A. 
Purpose. The intent of the landscaping plan is to preserve elements of the existing landscape worthy of protection; to improve the overall appearance of the site and the structural elements; and to provide appropriate buffering and screening, where warranted.
B. 
Landscaping plan scope. Landscaping shall include trees, bushes, shrubs, ground cover, perennials, annuals, plants, land forms, sculpture, art and the use of building and paving materials in an imaginative and aesthetic manner. Landscaping shall be integrated into building arrangements, topography, parking and buffering requirements. Landscaping plans for major site plan or subdivisions shall be prepared by a certified landscape architect.
C. 
Landscaping design criteria. The general landscaping design criteria to be applied in the Township are as follows;
(1) 
Natural setting. Landscaping plans shall preserve a natural setting consistent with prevailing community standards. Recognizing that a major community asset lies in the preservation of the natural condition of property, all efforts in the area of landscaping shall be exercised to provide consistent landscaping proposals with existing foliage. Natural topography and vegetation shall be integrated into the landscaping plan.
(2) 
Site clearing. Every reasonable attempt shall be made to save mature existing trees. Clumps of trees should be saved over single trees. Site disturbance should be minimized where trees are to be preserved. In the event that trees need to be removed, replacement trees will be required.
(3) 
Grading. Slopes in excess of three to one (3:1) shall be avoided unless necessitated by unusual site limitations. All slopes shall be permanently stabilized in an acceptable manner.
(4) 
Off-street parking/loading. Off-street parking and loading areas shall be landscaped to separate them from adjacent roadways.
(5) 
Buffers. Site buffers shall be provided around site perimeters. Zone buffers shall be provided wherever nonresidential or multifamily family residential development abuts single family detached or attached residential neighborhoods. The extent and depth of the buffer will vary depending upon the nature of the use and the adjacent existing or proposed use as indicated in § 222-152C.
(6) 
Screening. Tall dense screens shall be required along nonpenetrable side lines, and rear property lines where commercial or industrial development will abut residences or residential zones. All screening shall be in accordance with § 255-152D.
(7) 
Driveways. The areas adjacent to the driveways shall be planted with low plants or grass. Appropriate low plants include but are not limited to, butterfly bush, Sargent juniper, inkberry, Japanese barberry or shrubby cinquefoil.
(8) 
Other required landscaped areas. Where a development plan indicates raised walkways between opposing rows of cars, areas at the end of bays or, where proposed or required by the municipal agency, specific planting islands are indicated, these areas shall be landscaped. Planting strips may be as narrow as five feet, with a fifteen-foot to twenty-foot width most desirable. All should be raised and protected by permanent concrete curbing.
A. 
Purpose. The intent of this section is to provide for the installation of street trees along all pubic streets. Where streets are devoid of trees, deciduous street trees shall be installed in accordance with this section. Where street trees are present, the health and suitability of the existing trees shall be evaluated to determine which trees should be retained and replaced.
B. 
Street tree design criteria. Street trees shall be provided in accordance with the following design criteria:
(1) 
Shade (deciduous) trees shall be planted along both sides of the street within the right-of-way between the sidewalk and curbline. The width of the planting strip shall be sufficient for the proposed tree species.
(2) 
Street trees shall be planted so as not to interfere with utilities, roadways, sidewalks, sight easements or streetlights. Tree location, landscape design and spacing plan shall be approved by the Planning Board as part of the landscaping plan.
(3) 
Street trees may be planted outside of the right-of-way line if it would prevent conflicts with overhead utility lines on new streets or on streets that are devoid of trees. If trees are to be planted outside of the right-of-way, they shall be planted within a landscaping easement dedicated to the Township no wider than 12 feet.
(4) 
Street trees shall be planted at intervals ranging from 40 feet to 60 feet but averaging 50 feet on center. The range is meant to enable the tree locations to avoid conflicts and to 'frame' structures. If a street canopy effect is desired, trees may be planted closer together, based on the recommendations of a certified landscape architect.
(5) 
Street trees shall not be located within any defined sight triangle easement of closer than 30 feet from the intersection of the street right-of-way lines.
(6) 
The caliper of the street trees shall be a minimum of 2 1/2 inches measured four feet above the ground. The standing height shall be a minimum of 10 feet.
(7) 
All trees shall be brought to the site balled and burlapped (or other acceptable means), free from insects and disease, and true to species and variety.
(8) 
Stripping trees of vegetation or changing the grade within the drip line by more than six inches shall not be permitted unless it is demonstrated by the developer that these actions are necessary for proper site design. If these actions cause the existing trees to die, the trees should be replaced with the same species and size up to a maximum caliper of 3 1/2 inches to reestablish the tone of the area and to conform to adjacent lots.
(9) 
Dead or dying trees which have been planted or transplanted based on the requirements of this section shall be replaced by the developer during the next recommended planting season.
(10) 
Landscaping plans shall include a graphic tree-planting detail which shall address the following:
(a) 
The thinning of branches and foliage by 1/3. The leader shall not be cut.
(b) 
The staking of a deciduous tree by three stakes. The minimum size of stakes shall be two inches by three inches.
(c) 
The support of tree shall be a double strand of twelve-gauge wire. A tree shall be protected from injury due to wire by a rubber hose or acceptable equal.
(d) 
The trunk shall be protected by a tree wrap.
(e) 
A tree shall be mulched with three inches of approved organic material.
(f) 
A three-inch saucer shall be constructed around the planting area.
(g) 
The top of the burlap shall be untied and removed.
(h) 
The ball shall rest on compacted soil.
(i) 
The diameter of the hole shall be two feet larger than the diameter of the ball.
(11) 
Street tree species. The species and variety of street trees shown on the landscaping plan shall be reviewed and approved by the Township Planner. Suitable street tree species recommended for planting on Township streets shall include, but are to limited to, those species listed in Table 255-152D.
A. 
A minimum of three deciduous shade trees, not including street trees, shall be provided on each proposed lot within residential developments. This requirement may be waived by the Planning Board when a building lot contains adequate shade or canopy and measures have been taken to preserve the trees that provide those qualities.
B. 
Landscape plans shall be prepared by a certified landscape architect and include a planting schedule which describes the quantity, common name, botanical name, size and comments for each species.
C. 
Ornamental trees need not have straight trucks, but must conform in other respects with the provisions for trees and tree plantings outlined in this section.
A. 
Purpose. The intent of this section is to establish design criteria for the use of buffering and screening.
B. 
Terms. "Buffering" refers to the use of a landscaped strip of land to visually separate one use from another or from the street and to mitigate any impacts on adjacent properties. "Screening" is a method of shielding or obscuring all or a portion of a development site from view using densely planted vegetation, fences, walls, and berms. The two terms are not synonymous since screening refers to a more intense and effective buffer that is used in particular situations.
C. 
Buffer area design criteria. The landscaping plan shall be designed in accordance with the following buffer area design criteria:
(1) 
No structure, activity, storage of materials or parking of vehicles shall be permitted in a buffer area.
(2) 
Buffer areas shall be developed in an aesthetic manner for the primary purpose of buffering or screening views and reducing nuisance perception (i.e., noise, light) beyond the lot line. The intent of these buffer area design criteria is to provide sufficient design flexibility to achieve effective and visually interesting buffer areas.
(3) 
Site buffers refer to the buffering of similar uses or activities from each other. The purpose of site buffers is to define the limits of the uses and to separate uses. Site buffer widths shall vary depending upon the type of activity. The minimum site buffer width shall be 15 feet or that width specified in the applicable zoning district measured horizontally and perpendicular to lot and street lines. Site buffers shall be designed, planted, graded and landscaped to provide an aesthetically pleasing separation of similar uses. The site buffer width may be increased by the Planning Board to that necessary to achieve the appropriate buffering of the proposed use.
(4) 
Zone buffers shall be provided along all lot lines and street lines which separate a multifamily residential use (townhouses, apartments, condominiums) or a nonresidential use from an existing single family detached or attached residential dwellings or a district zoned for these units. Zone buffers shall be designed, planted, graded and landscaped to provide an aesthetically pleasing separation of dissimilar uses. In meeting this standard, the applicant may employ a landscaped berm, fencing or wall screening in landscaped areas or evergreen tree or shrubbery screening in a landscaped area.
(5) 
The location and design of buffers and screens shall consider the use of the portion of the property being screened; the distance between the use and the adjoining property line; the difference in elevations; the type of buffer, such as dense planting, existing woods, a wall or fence; buffer height; buffer width; and other combinations of man-made and natural features. The landscaped buffer shall be designed based on the general guideline that the closer a use or activity is to a property line or the more intense the use, the more effective the buffer area must be in obscuring light and vision and reducing noise beyond the lot.
(6) 
The preservation of natural wooded areas shall be an integral part of all development plans. Natural wooded areas located along a boundary with a residential zone district shall be integrated into the required zone buffer area, provided that the growth is of sufficient density and the area of sufficient width to serve the purpose of a buffer. Additional plants may be required by the Planning Board to supplement the natural wooded areas and to establish an effective buffer.
(7) 
If the Planning Board determines that the landscaping plan does not provide sufficient buffers for the proposed use, the Planning Board may require the development plan to be modified to increase the buffer area, to relocate structures of facilities, or to fundamentally change the landscaping methods to achieve the desired buffering effect.
D. 
Screening design criteria.
(1) 
Screening shall be provided within buffer areas as required in this chapter to provide an effective year-round visual and partial acoustical barrier to conceal the view or sounds of various utilitarian operations and uses from the street or adjacent properties.
(2) 
Screening vegetation shall be so placed that at maturity it will not be closer than three feet to any street or property line. Screening vegetation shall be broken at points of vehicular and pedestrian ingress and egress to assure a clear sight triangle at all street and driveway intersections.
(3) 
Screening shall consist of the following materials:
(a) 
Solid masonry. A solid masonry wall not less than six feet above ground level.
(b) 
Solid fencing. A solid fencing, uniformly painted or of a naturally durable material such as cedar, cypress or redwood, not less than six feet above ground level and open to the ground to a height of not more than four inches above ground level.
(c) 
Shrubbery.
[1] 
Low-type shrubbery screening may be used in and around parking areas, roadways, or access ways where sight distances for vehicular and pedestrian traffic are a prime consideration. Shrubbery shall be a minimum of three feet high when planted and be of such density as will obscure, throughout the full course of the year, the glare of automobile headlights emitted from the premises.
[2] 
All other shrubbery for screening shall be a minimum of five feet high at the time of planting.
[3] 
Dense hedges of shrubbery planted at a maximum of 30 inches on center may be used.
(d) 
Trees. Trees for screening shall be evergreens having a minimum height of five feet above the ground when planted. Trees shall be placed five feet on centers in a single row or five feet on centers in two or more staggered rows with a five-foot separation between rows. Evergreens may be supplemented with deciduous trees having a minimum ten-foot height at time of planting with a minimum caliper of 2 1/2 inches.
(e) 
All plants for screening shall be of a species common to the area, be of balled and burlapped nursery stock, and be free of insects and disease.
(f) 
All landscape plans submitted shall contain the following note and language: "All plant material not surviving for a period of two years shall be replaced with the same or equivalent size species."
Table 255-152D
Recommended Trees for Township Streets and Buffer Areas
Class A, shade trees
Columnar trees for planting along narrow streets
Acer rubrum f. columnare
Acer rubrum "Scanlon" (Plant Patent 1722)
Broad oval
October Glory red maple, Acer rubrum, "October Glory"
Japanese Zelkova, Zelkova serrata
Willow oak, Quercus phellos.
Littleleaf Linden, Tilia cordata
London plane, Platanus acerifolia
Sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua
Chinese scholar, Sophora japonica, "Regent"
European beech, Fagus sylvatica
Ash, Fraxinus americana
Globe shaded trees
Red maple, Acer rubrum, clonal selection
Thornless and seedless locusts, Gleditsia tiacanthos inermis,; Morraine; Shade Master
Spreading branched trees
Red oak. Quercus borealis
Scarlet oak, Quercus coccinea
Bur oak, Quercus macrocarpa
Maidenhair tree, Gingko biloba, male only
Class B, flowering trees
Amelanchier canadensis, Shadblow or Sarivs tree
Cercis canadensis, Redbud
Chionanthus virginicus, Fringe tree
Crataegus oxyacantha superba, Crimson cloud hawthorn
Crataegus phaenopy rum, Washington hawthorn
Crataegus toba, Toba hawthorn
Malus baccata, Siberian crab
Malus hopa, Hopa crab
Malus pink perfection (Plant Patent 2912) new hybrid crab
Prunus kwansan, Kwansan cherry
Pyrus calleryana bradford, Bradford pear
Class C, conifers
Douglas fir
White pine
Austrian pine
Colorado spruce
A. 
Purpose. The intent of this section is to regulate the use of fences. The use of fences is appropriate for site definition and security. However, fences must be located and designed so that they are consistent with the neighborhood scheme and are an asset to the property and the community.
B. 
No fence shall be erected within the municipality unless the owner of the premises or his representative has first obtained a zoning permit.
C. 
All fences shall be of quality materials and installed in a good workmanlike manner. All fences shall be maintained by the owner. "Quality materials" means, for purposes of this section, pressure-treated wood, chain link, vinyl and/or wrought iron and aluminum. Specifically excluded are materials such as poultry or construction fences. Barbed wire is not permitted in any residential zone.
D. 
No fences exceeding four feet shall be allowed in the front yard, which shall, for the purposes of this provision, mean the area between the front wall of the building and the street. Any front yard fence, existing at the time of the adoption of this chapter or an amendment thereto, may be continued and may be replaced in the same location with like material in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. Fences erected in the front yard may not obstruct the site triangle for neighboring properties.
[Amended 12-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-12]
E. 
Not more than two fences shall be located on any common property provided that no two fences are owned by one individual, property or corporation.
F. 
Exemptions. The following fences shall be exempt from the requirements of this section, relative to permit, fees, construction or materials:
(1) 
Fences accessory to farm operations, except that the exemption shall not extend to that percentage of farm property set aside for residential purposes as delineated upon the property record cards of the Township.
(2) 
Fences accessory to any public facility, park, playground or school premises.
G. 
Residential zones. Regulations for fences in residential zones.
(1) 
No fence shall be erected unless the property owner shall have obtained a zoning permit certifying that the fence is in accordance with all applicable zoning regulations. No zoning permit shall be issued unless the applicant has filed the application provided by the Zoning Officer and has attached to the application a survey of the property on which shall be shown the specific location, height and design of the proposed fence.
(2) 
For residential properties which are located on a corner, a fence not exceeding 72 inches in height above ground level, may be erected along the secondary street frontage, which shall, for the purposes of this provision, be defined as the area along the street which does not serve as the postal address for the property, provided the property owners first obtain approval of the Development Review Committee of the Joint Land Use Planning Board. No fence on a corner property shall be placed or constructed of materials which, in the determination of the Chief of Police, would create a safety hazard by obstructing the view of vehicular traffic at the intersection. In addition, no fence shall be so placed so that it adversely impacts the sight triangle of any ingress and egress on any adjoining property and it must be installed in such a manner so as to provide a clear sight triangle at all street and driveway intersections.
(3) 
For residential properties, other than those located on a corner, fences not exceeding six feet in height above the ground level may be erected between the front building line to the side property lines and to the rear of the property (rear yard). They may be of solid construction.
(4) 
No fence shall be located within any alley shown on any plan unless permission has been granted by resolution of the Township Committee and subject to any conditions established by the Township Committee.
(5) 
No permit shall be denied for a fence which will be located in a utility easement area, provided that no fence shall be erected within a drainage swale or where the fence would obstruct the flow of water in the easement area. The responsibility for removing and replacing any fence constructed in a utility easement area shall be on the property owner and, there shall be no liability on the utility holding the easement where the fence is removed in order to provide access to the easement area in accordance with the terms of the easement.
(6) 
Fences shall be installed with the finished side of the fence facing the outward perimeter of the property, with all supporting appurtenances on the inside of the barrier.
H. 
Nonresidential zones. Regulations for fences in nonresidential zones.
(1) 
Fences shall be no closer than one foot to the Township right-of-way.
(2) 
Fences shall not be less than four feet nor more than eight feet in height.
(3) 
Fences shall be installed with the finished side of said fence facing the outward perimeter of the property, with all supporting appurtenances on the inside of the barrier.
(4) 
Barbed-wire fencing must be first approved by the Development Review Committee.
I. 
Upon discovery of an alleged violation of this section, the Zoning Officer shall serve written notice, either by personal service or certified mail, return receipt requested, to the owner of the fence and/or the owner or lessee of the property where the fence is located, ordering the fence to be brought into conformity with provisions of this chapter, or its removal, within 30 days of the date of the notice. The notice shall include notification that if the fence is not brought into conformity or removed within such time, a summons and/or complaint will be issued.
J. 
Pool fences. See Exhibit E, Swimming Pools, Spas and Hot Tubs (International Residential Code 2000, NJ).[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Said exhibit is available from the Township offices.