Cumberland Township
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
PART 12
BUFFERS
§ 27-1201 General Provisions.
[Ord. 11/25/2003, § 1200]
1.
Intent. Buffers are intended to augment required setbacks from streets and from the perimeter of a tract where it adjoins a district boundary line by providing additional means of physical, visual, and acoustical separation between uses. Landscaped strips, screening, and shade trees required by this Part are also intended to promote:
A.
Harmony between land uses.
B.
Reduction of glare, noise, and pollution levels.
C.
Reduction of stormwater runoff volume.
D.
Areas of shade that reduce temperature and energy costs during hot weather.
E.
Natural windscreens that protect from exposure and reduce energy costs during cold weather.
F.
Protection of environmentally-sensitive areas.
G.
Maintenance of some land on most tracts in a landscaped state to help offset the monotony of widespread pavement and buildings.
H.
Privacy and property rights.
I.
Attractive, shaded streets that contribute to the maintenance of an appealing community in which to live, work, and visit.
J.
Safer means of controlling access to and from public streets.
2.
Applicability and Scope. This Part regulates the circumstances in which buffers are required. Buffers may be required either as part of setbacks from the perimeter of a tract where it adjoins a district boundary line, as specified in Subsection 4, or as part of setbacks from street ultimate rights-of-way, as specified in Subsection 5. Classification of buffers is specified in Subsection 3. Recommended trees and hedges are specified in Subsection 10.
3.
Classification of Buffers. Required buffers shall be one or more of the following types, in accordance with Subsections 4 and 5:
A.
One canopy tree per 40 linear feet (Type A1).
B.
One canopy tree per 40 linear feet, plus one flowering tree per 60 linear feet, plus one evergreen per 60 linear feet (Type B1).
One canopy tree per 40 linear feet, plus one evergreen per 30 linear feet (Type B2). |
C.
One evergreen per 30 linear feet, plus one hedge (three foot centers) (Type C1).
One evergreen per 25 linear feet, plus one shrub per eight linear feet (Type C2). |
D.
One hedge (three foot centers) (Type D1).
Six-foot high solid cedar or spruce fencing (Type D2). | |
Six-foot high twelve-gauge plastic-coated chain link fence (Type D3). |
4.
Required Buffer Types for Setbacks Adjoining District Boundary Lines.
Adjoining Tract Subject Tract | Low Impact Districts | Medium Impact Districts | High Impact Districts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Low Impact Districts | ||||
Agricultural - all | None | None | None | |
Open Space - all | None | None | None | |
Residential - all, except RMH | None | None | None | |
Medium Impact Districts | ||||
Residential - RMH | C1 | C2 | None | |
Mixed-Use - VMX, TND | C2 | None | None | |
High Impact Districts | ||||
Mixed-Use - MX, BP | D2, B1 | D1, B2 | A1 | |
Industrial - all | D3, C1 | D3, C2 | A1 | |
Institutional - all | D1, B2 | B1 | A1 | |
Airport - AIR | D3, C2 | D3, C2 | D3, A1 |
5.
Required Buffer Types for Setbacks from Streets.
Adjoining Ultimate Right-of-Way Subject Tract | Arterial Street | Collector Street | Local Street | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Low Impact Districts | ||||
Agricultural - all | None | None | None | |
Open Space - all | None | None | None | |
Residential - all, except RMH | C2 | A1 | A1 | |
Medium Impact Districts | ||||
Residential - RMH | C2 | A1 | A1 | |
Mixed-Use - VMX, TND | A1 | A1 | A1 | |
High Impact Districts | ||||
Mixed-Use - MX, BP | A1 | A1 | B1 | |
Industrial - all | C2 | C2 | B1 | |
Institutional - all | C2 | A1 | B1 | |
Airport - AIR | C2 | A1 | B1 |
6.
Existing Natural Buffers - Retention. Wherever buffers are required every effort shall be made to retain existing natural buffers, such as vegetation and topographic features.
8.
Alternative Buffers. As an alternative to the potential for an excessively linear appearance brought about by strict conformance to the minimum requirements of Subsections 4 and/or 5, innovative, free-form buffers that may, in some cases, not be located entirely within the minimum required setback, are encouraged. Such alternative buffers may be authorized, subject to a recommendation of the Planning Commission, which may seek the advice of technical experts in the review of the alternative plans.
9.
Maintenance Required. All buffers shall be maintained by the property owner at his expense, assuring that required trees, plantings, and vegetative materials are kept in good condition. Any such materials that die shall be replaced within one year.
10.
Recommended Buffer Plantings. The following planted materials are authorized for inclusion in buffers; other plantings may be authorized, subject to recommendations of the Planning Commission and the Township Engineer.
A.
Canopy Trees (two-inch caliper minimum):
Acer ginnala - amur maple | |
Acer rubrum - red maple | |
Acer saccharum - sugar maple | |
Betular alba - European white birch | |
Cercidiphyllum japonica - katsura tree | |
Fagus grandifolia - American beech | |
Fagus sylvatica - European beech | |
Fraxinus americana - white ash | |
Fraxinus pennnsylvanica lanceolata - green ash | |
Ginkgo biloba - ginkgo (male only) | |
Gleditsia tracanthos inermis - thornless honey locust | |
Gymnocladus dioica - Kentucky coffee-tree | |
Nyssa sylvatica - sour-gum | |
Phellodendron amurense - amur corktree | |
Platanus acerifolia - London plane-tree | |
Quercus alba - white oak | |
Quercus borealis - red oak | |
Quercus coccinea - scarlet oak | |
Quercus palustris - pin oak | |
Quercus phellos - willow oak | |
Robina pseudoacacia inermis - thornless black locust | |
Sophora japonica - Japanese pagoda tree | |
Tilia - linden - all species hardy to the area | |
Zelkova serrata - Japanese zelkova |
B.
Flowering trees (two-inch caliper minimum):
Amelanchier canadensis - shadblow serviceberry | |
Cornus florida - flowering dogwood | |
Cornus kousa - kousa dogwood | |
Cornus mas - cornelian cherry | |
Crataegus phaenopyrum - Washington hawthorn | |
Koelreuteria paniculata - golden rain tree | |
Laburnum vossi - goldenchain | |
Magnolia soulangeana - saucer magnolia | |
Magnolia virginiana - sweetbay magnolia | |
Malus baccata - siberian crab | |
Malus floribunda - Japanese flowering crab | |
Malus hopa - hopa red - flowering crab | |
Oxydendrum arboreum - sourwood | |
Pyrus calleryana Bradford - callery pear | |
Punus kwansan - kwanzan cherry | |
Prunus yedoensis - yoshino cherry |
C.
Evergreens (four-foot-high minimum):
Ilex opaca - American holly | |
Picea abies - Norway spruce | |
Picea omorika - servian spruce | |
Picea pungens - Colorado spruce | |
Pinus nigra - Austrian pine | |
Pseudotsuga menziesii - Douglas fir | |
Tsuga canadensis - Canada hemlock | |
Pinus strobus - eastern white pine | |
X Cupressocyparis leylandii - Leyland cypress | |
Pinaceae Pinus virginiana - Virginia pine |
D.
Hedges (four-foot-high minimum):
Crataegus intricata - thicket hawthorn | |
Forsythia intermedia - border forsythia | |
Rhamnus frangular columnaris - tallhedge buckthorn | |
Syringa chinensis - Chinese lilac | |
Syringa vulgaris - common lilac | |
Viburnum alatus - viburnum | |
Maclura pomifera - osage orange | |
Crataegus crus-galli - cockspur thorn | |
Crataegus phaenopyrum - Washington hawthorn |
E.
Shrubs:
Hamamelis virginiana - white hazel | |
Vaccinium sp. - blueberries | |
Lindera benzoin - spice bush | |
Rhododendron sp. - azaleas | |
Rhododendron sp. - rhododendrons |