A. 
Landscaping shall be provided as part of site plan and subdivision design. It shall be conceived in a total pattern throughout the site, integrating the various elements of site design, preserving and enhancing the particular identity of the site and creating a pleasing site character.
B. 
Landscaping may include plant materials such as trees, shrubs, ground cover, perennials, and annuals and other materials such as rocks, water, sculpture, art, walls, fences, and paving materials.
The landscape plan shall identify existing and proposed trees, shrubs, ground cover, natural features such as rock outcroppings, and other landscaping elements. The plan should show where they are or will be located and planting and/or construction details. When existing natural growth is proposed to remain, the applicant shall include in the plans proposed methods to protect existing trees and growth during and after construction.
A. 
Topsoil preservation. Topsoil moved during the course of construction shall be redistributed on all regraded surfaces so as to provide at least four inches of even cover to all disturbed areas of the development and shall be stabilized by seeding or planting. A soil erosion and sediment control plan for the subdivision site shall be approved as part of the preliminary plat, in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 137, Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control, of the Code of the Township of West Amwell.
B. 
Removal of debris. All stumps and other tree parts, litter, brush, weeds, excess or scrap building materials, or other debris shall be removed from the site and disposed of in accordance with the law. No tree stumps, portions of tree trunks or limbs shall be buried anywhere in the development. Without permits from the appropriate agencies, all dead or dying trees, standing or fallen, shall be removed from the site. If trees and limbs are reduced to chips, they may, subject to approval of the Municipal Engineer, be used as mulch in landscaped areas. A developer shall be exempt from these provisions, however, and shall be permitted to dispose of site-generated new construction wastes on-site as long as the conditions set forth in N.J.A.C. 7:26-1.7 are met.[1]
[1]
Note: Municipalities should refer to N.J.A.C. 7:26-1.7 for conditions.
C. 
Protection of existing plantings. Maximum effort should be made to save fine specimens (because of size or relative rarity). No material or temporary soil deposits shall be placed within four feet of shrubs or the drip line of trees designated to be retained on the preliminary and/or final plat. Protective barriers or tree wells shall be installed around each plant and/or group of plants that are to remain on the site. Barriers shall not be supported by the plants they are protecting, but shall be self-supporting. They shall be a minimum of four feet high and constructed of a durable material that will last until construction is completed. Snow fences and silt fences are examples of acceptable barriers.
D. 
Slope plantings. Landscaping of the area of all cuts and fills and/or terraces shall be sufficient to prevent erosion, and all roadway slopes steeper than one foot vertically to three feet horizontally shall be planted with ground covers appropriate for the purpose and soil conditions, water availability, and environment.
E. 
Additional landscaping. In residential developments, besides the screening and street trees required, additional plantings or landscaping elements shall be required throughout the subdivision where necessary for climate control, privacy, or for aesthetic reasons in accordance with a planting plan approved by the Planning Board and taking into consideration cost constraints. In nonresidential developments, all areas of the site not occupied by buildings and required improvements shall be landscaped by the planting of grass or other ground cover, shrubs, and trees as part of a site plan approved by the Planning Board.
F. 
Planting specifications. Deciduous trees shall have at least a two-and-one-half-inch caliper measured six inches from the butt, at planting per ANSI standards. Size of evergreens and shrubs shall be allowed to vary depending on setting and type of shrub. Only nursery-grown plant materials shall be acceptable; and all trees, shrubs, and ground covers shall be planted according to accepted horticultural standards. Dead or dying plants shall be replaced by the developer for one year.
G. 
Plant species. The plant species selected should be hardy for the particular climatic zone in which the development is located and appropriate in terms of function and size.
A. 
Location.
(1) 
Street trees shall be installed five feet from the right-of-way on both sides of all streets in accordance with the approved landscape plan. Trees shall either be massed at critical points or spaced evenly along the street, or both. When trees are planted at predetermined intervals along streets, spacing shall depend on tree size, as follows:
Tree Size
(feet)
Planting Interval
(feet)
Large trees (40+)
40 to 50
Medium-sized trees (30 - 40)
30 to 40
Small trees (to 30)
20 to 30
(2) 
The trees shall be planted so as not to interfere with utilities, roadways, sidewalks, sight easements, or street lights. Tree location, landscaping design, and spacing plan shall be approved by the Planning Board as part of the landscape plan.
B. 
Tree type. Tree type may vary depending on overall effect desired, but as a general rule, all trees shall be the same general tree size on a street except to achieve special effects. Selection of tree type shall be approved by the Planning Board.
C. 
Planting specifications. All trees shall have a caliper of 2 1/2 inches measured six inches from the butt and they shall be Grade A nursery grown, of substantially uniform size and shape, and have straight trunks. Trees shall be properly planted and staked and provision made by the applicant for regular watering and maintenance until they are established. Dead or dying trees shall be replaced by the applicant for one year. No tree shall be planted less than 25 feet from an existing or proposed streetlight or street intersection.
A. 
Function and materials. Buffering shall provide a year-round visual screen in order to minimize adverse impacts from a site on an adjacent property or from adjacent areas. It may consist of fencing, evergreens, berms, boulders, mounds, or combinations thereof to achieve the stated objectives.
B. 
When required.
(1) 
Buffering shall be required when topographical or other barriers do not provide reasonable screening and when the Planning Board determines that there is a need to shield the site from adjacent properties and to minimize adverse impacts such as incompatible land uses, noise, glaring light, and traffic. In small-lot developments, when building design and siting do not provide privacy, the Planning Board may require landscaping, fences, or walls to ensure privacy and screen dwelling units.
(2) 
Where required, buffers shall be measured from property lines, excluding access driveways.
(a) 
Where more-intensive land uses abut less-intensive uses, a buffer strip of 25 feet shall be required. Buffer strips shall be required along the property lines of commercial and industrial uses which adjoin residential zone boundaries.
(b) 
Parking areas, solid waste and recycling collection and utility areas, and loading and unloading areas should be screened around their perimeter by a buffer strip a minimum of five feet wide.
(c) 
A landscaped buffer area shall be provided along the rear property line of reverse frontage lots. The buffer strip shall be a minimum of 25 feet where necessary for the health and safety of the residents, and include both trees and shrubs.
(3) 
Within any cluster development, including mini cluster developments, the new dwellings shall be provided with a twenty-five-foot-wide buffer, separating the residential lots from any portion of the remaining lands, including open space, recreation areas and agricultural activities. The buffer may consist of existing vegetation generally in its natural condition, or the establishment of a planted buffer, the design of which shall be approved by the municipal approving authority. Such buffers, where deemed appropriate, may include fencing combined with vegetation.
[Added 9-2-2004 by Ord. No. 15-2004]
C. 
Design. Arrangement of plantings in buffers shall provide maximum protection to adjacent properties and avoid damage to existing plant material. Possible arrangements include planting in parallel, serpentine, or broken rows. If planted berms are used, the minimum top width shall be four feet, and the maximum side slope shall be 2:1.
D. 
Planting specifications. Plant materials shall be sufficiently large and planted in such a fashion that a screen at least eight feet in height shall be produced within three growing seasons. All plantings shall be installed according to accepted horticultural standards. Such strips shall be planted with evergreens and deciduous trees as follows, subject to the approval or modification of the Planning Board:
(1) 
Evergreens spaced five feet in from outside line and 10 feet apart in a row; two parallel rows of staggered planting recommended.
(2) 
Every 40 feet, a deciduous tree should be planted in the center of the strip.
(3) 
More than one type of evergreen species shall be planted.
(4) 
More than one deciduous species may be used. All deciduous trees should be of one-and-one-half-inch caliper and B.B. stock (balled and burlapped).
(5) 
Maintenance. Plantings shall be watered regularly and in a manner appropriate for the specific plant species through the first growing season; dead or dying plants shall be replaced by the applicant within the period of one year after planting. No buildings, structures, storage of materials, or parking shall be permitted within the buffer area; buffer areas shall be maintained and kept free of all debris and rubbish.
A. 
Amount required.
(1) 
In parking lots, at least 5% of the interior parking area shall be landscaped with plantings, and two trees for each 10 spaces shall be installed. Parking lot street frontage screening and perimeter screening shall be a minimum of five feet wide. Planting required within the parking lot is exclusive of other planting requirements, such as for street trees.
(2) 
Parking areas or lots of over 60 spaces shall, where possible, be subdivided into modular parking bays or lots of not greater than 60 spaces each. A single row or line of spaces shall not be more than 20 spaces in length. Parking bays should be separated from access or circulation drives by five-foot-wide landscape buffer areas and strips. Integrating pedestrian circulation into ten-foot-wide strips should be considered.
(3) 
Any parking area in a front yard or within clear view from the public right-of-way or adjacent to a residential zone shall be screened from view by a landscaped buffer area, including berms, hedges, shrubbery or low walls of approximately four feet in height in order to screen out the view of the parked cars.
(4) 
Parking areas shall be screened from interior drives using evergreen, deciduous, and flowering trees and shrubs to create a continuous landscape strip of 10 feet minimum width. Consider integration of pedestrian walkways within these strips.
(5) 
Parking structures shall receive landscape treatment which softens the bulk and scale of the structures and screens the ground-level cars from public right-of-way and buildings. Deck-level planting shall be treated similarly to a parking lot on grade.
B. 
Location. The landscaping should be located in protected areas, such as along walkways, in center islands, and at the end of bays. All landscaping in parking areas and on the street frontage shall be placed so that it will not obstruct sight distance.
C. 
Plant type. A mixture of hardy flowering and/or decorative evergreen and deciduous trees may be planted; the area between trees shall be planted with shrubs or ground cover or covered with mulch.
Stormwater management areas include detention basins, drainage ditches and swales, and wetlands areas. Sensitively designed basins and swales can benefit the health, welfare, and safety of residents. This may involve integration of these areas as aesthetic landscape features, naturalized wetland areas, or active and passive recreation areas, in addition to their stormwater management function.
A. 
Stormwater detention basins. One of the following landscape concepts, or an alternative concept complying with the standards set forth above, shall be used:
(1) 
Reforestation.
(a) 
This landscape treatment is appropriate for detention basins and drainage areas that are not highly visible or are adjacent to areas of mature woodlands or wetlands. It reverts the disturbed area to a revegetated, stable, low-maintenance, natural landscape asset over time.
(b) 
The area shall be graded creatively to blend into the surrounding landscape and imitate a natural depression with an irregular edge. This shall include gentle berming. Linear, geometric basins are unacceptable.
(c) 
The quantity of trees to be planted on the interior of the basins shall be equal to the number of trees that would be necessary to cover the entire area, based upon a twenty-foot-by-twenty-foot grid to the high water line or outflow elevation. Of this number, 10% shall be two-and-one-half-inch to three-inch caliper, 20% shall be one-inch to two-inch caliper, and 70% shall be six-foot- to eight-foot-high whips.
(d) 
The trees shall be planted in groves and spaced five feet to 15 feet on center.
(e) 
No trees shall be planted within the two-year storm frequency elevation.
(f) 
The ground plane shall be seeded with a naturalization, wildflower, and/or meadow grass mix. The species indigenous to the area and/or tolerant of typical wet/dry floodplain conditions.
(g) 
Plantings shall not be located within 20 feet of low flow channels or any other associated detention utilities to allow for maintenance.
(h) 
The perimeter area (slopes above the high water line) shall include shade trees (approximately 80/1,000 linear feet), evergreen trees (approximately 40/1,000 linear feet), ornamental trees, and shrubs screening drainage structures and creating visual interests.
(i) 
Provision for emergency access as well as general maintenance of the basins shall be reviewed by the Township Engineer. Plantings shall be designed to disguise yet not hinder vehicular access.
(j) 
Plantings are not permitted upon any emergency overflow berms associated with a detention basin unless approved by the Township Engineer.
(2) 
Recreation/open space feature.
(a) 
This landscape concept is appropriate in situations where a basin is the largest or only portion of open space in an area or is adjacent to existing open space and recreational open space is desired. It is also appropriate for smaller, highly visible basins where a visually pleasing open area is desired.
(b) 
The objective in these situations is to integrate the area into the landscape using topography and plantings in order to complement the function of the area and to provide a visually interesting landscape feature and/or recreation space.
(c) 
The area shall be graded creatively to blend into the surrounding landscape and imitate a natural depression with an irregular edge. This shall include gentle berming.
(d) 
Provide perimeter plantings, including shade trees, formally or informally, evergreen trees to create and screen views, and small trees and shrubs to provide a continuous landscape strip screening drainage structures and creating visual interest.
(e) 
Integrate buffer plantings with perimeter plantings where applicable.
(f) 
The following are guidelines for plant quantities:
Type
Quantity
Shade trees
80/1,000 linear feet
Evergreen trees
40/1,000 linear feet
Ornamental trees
10/1,000 linear feet
Shrubs
50/1,000 linear feet
(g) 
To provide recreational open space, concentrate frequently flooded detention in a basin area (five- to ten-year storm volume) and provide a gently sloping, less often flooded, area (ten- to one-hundred-year storm volume) as a recreational open field space. Provide ballfields and/or open play areas integrated with plantings in a park-like manner.
B. 
Stormwater retention basins.
(1) 
This landscape treatment can take on a variety of landscape forms, from formal reflecting pools and canals or entry fountain features to natural park-like lakes and ravines.
(2) 
Water fountains and features are encouraged in the design of research, office and industrial parks.
[Amended by Ord. No. 98-11]
(3) 
The water's edge shall be easily maintained and stable. Possible treatments might include rip-rap, stone walls, natural plantings, decking, and bulkheads.
(4) 
The planting of the perimeter of the feature shall accentuate views and interest and integrate pedestrian paths, sitting areas, and other uses.
(5) 
Plantings shall include formal or informally massed deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs to screen and frame views with ornamental trees, shrubs, and grasses used for visual interest or special effects. A continuous landscape area shall be provided.
(6) 
If used as a recreational feature, the connection to the water must be addressed and controlled. The types of uses shall be specified, and the plantings and pedestrian spaces shall be integrated with these uses.
(7) 
Plants with pervasive root systems shall not be located where they may cause damage to drainage pipes or other underground utilities.
(8) 
All engineered basin structures shall be designed to blend into the landscape in terms of construction materials, color, grading, and planting.
A. 
Paving materials. Design and choice of paving materials used in pedestrian areas shall consider the following factors: cost, maintenance, use, climate, characteristics of users, appearance, availability, glare, heat, drainage, noise, compatibility with surroundings, decorative quality, and aesthetic appeal. Acceptable materials shall include, but are not limited to, concrete, brick, cement pavers, asphalt and stone.
B. 
Walls and fences shall be erected where required for privacy, screening, separation, security, or to serve other necessary functions.
(1) 
Design and materials shall be functional, they shall complement the character of the size and type of building, and they shall be suited to the nature of the project.
(2) 
No fence or wall shall be so constructed or installed so as to constitute a hazard to traffic or safety.
A. 
Street furniture such as, but not limited to, trash receptacles, benches, bike racks, phone booths, etc., shall be located and sized in accordance with their functional need.
B. 
Street furniture elements shall be compatible in form, material, and finish. Style shall be coordinated with that of the existing or proposed site architecture.
C. 
Selection of street furniture shall consider durability, maintenance, and long-term cost.