of Mountain Lake's important heritage as a planned residential park community and concentration of Craftsman-influenced homes.
• There has been a substantial increase in the use of existing recreational facilities in recent years which has resulted in their overuse and a public demand for additional facilities. The acquisition of the Office Court site was an important event offering a potential long-term solution to overused active recreation facilities.

MAJOR PLANNING ISSUES AND PROPOSALS

The following is a summary of major planning issues of concern and the major new proposals included in and recommended by this plan.

• Community Character - This plan seeks to foster a better understanding of the elements and characteristics that contribute to the special sense of place that is Mountain Lakes, especially the Borough's historically significant landscape pattern as a planned residential community.
• Route 46E B Zone - This plan seeks to explore the reasons for the decline of this area and ways to promote its redevelopment.
• Housing - This plan attempts to understand changing demographic characteristics and to address their implications for housing. This has been done within the context of the Borough's constitutional fair share housing obligation and Council 0n Affordable Housing rules.
• Creative Development Options - This plan recommends creative options for the development of the few remaining vacant parcels and the redevelopment of underutilized or poorly utilized parcels and where feasible recommend affordable housing options.
• Community Center Development - This plan seeks to promote more focus to the community life of Mountain Lakes by recommending options for the redevelopment of the Midvale/Market area.
• Recreation - This plan recommends options for enhancing the Borough's traditional commitment to active recreational opportunities for all its citizens.
• Historic Preservation - This plan contains a Historic Preservation element which outlines the historic significance of the Borough's development pattern as a planned residential park community and the concentration of Craftsman-influenced homes.