[Ord. 11/25/2003, § 1200]
1. 
Intent. Buffers are intended to augment required setbacks from streets and from the perimeter of a tract where it adjoins a district boundary line by providing additional means of physical, visual, and acoustical separation between uses. Landscaped strips, screening, and shade trees required by this Part are also intended to promote:
A. 
Harmony between land uses.
B. 
Reduction of glare, noise, and pollution levels.
C. 
Reduction of stormwater runoff volume.
D. 
Areas of shade that reduce temperature and energy costs during hot weather.
E. 
Natural windscreens that protect from exposure and reduce energy costs during cold weather.
F. 
Protection of environmentally-sensitive areas.
G. 
Maintenance of some land on most tracts in a landscaped state to help offset the monotony of widespread pavement and buildings.
H. 
Privacy and property rights.
I. 
Attractive, shaded streets that contribute to the maintenance of an appealing community in which to live, work, and visit.
J. 
Safer means of controlling access to and from public streets.
2. 
Applicability and Scope. This Part regulates the circumstances in which buffers are required. Buffers may be required either as part of setbacks from the perimeter of a tract where it adjoins a district boundary line, as specified in Subsection 4, or as part of setbacks from street ultimate rights-of-way, as specified in Subsection 5. Classification of buffers is specified in Subsection 3. Recommended trees and hedges are specified in Subsection 10.
3. 
Classification of Buffers. Required buffers shall be one or more of the following types, in accordance with Subsections 4 and 5:
A. 
One canopy tree per 40 linear feet (Type A1).
B. 
One canopy tree per 40 linear feet, plus one flowering tree per 60 linear feet, plus one evergreen per 60 linear feet (Type B1).
One canopy tree per 40 linear feet, plus one evergreen per 30 linear feet (Type B2).
C. 
One evergreen per 30 linear feet, plus one hedge (three foot centers) (Type C1).
One evergreen per 25 linear feet, plus one shrub per eight linear feet (Type C2).
D. 
One hedge (three foot centers) (Type D1).
Six-foot high solid cedar or spruce fencing (Type D2).
Six-foot high twelve-gauge plastic-coated chain link fence (Type D3).
4. 
Required Buffer Types for Setbacks Adjoining District Boundary Lines.
Adjoining Tract Subject Tract
Low Impact Districts
Medium Impact Districts
High Impact Districts
Low Impact Districts
Agricultural - all
None
None
None
Open Space - all
None
None
None
Residential - all, except RMH
None
None
None
Medium Impact Districts
Residential - RMH
C1
C2
None
Mixed-Use - VMX, TND
C2
None
None
High Impact Districts
Mixed-Use - MX, BP
D2, B1
D1, B2
A1
Industrial - all
D3, C1
D3, C2
A1
Institutional - all
D1, B2
B1
A1
Airport - AIR
D3, C2
D3, C2
D3, A1
5. 
Required Buffer Types for Setbacks from Streets.
Adjoining Ultimate Right-of-Way Subject Tract
Arterial Street
Collector Street
Local Street
Low Impact Districts
Agricultural - all
None
None
None
Open Space - all
None
None
None
Residential - all, except RMH
C2
A1
A1
Medium Impact Districts
Residential - RMH
C2
A1
A1
Mixed-Use - VMX, TND
A1
A1
A1
High Impact Districts
Mixed-Use - MX, BP
A1
A1
B1
Industrial - all
C2
C2
B1
Institutional - all
C2
A1
B1
Airport - AIR
C2
A1
B1
6. 
Existing Natural Buffers - Retention. Wherever buffers are required every effort shall be made to retain existing natural buffers, such as vegetation and topographic features.
7. 
Landscaping of Setbacks. All required setbacks, whether or not planted with trees, shrubs, or hedges required by Subsections 4 and/or 5, shall as a minimum consist of grass, ground cover, and/or similar vegetative material or other natural landscaping materials.
8. 
Alternative Buffers. As an alternative to the potential for an excessively linear appearance brought about by strict conformance to the minimum requirements of Subsections 4 and/or 5, innovative, free-form buffers that may, in some cases, not be located entirely within the minimum required setback, are encouraged. Such alternative buffers may be authorized, subject to a recommendation of the Planning Commission, which may seek the advice of technical experts in the review of the alternative plans.
9. 
Maintenance Required. All buffers shall be maintained by the property owner at his expense, assuring that required trees, plantings, and vegetative materials are kept in good condition. Any such materials that die shall be replaced within one year.
10. 
Recommended Buffer Plantings. The following planted materials are authorized for inclusion in buffers; other plantings may be authorized, subject to recommendations of the Planning Commission and the Township Engineer.
A. 
Canopy Trees (two-inch caliper minimum):
Acer ginnala - amur maple
Acer rubrum - red maple
Acer saccharum - sugar maple
Betular alba - European white birch
Cercidiphyllum japonica - katsura tree
Fagus grandifolia - American beech
Fagus sylvatica - European beech
Fraxinus americana - white ash
Fraxinus pennnsylvanica lanceolata - green ash
Ginkgo biloba - ginkgo (male only)
Gleditsia tracanthos inermis - thornless honey locust
Gymnocladus dioica - Kentucky coffee-tree
Nyssa sylvatica - sour-gum
Phellodendron amurense - amur corktree
Platanus acerifolia - London plane-tree
Quercus alba - white oak
Quercus borealis - red oak
Quercus coccinea - scarlet oak
Quercus palustris - pin oak
Quercus phellos - willow oak
Robina pseudoacacia inermis - thornless black locust
Sophora japonica - Japanese pagoda tree
Tilia - linden - all species hardy to the area
Zelkova serrata - Japanese zelkova
B. 
Flowering trees (two-inch caliper minimum):
Amelanchier canadensis - shadblow serviceberry
Cornus florida - flowering dogwood
Cornus kousa - kousa dogwood
Cornus mas - cornelian cherry
Crataegus phaenopyrum - Washington hawthorn
Koelreuteria paniculata - golden rain tree
Laburnum vossi - goldenchain
Magnolia soulangeana - saucer magnolia
Magnolia virginiana - sweetbay magnolia
Malus baccata - siberian crab
Malus floribunda - Japanese flowering crab
Malus hopa - hopa red - flowering crab
Oxydendrum arboreum - sourwood
Pyrus calleryana Bradford - callery pear
Punus kwansan - kwanzan cherry
Prunus yedoensis - yoshino cherry
C. 
Evergreens (four-foot-high minimum):
Ilex opaca - American holly
Picea abies - Norway spruce
Picea omorika - servian spruce
Picea pungens - Colorado spruce
Pinus nigra - Austrian pine
Pseudotsuga menziesii - Douglas fir
Tsuga canadensis - Canada hemlock
Pinus strobus - eastern white pine
X Cupressocyparis leylandii - Leyland cypress
Pinaceae Pinus virginiana - Virginia pine
D. 
Hedges (four-foot-high minimum):
Crataegus intricata - thicket hawthorn
Forsythia intermedia - border forsythia
Rhamnus frangular columnaris - tallhedge buckthorn
Syringa chinensis - Chinese lilac
Syringa vulgaris - common lilac
Viburnum alatus - viburnum
Maclura pomifera - osage orange
Crataegus crus-galli - cockspur thorn
Crataegus phaenopyrum - Washington hawthorn
E. 
Shrubs:
Hamamelis virginiana - white hazel
Vaccinium sp. - blueberries
Lindera benzoin - spice bush
Rhododendron sp. - azaleas
Rhododendron sp. - rhododendrons