(a) Existing landscape material.
(1) Unless otherwise noted, existing landscape material in healthy condition can be used to satisfy the requirements of this section in whole or in part provided they meet all requirements of this section.
(2) The Development Code Administrator shall have the authority to determine if any existing landscape material can be used to satisfy the requirements of this section.
(b) Intersection visibility. All landscaping shall be subject to the intersection visibility standards established in § 1208.05.
(c) Walls and fences used for landscaping.
(1) Walls and fences used to comply with the standards of this section shall also comply with § 1208.06.
(2) Chain link fences with or without wooden or synthetic slat material shall not be allowed when used to satisfy the buffer requirements of this section.
(d) Planting standards. All plants utilized in the fulfillment of the requirements of this section shall meet the following requirements:
(1) Plants installed shall meet the standards for size, form, and quality set out in the American Standard for Nursery Stock (ANSI Z60.1, latest edition); and
(2) All planting materials shall follow the City of Middletown Comprehensive Plant Species list.
(3) Trees shall be balled and burlapped or in containers. Shrubs, vines, and ground covers can be planted as bare root as well as balled and burlapped or from containers.
(4) Plant materials should consist of hardy, native and/or drought-tolerant vegetation to the maximum extent feasible.
(5) All planting materials shall be free of noxious weeds, disease, and pests.
(6) All trees selected to be protected shall be protected according to ANSI A300 standards.
(7) Nursery stock identification tags shall not be removed from any planting prior to inspection and approval of final installation by the City.
(8) Vegetation shall comply with the minimum size requirements established in Table 1216-1.
Vegetation Type | Minimum Size Requirement |
Deciduous Trees (Canopy or Understory) | 2 inch DBH |
Evergreen Trees | 6 feet in height when planted |
Shrubs | 2 feet in height when planted |
Hedges | Size as needed so that the plant materials forms a continuous, unbroken screen within one planting season |
DBH = Diameter at Breast Height | |
(9) Vegetation shall be subject to review by the Natural Resource Coordinator when applicable.
(10) A list of recommended trees for Middletown is on file with the office of the Development Code Administrator. Substitution can be accepted if approved by the Development Code Administrator.
(e) Species diversity. To curtail the spread of disease or insect infestation in a plant species, new plantings shall comply with the standards of Table 1216-2.
(f) Mounding specifications.
(1) Mounding provided in lieu of or in combination with walls, fences, and/or evergreen plantings shall consist of a strip of land as wide as necessary to obtain a maximum slope of 3:1 (angle of repose).
(2) Mounding may include rocks and other excavated materials, but one foot of dirt covered by six inches of topsoil shall be provided over the entire mounding. Trees, shrubs, wood, and other non-compactable items shall not be used in the construction of mounding.
(3) No mounding will be allowed in any required utility easements, except for perpendicular utility easement crossings. Mounding shall provide adequate access to utility easements adjacent to the mounding.
(4) Mounding shall be planted with a ground cover suitable to prevent erosion, and shall be maintained by the private property owner, in conformance with code, on which the mound rests. Other forms of vegetation may also be planted on the mounding.
(5) A difference in elevation between areas requiring screening does not constitute an existing earth mound and shall not be considered as fulfilling any screening requirement.
(6) Drainage patterns shall be considered, maintained and/or modified only with the approval of the City Engineer, when mounding is used.
(7) The property on which the mound is located is responsible for the maintenance of the mound including but not limited to grass cutting, tree trimming/replacement, etc.
(Ord. O2018-02, passed 2-20-2018; Am. Ord. O2020-47, passed 10-6-2020)