Prior to the construction of any building or other structure in any zone other than a single-family residential use zone or for any use other than a residential use in a residential zone or a rural zone permitting residential uses, there shall be planted a screening strip, in accordance with an approved site plan, along all property lines adjoining lands which are zoned residential. The type, size and location of all such screening strips shall be subject to the approval of the Planning Board or such other agency as approves the site plan.

Every parcel of land hereafter used as a public or private parking area for three or more cars or as a loading or unloading area, including a commercial lot, shall be screened on the side or sides which adjoin any residential use of land. The type, size and location of all such screening strips shall be subject to the approval of the Planning Board or such other agency as approves the site plan, which site plan shall describe and illustrate the parking or loading or unloading area. The approving agency may waive this requirement if and to the extent that the parking or loading or unloading area boundaries are by location coextensive with any portion of a property line boundary area which is subject to the screening requirements of the foregoing Subsection A(1).

Screening strips shall be properly installed and continuously maintained in good condition by the owner of the land area which includes the screening strip.

A swath of existing vegetation or flora may be substituted wholly or partly if such natural ground cover already exists in the appropriate location and in appropriate density.

In the event that vegetation or flora constituting the screening strip, whether consisting of existing natural ground cover or plantings required by this section or any combination thereof, shall fail to live, it shall be replaced as soon as practicable.

In order to provide adequate buffering between uses or differing classifications, a buffer zone shall be provided in conjunction with any nonresidential use abutting a lot used for residential purposes. Such buffer requirements shall apply to every property line that abuts a residentially zoned lot. The required width of a buffer shall be in addition to any required yard areas and shall include a screening strip as prescribed by this section. The minimum width of such buffer zone shall be 50 feet for a building or group of buildings up to 40,000 square feet in area. The width of the buffer zone shall be increased by one foot for each 1,000 square feet or fraction thereof that the building or group of buildings exceeds 40,000 square feet, up to a maximum buffer zone width of 100 feet. For the purposes of this Subsection B(1), a nonresidential use property line shall be considered to abut a residentially zoned lot if and to the extent that:

Planned residential development. Along the exterior boundary line of any land areas developed as residential cluster development, planned unit residential development (PRD) or planned residential retirement community (PRRC) there shall be provided a buffer zone having a minimum width of 50 feet. This minimum width shall be in addition to any required yard areas and shall include a screening strip as described in this section. The type, size and location of the screening strip shall be subject to the approval of the Planning Board or such other agency as approves the site plan which includes the required buffer zone. If and to the extent that § 285-12, Landscaping requirements, requires, in connection with nonresidential use of land, a buffer zone different in nature and/or extent from the planned residential development buffer zone required by this Subsection B(2), the said § 285-12 requirements shall control the nature and extent of required buffer zones.

Where a nonresidential building or group of buildings proposed within any zone will exceed 200,000 square feet and will abut previously developed residential uses, the Planning Board may require an earth mound with screen plantings to provide a sight and sound barrier. Such mound shall be not less than 10 feet in height nor 36 feet in width at its base and shall be greater if required to visually screen, to the maximum extent feasible, parking, lighting and buildings from the residential area or to provide for a maximum noise level at the property line, measured 10 feet above ground level, in accordance with the following table:

Any property owner whose property abuts the former railroad right-of-way as shown on the Master Plan and who dedicates a portion of their property to the Township of Lacey for the purpose of widening this right-of-way for a planned Township circulation corridor shall, when applying for site plan approval, be allowed to use the dedicated land as part of the buffer zone required under this section.