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 article are also intended
to promote:
A.Â
Harmony between land uses.
B.Â
Reduction of glare, noise, and pollution levels.
C.Â
Reduction of stormwater runoff volume.
D.Â
Areas of shade that reduce temperature and energy
costs during hot weather.
E.Â
Natural windscreens that protect from exposure and
reduce energy costs during cold weather.
F.Â
Protection of environmentally sensitive areas.
G.Â
Maintenance of some land on most tracts in a landscaped
state to help offset the monotony of widespread pavement and buildings.
H.Â
Privacy and property rights.
I.Â
Attractive, shaded streets that contribute to the
maintenance of an appealing community in which to live, work, and
visit.
J.Â
Safer means of controlling access to and from public
streets.
This article regulates the circumstances in which buffers are required. When buffers are required, they shall be installed as specified, either as part of setbacks from the perimeter of a tract where it adjoins a district boundary line, as specified in § 200-62, or as part of setbacks from street ultimate rights-of-way, as specified in § 200-63. Classification of buffers is specified in § 200-61. Recommended trees, hedges, and shrubs are specified in § 200-68.
Required buffers shall be one or more of the following types, in accordance with §§ 200-62 and 200-63:
Adjoining Tract
| |||
---|---|---|---|
Subject Tract
|
Low-Impact Districts
|
Medium-Impact Districts
|
High-Impact Districts
|
Low-Impact Districts
| |||
Residential all, except RM and RMH
|
None
|
None
|
None
|
Open Space all
|
None
|
None
|
None
|
Institutional C
|
None
|
None
|
None
|
Medium-Impact District
| |||
Residential RM, RMH
|
B1
|
None
|
None
|
Mixed Use VMX
|
C2
|
None
|
None
|
Institutional INS, NS
|
D1 and B2
|
B1
|
A1
|
High-Impact Districts
| |||
Mixed Use CMX, FC, ROC
|
D2 and B1
|
D1 and B2
|
A1
|
Mixed Use O/BP, O/BPS
|
C2
|
B2
|
A1
|
Industrial all
|
D3 and C1
|
D3 and C2
|
A1
|
Adjoining Ultimate Right-of Way
| |||
---|---|---|---|
Subject Tract
|
Arterial Street
|
Collector Street
|
Local Street
|
Low-Impact Districts
| |||
Residential all, except RM and RMH
|
C2
|
A1
|
A1
|
Agricultural all
| |||
Open Space all
|
A1
|
A1
|
A1
|
Institutional C
|
A1
|
A1
|
A1
|
Medium-Impact Districts
| |||
Residential RM, RMH
|
C2
|
B1
|
A1
|
Mixed Use VMX
|
A1
|
A1
|
A1
|
Institutional INS, NS
|
A1
|
A1
|
A1
|
High-Impact Districts
| |||
Mixed Use B CMX, FC, ROC
|
A1
|
A1
|
B1
|
Mixed Use B O/BP, O/BPS
|
A1
|
A1
|
A1
|
Industrial B all
|
C2
|
C2
|
B1
|
Wherever buffers are required every effort shall
be made to retain existing natural buffers, such as vegetation and
topographic features. Buffers shall not include noxious weeds as defined
by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
As an alternative to the potential for an excessively linear appearance brought about by strict conformance to the minimum requirements of §§ 200-62 and/or 200-63, innovative, free-form buffers that may, in some cases, not be located entirely within the minimum required setback and that may include berms, are encouraged. Such alternative buffers may be authorized; the Zoning Officer may seek the advice of technical experts in the review of the alternative plans.
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 six months. Alternative buffers,
as defined above, may be authorized in the context of buffer maintenance.
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.Â
Canopy trees (three-inch caliper minimum):
Acer ginnala - amur maple
| |
Acer rubrum - red maple
| |
Acer saccharum - sugar maple
| |
Betular alba - European white birch
| |
Catalpa speciosa - northern catalpa
| |
Celtis occidentalis - hackberry
| |
Cercidiphyllum japonica - katsura tree
| |
Diosspyros virginiana - common persimmon
| |
Fagus grandifolia - American beech
| |
Fagus sylvatica - European beech
| |
Fraxinus americana - white ash
| |
Fraxinus pennsylvanica 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
| |
Prunus Yedoenis - yoshino cherry
| |
Quercus alba - white oak
| |
Quercus borealis - red oak
| |
Quercus coccinea - scarlet oak
| |
Quercus imbricaria - laurel or shingle 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
| |
Ulmus parviflora - Chinese elm
| |
Zelkova serrata - Japanese zelkova
|
B.Â
Flowering/ornamental trees (two-inch caliper minimum):
Amelanchier canadensis - shadblow serviceberry
| |
Cornus florida - flowering dogwood
| |
Cornus kousa - kousa dogwood
| |
Cornus mas - cornelian cherrry
| |
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.Â
Evergreens (six-foot-high minimum):
Ilex opaca - American holly
| |
Picea abies - Norway spruce
| |
Picea omorika - Serbian 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.Â
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.Â
Shrubs (eighteen-inch-high minimum):
Hamamelis virginiana - white hazel
| |
Vaccinium sp. - blueberries
| |
Lindera benzoin - spice bush
| |
Rhododendron sp. - azaleas
| |
Rhododendron sp. - rhododendrons
|