The intent of this article is to promote practical and attractive
development within North Codorus Township by:
A.
Minimizing erosion and sedimentation, and stimulating groundwater
recharge.
B.
Minimizing glare and heat on proposed hard surfaces, and reducing
noise pollution.
C.
Stimulating air purification and oxygen regeneration.
D.
Preserving and protecting existing vegetation.
E.
Providing screened buffers on properties adjacent to incongruous
zoning districts or uses.
A.
A landscape plan shall be required for each nonresidential land development
plan, multi-family or townhouse residential development, or residential
subdivision plan with greater than five lots at both the preliminary
and final plan submittals. Landscaping requirements for single-family
residential subdivisions shall be applicable to all areas held in
common ownership, buffer areas, rights-of-way, and easements. This
section shall not be construed to be regulating landscaping on lots
for individual single-family residential units.
B.
In addition to other plan requirements set forth in this chapter,
the following is required for submission:
(1)
Preliminary landscape plan. The preliminary landscape plan shall be drawn to the standards specified in § 165-29, shall be coordinated with the overall site plan, and shall contain the following:
(a)
Complete topographic conditions on-site and immediately adjacent
to the site, including existing and proposed buildings, roads, paved
areas, etc.
(b)
Location of all outside storage and trash receptacle areas.
(c)
Existing and proposed underground and aboveground utilities,
such as site lighting, transformers, hydrants, manholes, etc., and
any rights-of-way or easements associated with such facilities.
(d)
Fences and walls.
(e)
Existing wooded areas; existing wooded areas to remain; and
existing and proposed water bodies.
(f)
Common names of proposed trees, shrubs, groundcover and grass.
(g)
Areas to be planted with proposed species other than grass.
(2)
Final landscape plan. The final landscape plan shall also be drawn to the standards in § 165-33 and shall contain the following:
(a)
All plan elements required for the preliminary plan.
(b)
Plant schedule, indicating the botanical and common names, height
or spread at planting, cultural conditions, caliper, and quantity
of all proposed plant material.
(c)
Details for the planting and staking of trees.
(d)
Existing trees with trunks 18 inches in diameter or greater
(measured 12 inches above existing ground level), existing wooded
areas and existing and proposed water bodies.
(e)
Location and spacing of all proposed plant material with arbitrary
plant symbols indicating expected mature spread.
(f)
Final landscape plans shall be certified by a landscape architect
registered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. These plans shall
be reviewed and approved by the Board of Supervisors.
A.
The locations, dimensions and spacing of required plantings should
be adequate for their proper growth and maintenance, taking into account
the sizes of such plantings at maturity and their present and future
environmental requirements, such as wind, moisture, and sunlight.
B.
The type(s) of plantings shall be limited to species that will not
disturb or contribute to conditions hazardous to the public safety
within critical locations. Such locations include, but shall not be
limited to, public street rights-of-way; underground and aboveground
utilities; and sight triangle areas required for unobstructed views
at street intersections.
C.
Tree obstructions and trimming. No bushes or shrubs exceeding three
feet in height, or at such lesser height which due to ground elevations
would obstruct the vision of motorists, shall be permitted within
any required clear sight triangle or within 10 feet of the right-of-way
line adjacent to access drives. All street trees shall be kept free
of branches and foliage that obstruct vehicle sight distance up to
10 feet in height and up to eight feet in height that obstruct sidewalks.
Tree branches that extend into street cartways shall have branches
trimmed to result in a fourteen-foot minimum clearance. The adjacent
landowner is required to keep street trees properly trimmed and to
remove a tree that has become dangerous or that has died.
D.
All plant materials used shall, at the time of planting, meet minimum size requirements as stated in § 165-63.
E.
Street trees.
(1)
Street trees shall be planted for any subdivision or land development
where suitable street trees do not exist, as part of the design and
construction of new or extended streets.
(2)
Spacing. Street trees shall be planted no closer than 40 feet on
center nor further than 60 feet on center for each side of the street,
spaced at intervals equal to 80% to 90% of expected mature spread
of trees proposed, or an equivalent number may be planted in an informal
arrangement approved by the Board of Supervisors.
(3)
Setback. Street trees shall be planted a minimum distance of five
feet outside and parallel to the right-of-way line, unless otherwise
approved by the Board of Supervisors. Trees located at intersections
shall respect the clear sight triangles.
(4)
Existing healthy trees along a street which would be suitable as
street trees can be counted toward the street tree requirement, provided
they are preserved and are over four inches in caliper and are within
25 feet of the curb or road edge.
F.
Plants shall not be placed where they might interfere with the construction,
use, or maintenance of any public or private sewage disposal system,
water supply or other utility/facility, including sidewalks.
G.
All required trees and shrubs shall be healthy and free of disease
when planted.
H.
All street and shade trees shall have a minimum trunk diameter of
2.5 inches at a height of six inches above finished grade.
I.
All plantings shall be performed in conformance with good nursery
and landscape practices, and to any other standards that are established
by the Township.
J.
Requirements for the measurement, branching, grading, quality and
burlapping of required plantings shall follow the standards of the
American Association of Nurserymen, as amended.
K.
Screen buffer. Wherever vegetative screening is being provided to
meet a screening requirement of the Township Zoning Ordinance[1] or this chapter, the following landscape requirements
must be adhered to:
(1)
Buffer requirements.
(a)
A buffer area with a minimum width of 20 feet shall be used
for screening. A wider buffer width may be required by other sections
of this chapter or as a condition of a variance, conditional use or
special exception use. Trees and shrubs used for screening shall consist
of at least 75% evergreen trees and shrubs and shall be so arranged
as to provide visual screening of various intensities depending upon
the adjoining district or use. The following types of buffer planting
strip shall be required in the following situations:
|
Situation
|
Required Type of Buffer Area
| |
|---|---|---|
|
Adjacent lot is permanently preserved and there is no dwelling
within 200 feet of the lot line
|
No buffer required
| |
|
New or expanded industrial use or area routinely used for the
overnight parking of 2 or more tractor-trailer trucks is adjacent
to an existing or approved residential lot or a residential district
|
Buffer D
| |
|
New or expanded commercial use is adjacent to an existing or
approved residential lot or a residential district
|
Buffer C
| |
|
New or expanded multifamily/apartment use or manufactured/mobile
home park is adjacent to an existing or approved single family detached
residential lot
|
Buffer B
| |
|
New or expanded place of worship, school or institutional use
is adjacent to an existing or approved lot occupied by a dwelling
|
Buffer A
|
(b)
Evergreen trees shall be at least six feet in height at the
time of planting. When additional height is deemed necessary, an additional
row of deciduous trees with calipers of not less than 2.5 inches shall
be planted within the screening area at intervals of not more than
40 feet on center.
(c)
The type of buffer planting strips shown in the above table
have been designed to provide different levels of screening and are
illustrated in the Appendix as an attachment to this chapter. The
intent of each type of strip is as follows, based upon expected growth
within three years after planting:
[1]
Buffer Planting Strip A is not intended to provide full screening
but instead filters the view from the adjoining use.
[2]
Buffer Planting Strip B shall be designed to block 50% of the
view at eye level through use of trees and shrubs.
[3]
Buffer Planting Strip C shall be designed to block 75% of the
adjoining use through the use of shrubs and trees/or other structural
elements.
[4]
Buffer Planting Strip D will provide 100% opaqueness of the
adjoining use through the use of dense planting of trees and shrubs
or other structural elements.
(d)
The minimum number of plant units required per 100 linear feet
of planting strip is specified. The required plant material shall
be distributed over the entire length and width of the buffer area.
Buffer plant material may be arranged symmetrically (formal) or asymmetrically
(informal) and may be grouped to form plant clusters. However, informal
groupings that reflect the natural character of the region are encouraged.
Plants shall be spaced to provide optimum growing conditions. Additional
plants may be required, at the Township Engineer's discretion, to
fulfill the intent of the required buffer planting strip.
(2)
Walls, ornamental structures, fences and berms, appropriate vegetative
material, or a combination of these, not less than six feet in height
may be used with respect to a specific land use, or as approved by
the Board of Supervisors. When a mostly solid fence or architectural
wall is used, 50% of the required vegetative material may be eliminated.
The remaining required vegetative material shall be placed on the
outside (typically residential) side of the wall or fence.
(3)
Innovative means of screening are encouraged; however, as a guideline
to quantity of materials required, a minimum of one plant shall be
provided 12 feet on center along the property line. Straight rows
of trees are discouraged.
(4)
Windbreaks. The use of planting rows to serve as windbreaks to control
the drifting of snow across public and private thoroughfares is encouraged.
(5)
The buffer yard shall not be used for parking, storage, trash dumpsters
or similar features. A pedestrian pathway may be approved to be placed
in a buffer yard, provided that it does not interfere with the required
plant screening.
L.
Off-street parking areas.
(1)
Off-street parking lots shall be screened in accordance with the
above regulations relating to buffers. Further, any parking lot within
100 feet of a public street or intersection shall be screened with
a hedge, berm or other measure to prevent distraction or confusion
from parking cars' headlights.
(2)
No parking lot shall be located closer to a building than six feet
to allow adequate room for landscaping.
(3)
No more than 20 parking spaces shall be placed in a continuous row
without an intervening planting island of at least 10 feet in width
and the length of the parking stall.
(4)
A minimum of 5% of any parking lot facility with greater than 50
parking spaces shall be devoted to landscaping. This landscaping shall
include a minimum of one tree per 20 parking spaces and all planting
beds within a parking lot shall be surfaced in lawn or ground cover
planting.
(5)
All areas between the street right-of-way line and parking lot shall
be planted.
M.
Pedestrian spaces. The objectives of landscape architectural treatment
of pedestrian access shall be to promote free and safe movement of
pedestrians and bicycles into, in between, and through the proposed
and existing facilities and to provide pedestrian spaces at building
entrances and nodes. The following guidelines should be considered:
(1)
Pedestrian and bicycle access shall be provided from public roadways,
parking lots, and adjacent land uses where appropriate.
(2)
The layout of pedestrian walkways should be consistent with the overall
design. In natural landscapes, walkways should meander through plantings
and berms. Formal landscapes may require long straight walkways. The
views of the pedestrian should be visually interesting.
(3)
Plantings along pathways should maximize, orient, and exploit desirable
views as well as provide shade.
(4)
Benches and sitting areas along pathways should be placed where appropriate
and particularly where they can incorporate or provide views of a
significant landscape feature, recreational facility, or interesting
site design of the project.
(5)
Connections to common open space areas and facilities on adjacent
properties should be provided. Pedestrian easements between lots with
a paved walkway may be required.
(6)
Pedestrian bridges over streams, ravines, or drainage swales are
encouraged and should be required when necessary to make connections
in pedestrian systems if they can be reasonably constructed without
impeding floodwaters and other anticipated flows. They are subject
to all regulatory agency permit requirements.
(7)
Other pedestrian amenities such as kiosks, water fountains, pedestrian-scale
lighting, and gazebos should be provided where appropriate.
N.
Service, loading, and trash disposal areas.
(1)
All service, delivery, loading and outdoor storage, and trash disposal
areas shall be screened from all residential districts, public streets,
parking lots and pedestrian walkways.
(2)
These areas shall be totally screened from the above-listed places
by the use of fences, walls, berms, evergreen plant material, or a
combination of these, not less than six feet in height.
A.
Species selection shall be based upon the existing site conditions
including the site geology, hydrology, soils, and microclimate, as
well as functional considerations of screening, energy conservation
and architectural compatibility.
B.
The following is a recommended list of street trees for use in North
Codorus Township. However, the Township may permit other planting
types if they are hardy to the area, are not subject to blight or
disease and are of the same general character and growth habit as
those listed below. Street trees shall have a minimum 2.5 inch caliper
measured six inches above finished grade.
|
Scientific Name
|
Common Name
| |
|---|---|---|
|
Acer rubrum
|
Red Maple
| |
|
Fraxinus pennsylvania - "Marshall's Seedless"
|
Marshall's Seedless Green Ash
| |
|
Prunus sargentii
|
Sargent Cherry
| |
|
Pyrus calleryana - "Aristocrat"
|
Aristocrat pear
| |
|
Quercus borealis
|
Northern Red Oak
| |
|
Tilia Tomentosa
|
Littleleaf Linden
| |
|
Tilia cordata
|
Silver Linden
| |
|
Zelkova serrata
|
Japanese Zelkova
|
C.
The following is a recommended list of street trees for use within
areas limited in space by overhead power lines and sidewalks:
|
Scientific Name
|
Common Name
| |
|---|---|---|
|
Acer campestre
|
Hedge Maple
| |
|
Crataegus crusgalli inermis
|
Thornless Cockspur Hawthorn
| |
|
Crataegus x lavallei
|
Lavalle Hawthorn
| |
|
Koelreuteria paniculata
|
Goldenrain Tree
| |
|
Malus - "Centurion"
|
Centurion Crabapple
| |
|
Malus - "Harvest Gold"
|
Harvest Gold Crabapple
| |
|
Malus x zumi - "Calocarpa"
|
Redbud Crabapple
|
