The purpose of this Article is to establish
landscaping, screening and buffering standards that will aid in the
separation of incompatible uses from one another so as to reduce negative
impacts of glare, noise, dust, odors and unsightly views, especially
on residential areas, to minimize erosion, to avoid degradation of
air qualities and to enhance the visual character of the Town by providing
greenery, landscaping and open space.
A.
General. In every instance where there is a required percentage of lot area devoted to minimum landscape coverage as stipulated by minimum landscaped coverage requirements in Article VI of this chapter, landscaping shall be provided in a way that enhances the visual character of the property and adjoining properties and provides appropriate separations and buffers from adjacent uses.
B.
Standards for landscaped coverage in commercial and
industrial districts.
(1)
In all required landscaped areas in commercial and
industrial districts, there shall be a minimum of two kinds of landscape
cover, using some combination of trees, shrubs and ground cover.
(2)
A portion of such required landscaping shall be located
in such manner as to separate buildings, parking areas and driveways
from abutting street lines. In HC, CD, M-1 and MD Districts, such
separation shall be provided in landscaped strips of 25 feet in width
which shall be continuous except for access points of driveways and
sidewalks.
(3)
Where landscaped strips are required pursuant to this
subsection, a screen composed of intermittent visual obstructions
from the ground to a height of at least 20 feet shall be provided.
The intermittent screen shall be designed to create the impression
of a separation of spaces without necessarily eliminating visual contact
between the spaces. It may be composed of a wall, fence, landscaped
earth berm, planted vegetation or existing vegetation. Trees provided
in meeting this requirement should be a minimum of 10 feet in height
at the planting time. Examples of screens meeting this standard include:
(4)
A portion of the required landscaping shall be used
to screen trash collection and outdoor storage areas. Such screening
shall include:
B.
Standards.
(1)
Required landscaped areas pursuant to this section
shall comprise a minimum of 5% of the total area within the perimeter
of the parking area.
(2)
Required landscaped areas shall be provided to assure
the establishment of a safe, convenient and attractive parking facility
needing a minimum amount of maintenance, including plant care, snowplowing
and the removal of leaves and other debris. Whenever possible, planting
islands at least eight feet in width and protected by curbing shall
be provided to guide vehicle movement and to separate opposing rows
of parking spaces so as to provide adequate space for plant growth,
pedestrian circulation and vehicle overhang. Such planting islands
and the landscaping within them shall be designed and arranged in
such a way as to provide vertical definition to major traffic circulation
aisles, entrances and exits, to channel internal traffic flow, prevent
indiscriminate movement of vehicles and to provide relief from the
visual monotony and shadeless expanse of a large parking area.
A.
General. Where a lot in a nonresidential district
abuts a lot in a residential district, a buffer strip in the lot in
the nonresidential district shall be required along the boundary of
the lot in the residential district, except that no such buffer strip
shall be required along any zoning district boundary line which divides
a lot into a residential and nonresidential district.
B.
Standards.
(1)
A portion of the required buffer strip may be located
in a required yard.
(2)
Buffer strips of the following widths shall be required:
|
District
|
Width
(feet)
|
|---|---|
|
CC
|
25
|
|
HC
|
50
|
|
CD
|
50
|
|
MD
|
50
|
|
M-1
|
50
|
(3)
A screen that is opaque from the ground to a height
of at least six feet, with intermittent visual obstruction from above
the opaque portion to a height of at least 10 feet, shall be provided
within the buffer strip. The opaque screen shall be designed to exclude
all visual contact between uses and to create a strong impression
of spatial separation. The screen may be composed of a wall, fence,
landscaped earth berm, planted vegetation or existing vegetation.
The remaining portion of the screen may contain deciduous plants.
Examples of screens meeting this standard include combinations of
the following:
(4)
The Planning Board, as part of site development plan approval, may modify the requirements of Subsection B(2) and (3) when it determines that the specific circumstances of the particular site make adherence to the requirements of Subsection B(2) or (3) unwarranted or impractical and require alternative buffering means which achieve the purposes of this section. The reasons for any such modifications must be expressed and placed into the official record of the Planning Board.
(5)
On lots where both buffer strips and landscaped coverage
are required by this chapter, both requirements must be met. A portion,
not to exceed 50%, of the landscaped coverage requirement may be satisfied
by areas which are provided in meeting the buffer requirement. The
locations of such strips and coverage will be approved by the Planning
Board as part of site development plan approval.
