One of zoning's most important functions is the division of
land uses into districts which have similar character and contain
compatible uses. All uses permitted in any district have generally
similar nuisance characteristics. Bufferyards act to minimize the
negative impact of any future use on neighboring uses. Bufferyards
shall be required to separate different zoning districts from each
other and to separate uses within the same zoning district that may
have different impact characteristics in order to eliminate or minimize
potential nuisances such as dirt, litter, noise, glare of lights,
signs and unsightly buildings or parking areas or to provide spacing
to reduce adverse impacts of noise, odor or danger from fires or explosions.
Natural, native trees and vegetation are considered the best buffers
and should be used whenever possible.
Bufferyards shall be located on the outer perimeter of a lot
or parcel, extending to the lot or parcel boundary line.
To determine the type of bufferyard required on a parcel or
between two parcels or between a parcel and a street, the following
procedure shall be used:
1.
Identify whether any portion or property line of the site constitutes
a zoning district boundary. If it does, determine the zoning on both
sides of the property and apply the required bufferyard from § 112-903.2.
2.
Table 1: Bufferyards Between Adjacent Zoning Districts.
|
Adjacent Parcel Zoning District
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
R-1
|
R-2
|
C
|
M
|
MUO
| ||
|
R-1
|
Not required
|
Not required
|
A
|
B
|
A
| |
|
Development parcel zoning district
|
R-2
|
Not required
|
Not required
|
A
|
B
|
A
|
|
C
|
A
|
A
|
Not required
|
A
|
Not required
| |
|
M
|
B
|
B
|
A
|
Not required
|
Not required
| |
|
MUO
|
A
|
A
|
Not required
|
Not required
|
Not required
| |
3.
Where a proposed nonresidential use abuts an existing residential use, bufferyard B (§ 112-910) shall be installed, except where the nonresidential use is being proposed as a development in the Mixed Use Overlay.
4.
In the event that the required bufferyard is determined by the Borough
Council to be impracticable, then an alternative bufferyard shall
be selected by the Borough Council.
5.
Determine whether the proposed development is a use which has bufferyards
required to separate that use from certain uses or falls within a
district that applies specialized bufferyard requirements. These include:
6.
In the event more than one bufferyard requirement applies to a parcel
boundary or portion thereof, the most stringent requirement shall
be applied.
The party developing the site shall bear responsibility for
installing the required bufferyard at the time of development.
1.
Buffer materials include fences, landscaping, berms and mounds used to minimize any adverse impacts or nuisances on the site or from adjacent areas. Where existing vegetation exists in the area forming the required bufferyard, it may be used to meet the bufferyard requirement. Illustrations graphically indicating the specification of each bufferyard are contained in § 112-910.
2.
Buffer materials shall be of such a type and designed in such a manner
as to obscure from view at ground level such nonresidential property
from the contiguous, abutting or neighboring residential properties
unless determined to be impracticable by the Borough Council.
3.
Unless specified to the contrary in the individual zoning district regulations, buffers shall be not less than six feet in height nor more than eight feet high at the time of installation unless indicated otherwise in the bufferyard requirements in § 112-910.
4.
Required buffering shall be maintained or replaced as necessary and
in a manner that will restore or enhance its appearance as it relates
to adjacent use. Required buffer plantings shall be replaced within
one year after they die.
5.
No certificate of occupancy will be issued for premises upon which
buffering and site landscaping is required as a component of development
plan approval until it has been installed. In the event that the season
is not appropriate for such installation, a performance guarantee
shall be posted with the Borough in an amount equal to 110% of the
estimated cost of installation. Buffering and site landscaping shall
be installed within nine months of the Borough's receipt of the performance
guaranty.
A bufferyard may be used for passive recreation or stormwater
management. It may contain pedestrian, bike or equestrian trails,
provided that no plant material is eliminated, the total width of
the bufferyard is maintained and all other regulations of this chapter
are met. In no event, however, shall swimming pools, tennis courts
or other such impervious surfaces be permitted in bufferyards. In
no case shall this relieve the owner from the responsibility of providing
the required plantings.
Bufferyards may remain in the ownership of the original developer
(and assigns) of a land use or they may be subjected to deed restrictions
and subsequently be freely conveyed or they may be transferred to
any consenting grantees, such as adjoining landowners, a park or forest
preserve district, or an open space or conservation group, provided
that any such conveyance adequately guarantees the protection of the
bufferyards for the purposes of this chapter.
1.
The illustrations in § 112-910 graphically indicate the specifications of each bufferyard. Bufferyard requirements are stated in terms of the width of the bufferyard and the number of plant units required per 100 linear feet of bufferyard. The requirements of a bufferyard may be satisfied by any of the options therein illustrated. The plant materials required for a given bufferyard varies dependent on the width of that yard. The type and quantity of plant materials required by each bufferyard and each bufferyard option are specified in this section. Only those plant materials capable of fulfilling the intended function shall satisfy the requirements of this chapter.
2.
The options within any bufferyard are designed to be equivalent in
terms of their effectiveness in eliminating the impact of adjoining
uses. Cost equivalence between options was attempted where possible.
Generally, the plant materials which are identified as acceptable
are determined by the type(s) of soil present on the site. The illustrations
have mathematically rounded the number of plant units required for
each option with a given bufferyard. In actual practice, mathematical
rounding would be applied to the total amount of plant material required
by a bufferyard, not to each 100-foot length of bufferyard. All of
the illustrations are drawn to scale and depict the bufferyard according
to the average project diameter of plant materials at five years after
planting.
3.
Each illustration depicts the total bufferyard located between two
uses.
The following plant material substitutions shall satisfy the
requirements of this section.
1.
In all bufferyards, evergreen canopy or evergreen understory trees
may be substituted as follows:
2.
In all bufferyards, evergreen or conifer shrubs may be substituted
for deciduous shrubs without limitation.
3.
If the development on the adjoining use is existing, planned or deed
restricted for solar access, understory trees may be substituted for
canopy trees where canopy trees would destroy solar access.
4.
Any existing plant material which otherwise satisfies the requirements
of this section may be counted toward satisfying all such requirements.
5.
The exact placement of required plants and structures shall be the
decision of each user except that the following requirements shall
be satisfied:
a.
Evergreen (or conifer) plant materials shall be planted in clusters
rather than singly in order to maximize their chances of survival.
6.
Plants shall not include any plants documented on the Pennsylvania
DCNR Invasive Plants in Pennsylvania List.
|
Bufferyard A:
 |
|
Bufferyard B:
 |
