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, preserving and enhancing the particular identity of the site and creating a pleasing site character.

Landscaping may include plant materials such as trees, shrubs, ground cover, perennial, and annuals and other materials such as rocks, water, sculpture, art, walls, fences, and building and paving materials.

Topsoil Preservation. Topsoil moved during the course of construction shall be redistributed on all regraded surfaces. At least four inches of even cover shall be provided to all disturbed areas of the development and shall be stabilized by seeding or planting. If excess topsoil remains, the thickness shall be increased. If additional is required, the developer shall provide it. Removal of excess topsoil shall only be permitted in accordance with a plan approval by the Municipal Agency.

Removal of Debris. All stumps and other tree parts, litter, brush, weeds, excess or scrap building materials, or other debris shall be removed from the site and disposed of in accordance with the law. No tree stumps, portions of tree trunks or limbs shall be buried anywhere in the development. All dead dying trees, standing or fallen, shall be removed from the site. If trees and limbs reduced to chips, they may, subject to approval of the Municipal Engineer, be used as mulch in landscaped areas. A developer shall be exempt from these provisions, however, and shall permitted to dispose of site-generated new construction wastes on-site as long as conditions set forth in N.J.A.C. 7:26-1 are met.

Protection of Existing Plantings Maximum effort should be made to save fine specimens (because of size or relative rarity). The Municipal Agency may require submittal of a plan for the conservation of existing trees and shrubs. Such plans shall indicate which trees and shrubs are to be cleared and which shall be retained. All Dogwood (Cornus florida) and America in Holly (Ilex opaca) having a trunk of one inch or greater at breast height, and all native Laurel shrubs (Kalmia latifolia). No material or temporary soil deposits shall be placed within four feet of shrubs or 10 feet of trees designated to retained on the preliminary and/or final plat. Protective barriers or tree wells shall installed around each plant and/or group of plants that are to remain on the site. Barriers shall not be supported by the plants they are protecting, but shall be self-supporting. They shall be a minimum of four feet high and constructed of a durable material that will last until construction is completed. Snow fences and silt fences are examples of acceptable barriers.

On major applications, a tree save plan shall be submitted for approval by the Municipal Agency. The plan shall include:

Location. Street trees shall be installed on both sides of all streets in accordance with the approved landscape plan. Trees shall either be massed at critical points or spaced evenly along the street, or both.

Tree Type. Tree type may vary depending on overall effect desired, but as a general rule, all trees shall be the same kind on a street except to achieve special effects. Selection of tree type shall be approved by the Municipal Agency.

Planting Specifications. All trees shall have a caliper of 2 1/2 inches and they shall be nursery grown, of substantially uniform size and shape, and have straight trunks. Trees shall be properly planted and staked and provision made by the applicant for regular watering and maintenance until they are established. Dead or dying trees shall be replaced by the applicant during the next planting season.

Function and Materials. Buffering shall provide a year-round visual screen in order to minimize adverse impacts from a site on an adjacent property or from adjacent areas. If may consist of fencing, evergreens, berms, rocks, boulders, mounds, or combinations to achieve the stated objectives.

When Required. All uses, other than single-family detached and two-family detached dwellings and their accessory uses, shall provide buffers along side and rear property lines which abut areas zoned residentially or used for residential purposes. Buffering shall also be required when topographical or other barriers do not provide reasonable screening and when the Municipal Agency determines that there is a need to shield the site from adjacent properties and to minimize adverse impacts such as incompatible land uses, glaring light, and traffic. In dense developments, when building design and siting do not provide privacy, the Municipal Agency may require landscaping, fences, or walls to ensure privacy and screen dwelling units.

Where required, buffers shall be measured from property lines.

Design. Arrangement of planting in buffers shall provide maximum protection to adjacent properties and avoid damage to existing plant material. Possible arrangements include planting in parallel, serpentine, or broken rows. If planted berms are used, the minimum top width shall be four feet, and the maximum side slope shall be 2:1.

Planting Specifications. Plant materials shall be sufficiently large and planted in such a fashion that a screen at least eight feet high, occupying 50% of the width of the buffer strip, shall be produced within three growing seasons. All plantings shall be installed according to accepted horticultural standards.

Maintenance. Plantings shall be watered regularly and in a manner appropriate for the specific plant species through the first growing season, and dead or dying plants shall be replaced by the applicant during the next planting season. No buildings, structures, storage of materials, or parking shall be permitted within the buffer area; buffer areas shall be maintained and kept free of all debris, rubbish, weeds, and tall grass.

Amount Required. In parking lots, at least 5% of the interior parking area shall be landscaped with plantings, and one tree for each 10 spaces shall be installed. Parking lot street frontage screening and perimeter screening shall be a minimum of five feet wide. Planting required within the parking lot is exclusive of other planting requirements, such as for street trees.

Location. The landscaping should be located in protected areas, such as along walkways, in center islands, at the end of bays, or in diamonds between parking stalls. All landscaping in parking areas and on the street parking lot is exclusive of other planting requirements, such as for street trees.

Plant Type. A mixture of hardy flowering and/or decorative evergreen and deciduous trees may be planted; the area between trees shall be planted with shrubs or ground cover or covered with mulch.

Paving Materials. Design and choice of paving materials used in pedestrian areas shall consider the following factors; cost, maintenance, use, climate, characteristics of users, appearance, availability with surroundings, decorative quality, and aesthetic appeal. Acceptable materials shall include, but are not limited to, concrete, brick, cement pavers, asphalt and stone.

Walls and fences shall be erected where required for privacy, screening, separation, security, or to serve other necessary functions.

Street furniture such as, but not limited to, trash receptacles, benches, phone booths, etc., shall be located and sized in accordance with their functional needs.

Street furniture elements shall be compatible in form, material, and finish. Style shall be coordinated with that of the existing or proposed site architecture.

Selection of street furniture shall consider durability, maintenance, and long-term cost.