1. 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.
2. 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:
A. Public street rights-of-way.
B. Underground and above-ground utilities.
C. Sight triangle areas required for unobstructed views at street intersec tions.
3. Obstructions to Vision. No bushes or shrubs which, when mature would obstruct the vision of motorists, shall be permitted within any required clear sight triangle nor within 10 feet of the right-of-way line adjacent to access drives; and all street trees shall be kept free of branches and foliage from the ground level to a height of at least 8 feet.
4. All plant materials used shall, at the time of planting, meet minimum size requirements as stated in §§ 22-1104 and 1105.
5. Street Trees.
A. 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:
(1) New streets.
(2) New sidewalks or pedestrian ways.
(3) Existing streets, sidewalks, pedestrian ways, highways, bike trails or path when they abut or lie within the subdivision or land development.
B. Spacing. Street trees in residential developments shall be provided at one per lot frontage or an equivalent number may be planted in an informal arrange ment approved by the Board of Supervisors. In nonresidential developments, street trees shall be placed at 60-foot intervals on each side of the street.
C. Setback. Street trees shall be planted a minimum distance of 5 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.
D. Existing trees along a street which would be suitable as street trees and can be counted toward the street tree requirement shall be over 4 inches in caliper (see Figure 4) and shall be within 25 feet of the curb or road edge.
6. 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. Trees shall maintain a 10-foot separation from all sanitary or storm sewers and water lines.
7. All shrubbery and plants shall have a normal habit of growth, and shall be sound, healthy, vigorous and free of disease, insects of any form, and any other pests and problems.
8. All street and shade trees shall have a minimum trunk diameter of 2½ inches at a height of 6 inches above finished grade.
9. All plantings shall be performed in conformance with good nursery and landscape practices and to other standards that are established by the Township.
10. Requirements for the measurement, branching, grading, quality and burlapping of all shrubbery shall follow the code of standards recommended by the American Association of Nurserymen, Inc., in the American Standard Nursery Stock, ANSIZ60, 1-1973, as amended.
11. Screen Buffer. Wherever vegetative screening is being provided to meet a screening requirement of the Township Zoning Ordinance [Chapter 27], the following landscape requirements must be adhered to:
A. Buffer yard shall be the minimum width required by the Dover Township Zoning Ordinance [Chapter 27] or greater if required to adequately accommodate the level of screening required.
B. Screening between zones shall be as required in Table 22-1103.11-1 below.
Proposed Use
| ADJACENT ZONING USE | ||||||||
Cv | A | V | R-1 | R-3 | R-4 | C | BP | I | |
Proposed Use
| ADJACENT ZONING USE | ||||||||
Cv | A | V | R-1 | R-3 | R-4 | C | BP | I | |
Cv | |||||||||
A | |||||||||
R-1 | |||||||||
*R-3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
*R-4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
C | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||
BP | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||
I | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | |
* Multi-Family Development Only
The type of buffer planting strips shown in the above table have been designed to provide different levels of screening and are illustrated on the following pages. The intent of each type of strip is as follows:
(1) Buffer Planting Strip #1 shall be utilized as a conceptual buffer. The buffer will not provide full screening but will restrict the view from the adjoining use.
(2) Buffer Planting Strip #2 shall block 50% of the view at eye level through use of trees and shrubs at the time of planting.
(3) Buffer Planting Strip #3 shall provide 100% opaqueness of the adjoining use at a height of 8 feet (measured from the outside edge of the berm) through the use of dense planting of trees and shrubs or other structural elements. A minimum 3-foot high earthen berm with maximum 3 to 1 slopes shall be utilized.
The minimum number of plant units required per 100 linear feet of planting strip area 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 grouping 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 visual screening.
C. Walls, ornamental structures, fences and berms, appropriate vegetative material or a combination of these, not less than 6 feet in height may be used with respect to a specific land use, or as approved by the Township Board of Supervisors. When a fence or wall is used, 50% of the required vegetative material may be eliminated. The remaining vegetative material shall be divided equally with one- half placed on each side of the wall or fence.
D. 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.
E. Windbreaks. The use of planting rows to serve as windbreaks to control the drifting of snow across public and private thoroughfares is encouraged.
12. Off-Street Parking Areas.
A. 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.
B. No parking lot shall be located closer to a building than 6 feet to allow adequate room for landscaping.
C. 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.
D. A minimum of 10% of any parking lot facility over 2,000 square feet in gross area (measured as a rectangular area formed by the intersection of the outermost edges of the paving) 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.
E. For any land use where the total number of parking spaces exceeds 100 stalls, the parking area shall be divided by continuous islands perpendicular to the spaces every 128 feet (128 feet assumes four rows of parking at 20 foot length and two aisles at 24-foot width). These divider islands shall be a minimum of 10 feet wide.
F. All areas between the street right-of-way line and parking lot shall be planted.
13. 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:
A. Pedestrian and bicycle access should be provided from public roadways, parking lots, and adjacent land uses where appropriate.
B. 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 for the pedestrian should be visually pleasing.
C. Plantings along pathways should maximize, orient and exploit desirable views as well as provide shade.
D. 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.
E. 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.
F. 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 flood waters and other anticipated flows. They are subject to all regulatory agency permit requirements.
G. Other pedestrian amenities such as kiosks, water fountains, pedestrian scale lighting, and gazebos should be provided where appropriate.
14. Service, Loading and Trash Disposal Areas.
A. 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.
B. 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 6 feet in height.
(Ord. 2011-05, 3/14/2011, § 1103)