[Ord. 1223-99, 4/12/1999, § 1101]
As used in this Part, the following words shall have the meanings
indicated below:
A woody perennial which loses its foliage at the end of each
growing season.
A series of vegetative plantings which provide essentially
an opaque screen.
A woody perennial which retains its foliage for more than
one growing season.
A low perennial with a mature height of three inches to 18
inches, excluding crown vetch, annuals and turf grasses.
A landscaped island separating and running the length of
two rows of contiguous parking spaces within a parking lot and which
provides opportunities for landscaping and traffic circulation control.
The addition of trees, plants and other natural and decorative
features to the land.
A landscaped island located within a row of contiguous parking
spaces in a parking lot and which provides for landscaping opportunities
within parking lots.
That area within an off-street parking lot, including any
paved surface providing vehicular access to and from parking spaces,
but excluding streets.
A unit of measure used to determine the quantity of plantings
required in a residential, commercial, industrial or other development
project. For the purposes of this Part, one planting unit (PU) equals
one major deciduous tree two minor deciduous trees, two evergreen
trees, five shrubs or 500 square feet of ground cover, exclusive of
residential yard area.
A low, multistemmed woody plant with a mature height of between
18 inches and 10 feet.
A landscaped island located on either end of rows of parking
spaces within a parking lot which provides opportunities for landscaping
and which defines the ends of parking aisles, thus contributing to
traffic circulation control.
An evergreen plant with a mature height exceeding 15 feet
and a height at planting of between five and six feet.
A canopy tree with a mature height exceeding 25 feet and
a minimum caliper at the time of planting in excess of two inches.
A tree with a mature height of between 10 feet and 25 feet
and a minimum caliper at the time of planting of between one inch
and two inches.
[Ord. 1223-99, 4/12/1999, § 1102]
1.
Purpose. It is the purpose of this Part to establish minimum standards
for the provision, installation and maintenance of landscape plantings
in order to achieve a healthy, beautiful and safe community. Furthermore,
it is the purpose and intent of this Part to:
A.
Improve the appearance of all areas through the incorporation of
open space into development in ways that harmonize and enhance the
natural and built environment.
B.
Improve environmental quality by recognizing the numerous beneficial
effects of landscaping upon the environment including, but not limited
to, the improvement of air quality, the maintenance of areas essential
for stormwater management and aquifer recharge and reducing air, noise,
heat and chemical pollutions.
C.
Maintain and increase the value of land by requiring landscaping
to be incorporated into development, this becoming by itself a valuable
capital asset.
D.
Provide direct and important physical and psychological benefits
to human beings through the use of landscaping to reduce noise and
glare and to soften the harsher aspects of development.
E.
Preserve existing natural vegetation and incorporate native plants
and plant communities into landscape design.
F.
Establish procedures and standards for the administration and enforcement
of the landscaping requirements of this Part.
2.
Application. This Part applies to all new land developments and to
all land developments where renovations, remodeling or alterations
equal or exceed 30% of the area of the principal structure or parking
area on the site.
3.
Contents of Landscape Plans. All landscape plans required by this
Chapter shall:
A.
Be drawn to scale and include appropriate dimensions and distances
to afford a complete understanding of the proposed landscaping layout.
B.
Delineate any existing and proposed parking spaces or other vehicular
areas, access aisles, driveways, building footprints and similar features.
C.
Designate by name and location the plant material to be installed
or preserved in accordance with this Part.
D.
Identify and describe the location and characteristics of all other
landscape materials to be used.
E.
Include a table clearly displaying the relevant information necessary
for the evaluation of compliance with the provisions of this Chapter.
Such a table shall include gross area of the project, area of preservation
sites, amount of vegetation to be planted or preserved and other such
information as the Commission may require.
4.
Professional Plan Preparation. When any residential project is proposed
which requires 25 or more PUs, and when any nonresidential project
is proposed which requires five or more PUs, the landscaping plans
required by this Part shall be prepared by a licensed landscape architect.
[Ord. 1223-99, 4/12/1999, § 1103]
1.
Attached Residential Development. For single-family attached and
multifamily dwellings, or for residential projects containing a combination
of dwelling unit types, the following landscaping standards shall
be observed:
A.
Quantity of Landscaping. A minimum of two planting units shall be
required for each dwelling unit.
B.
Shade Trees. At least one major deciduous tree shall be planted at
intervals of between 50 and 70 feet along each side of all adjacent
streets and streets lying within the site or project, which trees
shall be located between the sidewalk and the building setback line,
at least five feet from the sidewalk.
C.
Credit for Existing Vegetation. Credit for up to 50% of the minimum
landscaping quantity requirements may be given for retaining existing
major deciduous trees on the site; provided, that such trees are in
good health, are located within 25 feet of at least one dwelling unit
and the developer agrees to replace any such trees which die within
two years of final approval with, at a minimum, replacement of major
deciduous trees in equal number.
2.
Detached and Semidetached Development. For single-family detached
dwellings and/or single-family semidetached dwellings, the following
landscaping standards shall be observed:
A.
Quantity of Landscaping. A minimum of one planting unit shall be
required for each dwelling unit.
B.
Shade Trees. At least one major deciduous tree shall be planted at
intervals of between 50 and 70 feet along each side of all adjacent
streets and streets lying within the site or project, which trees
shall be located between the sidewalk and the building setback line,
at least five feet from the sidewalk.
3.
Nonresidential Development. For all nonresidential development, the
following landscaping standards shall be applied:
A.
Quantity of Landscaping. The following quantities of landscaping
shall be provided:
B.
Credit for Existing Vegetation. Credit for up to 50% of the minimum
landscaping quantity requirements may be given for retaining existing
major deciduous trees on the site; provided, that such trees are in
good health, are located within 25 feet of the nonresidential use
and the developer agrees to replace any such trees which die within
two years of final approval with, at a minimum, replacement of major
deciduous trees in equal number.
C.
A minimum ten-foot wide planting area shall be provided along all
property lines which abut residential districts or uses. No less than
one planting unit per 25 linear feet of such property lines shall
be provided, consisting of materials which will create a vegetative
dense screen year round and which can be reasonably expected to attain
a height of six feet by the third year after planting.
4.
Parking Lots. Parking lots shall be designed to conform with the
following:
A.
Landscaping within the parking area of all off-street parking lots
containing nine or more parking spaces shall have:
(1)
Terminal landscaped islands at both ends of all rows of parking
spaces. Each such island shall measure not less than eight feet in
width nor less than 15 feet in length. Each such island shall contain
at least one major deciduous tree or two minor deciduous trees, with
the remainder of the island landscaped with appropriate ground cover
or grass.
(2)
One mid-row landscaped island for each 10 contiguous spaces,
where rows contain more than 10 spaces. The midrow islands shall have
minimum measurements as provided for terminal islands above. Each
such island shall contain at least one major deciduous tree or two
minor deciduous trees, with the remainder of the island landscaped
with appropriate ground cover or grass.
(3)
A landscaped divider strip between abutting rows of parking.
Landscaped divider strips shall have a minimum width of 10 feet and
shall be planted with one major deciduous tree or two minor deciduous
trees for each 25 linear feet, with the remainder of the island landscaped
with appropriate ground cover or grass. Unpaved pedestrian walkways
may be substituted for a portion of the required ground cover or grass
if such walkways will facilitate pedestrian movement through the parking
lot.
(4)
Curbing or wheel stops around all landscaped islands and strips
to prevent vehicular encroachment.
B.
All parking lots shall be surrounded by a perimeter landscaping strip
which meets the following requirements:
(1)
Perimeter landscaped areas shall be provided around the perimeter
of all parking areas, except where a side of the parking area is bounded
by a principal nonresidential structure.
(2)
The minimum width of the perimeter landscaping area around a
parking area shall be no less than 10 feet, measured outward from
the edge of the parking lot.
(3)
The perimeter landscaping areas shall be planted with one planting
unit for each 25 feet of linear distance. The remaining area of the
area shall be planted with appropriate ground cover or grass.
5.
Dumpster and Trash Storage Areas. All areas proposed for the location
of large trash containers, such as dumpsters, or for trash storage
pending pickup from more than one residential unit, shall be screened
with a fence of no less than five feet or with plant material that
will form a dense screen and which contains materials reasonably expected
to attain a height of five feet within three years of planting.
1.
The landscape contractor shall furnish and install all plant material
shown on the landscape plan approved by the Borough pursuant to this
Part. No bare root planting is permitted for any required tree.
2.
Plants taken from cold storage are not acceptable to meet the requirements
in this Part.
3.
Planting of deciduous material may occur during winter months; provided,
that there is no frost in the ground and frost free topsoil planting
mixtures are used. A professional horticulturist or nurseryman should
be consulted to determine the proper time to move and install plant
material so that stress to the material is at a minimum.
4.
All plant pits, hedge trenches and shrub beds shall be excavated
as follows:
(1)
All pits shall be generally circular in outline, with vertical sides.
Tree pits shall be deep enough to allow 1/8 of the ball to be above
the finish grade and shall be a minimum of 10 inches larger on every
side than the ball of the tree.
(2)
If areas are designated as shrub beds or hedge trenches, they shall
be cultivated to at least 18 inches in depth.
(3)
Areas designated for ground cover shall be cultivated to at least
12 inches in depth.
5.
After cultivation, all plantings shall be mulched with a minimum
three inches layer of organic mulch or another similar material over
the area of the planting.
6.
All clear sight triangles shall remain clear and any plant which
could endanger safety, such as unstable limbs, shall be removed and
the plant material replaced.
7.
No plant materials may be substituted for that shown on the approved
plan without first having received approval from the Borough Code
Enforcement Officer.
[Ord. 1223-99, 4/12/1999, § 1104]
1.
The installation of required landscaping in accordance with the approved plan shall be guaranteed by financial security in the form and manner as provided in Part 8 of this Chapter.
2.
Any required planting unit or portion thereof which dies within 18
months of planting shall be replaced by the applicant or developer.
Any element of a required planting unit which, within 18 months of
planting, is deemed, in the opinion of the Code Enforcement Officer,
not to have survived or to have grown in a manner uncharacteristic
for its type and not achieving the purpose for which it was intended
shall be replaced with plant material as approved in the plan by the
developer or applicant.
