A. Cuts.
No excavation shall be made with a cut face steeper than three horizontal to one vertical, except under the conditions that the material in which the excavation is made is sufficiently stable to sustain a slope of steeper than three horizontal to one vertical. A written statement to that effect is required from a civil engineer, licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, having experience in soils engineering, and must be submitted to the Township Engineer and approved by him. The statement shall affirm that the site has been inspected and that the deviation from the slope should not result in injury to persons or damage to property. Retaining walls will be required if a stable slope cannot be maintained. Any retaining wall design must be approved by the Township Engineer. The toe of the slope of headwall of any cut must be located a minimum of 5 feet from property lines.
B. Fills.
No fill shall be made with creates any exposed surface steeper in slope than three horizontal to one vertical, except where the fill is located so that settlement, sliding, or erosion will not result in property damage or be a hazard to adjoining property, streets, or buildings. A written statement is required from a civil engineer licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, having experience in soils engineering, certifying that he has inspected the site and that any proposed deviation from the slope specified above should not endanger any property or result in property damage, and must be submitted to and approved by the Township Engineer.
A concrete or stone masonry wall designed and constructed in accordance with these specifications and standards may be required to support the face of the fill where the above-specified slopes are exceeded.
The top of any fill or toe of the slop of any fill shall be located 5 feet from any property line.
C. Retaining Walls.
All retaining walls shall be designed as per the procedures outlined in the American Association of State Highway Officials, Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges, 1973
D. Planting.
1. Grassed or Grass/Ground Cover Combinations:
All such areas specified on proposed or approved plans shall be prepared, installed, and maintained in accordance with Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Form 408 Specifications as amended.
2. Street Tree Planting:
a. Alternate Spacing - Street trees shall not be planted opposite each other, but shall alternate.
b. Street Triangle - At intersections, trees shall be located so the the required clear sight triangle, as defined in the Chapter, is not obstructed.
c. Approved Street Trees - In particular, approved trees for street planting including the following:
(1) Acer Saccharum - Sugar Maple
(2) Fraxinus Pennsylvania Lanceolata - Green Ash
(3) Ginkgo Biloba - Ginkgo (male)
(4) Gleditsi Triacanthos Inermis - Shademaster Locust
(5) Liquidambar Styraciflua - Sweet Gum
(6) Quercus Borealis - Red Oak
(7) Quercus Phellos - Willow Oak
(8) Tilia - Linden - All species hardy to the area
(9) Zelkova Serrata - Japanese Zelkova
3. Parking Area Plantings:
Parking area green areas on residential, commercial, and office/ industrial properties exclusive of acres allotted for screening and buffer requirements and areas adjacent to or considered a part of individual or groups of buildings set aside for general landscaping, shall be landscaped with evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, ground cover and mulch as determined to be appropriate or necessary for each specific site by the Township Council. Hardy ground cover shall be used in place of grass wherever possible with a mulch of a type which will aid in controlling erosion and noxious weeds and will generally preserve and enhance the quality and character of the proposed landscape planting. In all parking area planting, emphasis shall be placed on simplicity of design and adequacy to meet specific aesthetic, physical, or safety needs as required by the township.
4. Screening and Buffer Areas:
a. Buffer Requirements - Required screening and buffer areas shall consist of at least 80% evergreen material and 20% deciduous trees and shrubs for accent and color and must, through layout and content, provide design solutions which solve all visual and noise problems from recreational, industrial, commercial, or motor vehicle uses whether on the same lot of not.
b. Berms, Fences, or Walls - In addition to required tree and shrub buffers, earthen berms, fences or masonry walls may be acceptable or desirable when it is determined not possible to achieve desired buffering with plant material specified above.
c. Spacing, Density, and Material - Spacing, density, and material selection shall be based on intensity or degree of the problem in the area of required screening or buffer planting.
d. Landscape Architect - It is recommended that a landscape architect be employed to insure proper use and arrangements of plant material to achieve the required screening and buffer while maintaining an aesthetic appearance.
5. Open Space, Storm Drainage, and Retention Areas:
a. Planting Requirement - All areas proposed for recreational use, whether active or passive, shall be planted to effectively naturalize the areas to become an integral and harmonious element in the natural landscape.
b. Drainage Channels and Retention Areas - All story drainage channels and retention areas, whether existing or proposed, shall be graded and planted to effectively naturalize area(s) so as to become an integral and harmonious part of the landscape by contour and type of plant material employed.
c. Crown Vetch - All detention basins shall be seeded with crown vetch. Detention basins may be turfed if, in the opinion of the Township Council, a crown vetch covering would reduce the use of the detention basin for recreational purposes or would be unsightly.
d. Fence or Screening - A fence or suitable vegetative screening shall be provided around all detention basins. All fencing shall be at least 3 1/2 feet in height and shall be approved by the Township Council. A vegetative screening around a detention basin shall be composed of the following shrubs: Barberry (Berberis species), Eleagnus (Eleagnus species), Firethorn (Pyracantha species), or Rose (Rosa species). All vegetative screenings shall provide a barrier to prevent entrance to the detention basin area. The fencing or vegetative screening requirement shall be waived only with the expressed consent of the Township Council.
e. Top Soil - A minimum of 6 inches of top soil material shall be placed on all areas affected by the basin construction (bottom of basin, side slopes, top of berm, etc.) The material must meet the requirements of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Form 408 Specifications as amended.
E. Landscaping Performance Standards.
1. Performance Standards:
For Performance Standards see the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Form 408 Specifications as amended.
2. Minimum Standards: The following are minimum sizes for plant material:
Type | Size |
Type | Size |
Street Trees | 2 1/2 in. caliper: at 6 in. above grade |
Deciduous Trees | 1 1/2 - 2 in. caliper: at 6 in above grade |
Ornamental Trees | 6 - 8 height* |
Evergreen Trees | 5 - 6 ft. height* |
Deciduous Shrubs | 18 - 24 in height* |
Evergreen Shrubs | 18 - 24 in height* |
Evergreen Shrubs, Screens, & Buffers | 2 1/2 - 3 ft. height* |
*To meet standards as described by the American Nursery Association.
3. Approved Planting Plan:
All major subdivisions, multifamily, commercial, and industrial developments must have a planting plan approved before construction.
4. Multifamily, Commercial, and Industrial:
All grading, seeding, mulched beds, and planting in multifamily, industrial, and commercial developments must be installed and maintained by the owner and/or lessee under lease agreements in accordance with approved landscaped plans. Any planting that dies within 2 years of planting due to improper maintenance or damage by accident must be replaced within 1 year.
5. Planting After Finished Grading:
Street trees and other required plant material shall be planted until the finished grading of the subdivision or land development has been completed.