Englewood Cliffs City Zoning Code
§ 30-5.16.6
Buffer and General Landscaping Requirements.
[Pursuant to a settlement agreement entered into between the Borough and the Fair Share Housing Center dated October 8, 2020 and conditioned upon approval from the Superior Court of the State of New Jersey. Borough document labeled Ord. No. 20-15.]
a.
Buffer requirements.
1.
Buffer areas shall be developed in an aesthetic manner for the primary purpose of avoiding the potential adverse visual impact of development and for screening views of the site from the viewshed locations referenced in § 30-5.16.7 Building and Architectural Standards.
2.
Said buffering shall, at minimum, include a fifty-foot buffering area from the easterly lot line and a thirty-five-foot buffering area from the westerly lot line. Notwithstanding the foregoing, where a building in existence in the Inclusionary Age-Restricted Housing Overlay - 3 (IARHO-3) Zone as of the effective date of Ordinance 20-15 is demolished or removed, buffering shall be placed on the footprint of said building to help screen new and existing development.
3.
The following are the standards for the buffer area:
(a)
Only natural materials may be used.
(b)
Trees shall be evergreen, hardy, or other similar tall trees and vegetation at least six to eight feet in height and two inches in caliper when planted and be of a species common to the area.
(c)
No structure, storage of materials or parking of vehicles shall be permitted in a buffer area.
(d)
The standards for the location and design of buffer areas are intended to provide flexibility in order to provide effective buffers.
(e)
The location and design of buffers shall consider the use and scale of the portion of the property being screened; the distance between the use and the adjoining property line; and differences in elevations.
(f)
The preservation of all natural wooded tracts and rock outcroppings shall be an integral part of all site plans and may be calculated as part of the required buffer area, provided that the growth is of a density and the area has sufficient width to serve the purpose of a buffer. Where additional plantings are necessary to establish an appropriate tone for an effective buffer, said plantings may be required.
4.
As a condition of approval, the reviewing board shall require that a conservation easement be granted to the Palisades Interstate Park Commission for the maintenance of those buffering areas which are used to screen development from the Palisades viewshed and the Palisades Interstate Parkway.
b.
Landscaping Plan.
1.
A landscape plan prepared by a landscape architect licensed in the State of New Jersey shall be submitted and shall include details for all decorative features. The plan shall identify proposed trees, shrubs, ground cover, and other landscaping elements. When existing natural growth is proposed to remain, the applicant shall include in the plans the proposed methods to protect existing trees and growth during and after construction.
2.
Landscaping plans shall be professionally drawn and conform to the design principles described herein with a goal to mitigate visual intrusion of any development upon the Palisades.
3.
Landscaping shall be provided as part of site plan and subdivision design. It shall be conceived in a total pattern throughout the site, integrating the various elements of site design creating a pleasing site character which mitigates the impact of structures.
4.
Landscaping shall be used to accent and complement buildings. For example, where appropriate, groupings of tall trees to break up long, low buildings and lower planting for taller buildings.
5.
Provide a variety and mixture of landscaping. The variety shall consider susceptibility to disease, colors, season, textures, shapes, blossoms, and foliage.
6.
Local soil conditions and water availability shall be considered in the choice of landscaping.
7.
Assure that no aspect of the landscape design inhibits access to the development by emergency vehicles.
8.
Applicant shall maintain and enhance any visual buffers of the new development from the vantage points referenced in the required Professional Viewshed Survey referenced in § 30-5.16.7h.