The landscaping standards included in this section shall apply, as appropriate, to all required landscaped areas in this subchapter.
(A) General standards.
(1) Commercial outparcels shall be vegetated and maintained by the property owner while vacant to maintain an attractive appearance. Vegetation shall consist of turf grass, shrubs, trees, live ground cover, annuals, perennials, ornamental grasses or other vegetative cover that will secure the soil and create an attractive appearance.
(2) All required plantings installed shall be: (1) nursery grown stock that is free from pests or growth problems; (2) installed and maintained according to best management practices and standards set forth by the American Nursery and Landscape Association, ANSI 260.1-2004, as amended; and (3) selected from the List of Approved Plant Species for the City of Camden and List of Approved Tree Species for the City of Camden as provided by the Zoning Administrator.
(3) All required landscaping shall be included in the required site plan as provided in § 157.211(D).
(4) All required plantings shall be installed in a manner that insures the availability of sufficient soil and water for healthy growth and that is not intrusive to above and below ground utilities.
(5) Only landscaping and approved fences, berms and walls shall be permitted within a required buffer or street buffer area, except that sidewalks and other pedestrian walkways, bicycle paths, aboveground utilities, drainage ways, and approved signs shall be permitted where they do not comprise of more than 20% of the total area of the required buffer or street buffer or compromise the ability of the site to meet the intent and planting requirements herein. Underground utilities are permitted wherever they do not interfere with the ability to provide the required buffer or street buffer area and landscaping.
(6) Clustering and/or random spacing of plants and trees is encouraged to produce a natural appearance in the landscape, except where uniformity is required for opaque screening.
(7) Landscaping, including berms, shall be installed and maintained so as not to interfere with the sight distance requirements of this Zoning Ordinance or the sight distance needs of vehicular traffic in parking areas and at entrance and exit locations.
(8) Small maturing trees are required to be substituted for required large maturing trees whenever overhead utility lines are present or planned.
(9) Native species and related cultivars are encouraged.
(10) Monocultures shall be avoided in formally designed parks, buffers, screens, or in conjunction with a streetscape plan as approved by the Zoning Administrator.
(11) Shrubs and trees shall be installed no closer than two feet to a curb, gutter, sidewalk or building. Small maturing trees shall be planted no closer than ten feet to a building, medium maturing trees no closer than 20 feet to a building and large maturing trees no closer than 25 feet to a building, unless otherwise required in this subchapter.
(12) Shrubs shall not be planted within six feet of tree trunks.
(13) In landscaped areas adjacent to parking spaces or street curbs, no plant material with the potential to reach over six inches in height may be located within 12 inches of the curb or other protective barrier. This is intended to protect planted materials from damage by car bumpers and car doors.
(14) The Zoning Administrator will conduct inspections as needed to determine that required landscaping is properly installed and maintained as provided in this subchapter.
(15) The Zoning Administrator may require changes to any planting schedule or plant size requirement and may require plant substitution when, in their opinion, the size, nature, and/or spacing of plantings will compromise the safety and security of the public.
(16) The Zoning Administrator may approve revisions to landscaping in an approved site plan in order to accommodate seasonal planting problems or a lack of plant availability as long as:
(a) There is no significant reduction in the quantity of plant material.
(b) There is no significant change in the size or location of plant materials.
(c) The plant substitutions are of the same general category and have the same general design characteristics as the materials being replaced.
(B) Tree size. The following standards shall apply to all required trees at the time of planting.
Type | Minimum Caliper1 at Planting (inches) |
Large maturing tree | 1.5 |
Medium maturing tree | 1.5 |
Small maturing tree | 1.0 |
1Caliper shall be measured six inches above the ground | |
(C) Existing vegetation.
(1) Except when necessary to provide access to a site or to ensure the safety and security of people and property, any significant tree located within a public right-of-way or undeveloped required yard or buffer on any development site except individual single-family residential properties shall be retained unless approved for removal by the Zoning Administrator during site plan review per the requirements of § 157.142. In addition, every reasonable effort shall be made to protect and retain existing trees not actually lying in planned roadways, drainage ways, building foundation sites and construction activity areas on all development sites. A plan for protection of existing vegetation shall be submitted and approved by the Zoning Administrator prior to clearing, grading or development of the site.
(2) Existing vegetation shall count towards meeting the requirements of this section as long as such are:
(a) Free from pests or structural problems;
(b) Clearly shown on the site plan;
(c) Approved by the Zoning Administrator prior to development as meeting the intent of the landscaping requirements;
(d) Not considered invasive or noxious plants; and
(e) Adequately protected before and during grading and development of the site.
(3) Along streets and property boundaries that are forested and are to be maintained in a forested condition by the property owner; new buffer planting requirements may be reduced or eliminated upon approval of the Zoning Administrator to minimize grading and enhance conservation of existing, mature trees.
(4) No residential lot shall be clear cut unless a tree replacement plan is approved by the Zoning Administrator.
(D) Irrigation. Except for individual single family lots, all newly-planted and relocated plant material shall be watered by permanent irrigation systems. Trees shall be watered at a rate of five gallons per inch of caliper at least one time per week or as needed based on soil and weather conditions. All other vegetation shall be watered sufficiently to ensure healthy growth and longevity in the landscape.
(E) Landscape installation and maintenance responsibility.
(1) To ensure compliance with this subchapter and to encourage required vegetation to be installed during the appropriate season and within the required time period as prescribed by this subchapter, a letter of compliance may be accepted by the city in lieu of installation prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for the site. This letter shall be in the form of an affidavit signed by the property owner properly notarized, and shall:
(a) Acknowledge that such owner is aware of any landscaping and/or screening requirements which apply to the property; and
(b) Stipulate that he or she will comply with those requirements by a specific date within the next appropriate planting season, but in no case more than nine months after the date of the affidavit, unless otherwise approved by the Zoning Administrator; and
(c) Acknowledge that failure to comply with the provisions of this section within the time frame specified in the letter shall constitute a violation of this section, which shall subject the property owner to any and all enforcement actions permitted by law.
(2) All landscape materials required or installed voluntarily by the developer, whether used for screening, buffering, open space, street buffers, or other required landscaping areas, shall be properly maintained by the property owner. Maintenance includes all actions necessary to keep landscaping materials healthy, neat and orderly in appearance, and free of litter and debris. Any landscape material lost, stolen, or vandalized, or which has died or become irreparably or irreversibly damaged, by disease, pests, or for any other reason shall be removed and replaced unless, in the determination of the Zoning Administrator, the maturity of the remaining vegetation compensates for the loss of an individual shrub or tree, thereby causing the intent of the landscape standard to still be met without replacement. Maintenance of trees planted or included in landscaped areas must follow best management practices included and referenced in Chapter 100 of the City of Camden Code of Ordinances as provided by the Zoning Administrator.
(Ord. 15-002, passed 2-24-15; Am. Ord. 2024-014, passed 6-25-24)