The purpose of Article XVIII is to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public by ensuring that certain developments provide adequate landscaping. Proper landscaping helps to reduce and mitigate the impact of erosion, stormwater runoff, noise, and light and air pollution. Landscaping, by mitigating the impact of heat and wind, can improve the micro-climate of parking lots and help conserve energy in adjacent buildings. Finally, proper landscaping not only provides buffers between potentially incompatible land uses but also will enhance and preserve the visual character of Norton.
A landscape plan shall be submitted for all projects subject
to site plan review. For residential projects containing 10 or more
attached units and for nonresidential projects which contain 10,000
or more square feet or requiring 25 or more parking spaces, the landscape
plan shall be prepared by a registered landscape architect. The Planning
Board may, by majority vote, waive any of the requirements of this
article.
The landscape plan shall include the following information:
A.
Proposed project and parking layout plan;
B.
Location, general type and quality of existing vegetation, including
specimen trees;
C.
Existing vegetation to be preserved;
D.
Mitigation measures employed for protecting existing vegetation during
construction and a sediment control plan;
E.
Locations and labels for all proposed plants;
F.
Plant lists or schedule with the botanical and common name, quantity
and spacing and size of all proposed landscape material at the time
of plantings;
G.
Location and description of other landscape improvements, such as
earth berms, walls, fences, screens, sculptures, fountains, street
furniture, lights and courts or paved areas.
The landscape contractor shall furnish and install and/or dig,
ball, burlap, and transplant all plant materials listed on the plant
schedule. Bare-root is typically not permitted for any tree. The landscape
contractor shall excavate all plant pits, vine pits, hedge trenches,
and shrub beds as follows:
A.
All pits shall be generally circular in outline, with vertical sides.
The tree pit shall be deep enough to allow 1/8 of the ball to be above
the existing grade. Plants shall rest on undisturbed existing soil
or well-compacted backfill. On every side the tree pit must be a minimum
of nine inches larger than the ball of the tree.
B.
If areas are designated as shrub beds or hedge trenches, they shall
be cultivated to at least 18 inches in depth. Areas designated for
ground covers and vines shall be cultivated to at least 12 inches
in depth.
C.
All trenches and shrub beds shall be edged and cultivated to the
lines shown on the drawing. The areas around isolated plants shall
be edged and cultivated to the full diameter of the pit. Sod that
has been removed and stacked shall be used to trim the edges of all
excavated areas to the neat lines of the plant pit saucers, the edges
of shrub areas, hedge trenches, and vine pockets.
D.
After cultivation, all plant materials shall be mulched with a layer
between two inches and three inches deep of tan bark, peat moss, or
another material over the entire area of the bed or saucer.
Landscape plans shall provide for a mix of evergreen, ornamental,
shade trees, and shrubs. Fences, berms, and other structural features
may also be used in a landscaping plan; however, earth berms shall
only be used in conjunction with vegetative plantings. Efforts should
be made to protect existing high-quality vegetation during construction.
Factors to be considered include the size, age, condition, habitat,
or historical significance of the vegetation. Trees to be preserved
shall be selected early in the project planning process prior to establishing
the site layout. Site grading should be minimized in those areas to
prevent damage to the preserved trees. Preservation of existing large
trees can be used to reduce new planting required by this article.
A.
Buffer area requirements. Landscape buffer strips shall be provided
separating all buildings, parking areas, vehicular circulation facilities
or similar improvements from the right-of-way line of any public street.
The depth of such buffer strips shall be 1/3 of the distance between
the street right-of-way and any building line but shall not be less
than 10 feet in depth and need not exceed 50 feet in depth. Sidewalks
may be considered in the calculation of the buffer depth. Buffer strips
shall contain at least one tree per 30 linear feet of street frontage
or portion thereof and shall contain at least three shrubs per 100
square feet of buffer area. Buffer strips separating parking areas
from the street right-of-way along Route 123 and Mansfield Avenue
(Route 140) shall contain at least a three-foot-high evergreen hedge,
berm, wall or fence along the entire street frontage of the parking
lot.
B.
Plant material required. Landscape buffer strip(s) shall contain
at least one tree per 30 linear feet of street frontage or portion
thereof and shall contain at least three shrubs per 100 square feet
of buffer area.
C.
Quality of plant material. Plant materials shall conform to the requirements
described in the latest edition of American Standard for Nursery Stock,
published by the American Association of Nurserymen. Plants shall
be nursery grown.
D.
Size of plant material. Plantings shall conform to the following
minimal standards:
(1)
Caliper measurements shall be taken six inches above grade for
trees under four inches in diameter and 12 inches above grade for
trees four inches in diameter and larger.
(2)
Minimum branching height for all shade trees shall be six feet.
(3)
Minimum size for shade trees shall be between 2 1/2 inches
and three inches in diameter and 12 feet to 14 feet in height.
(4)
Minimum size for evergreen trees shall be six feet in height.
(5)
Minimum size for shrubs shall be three feet in height.
(6)
Berms shall be at least three feet high and shall have a minimum
two-to-one side slope.
B.
Perimeter and interior landscaping. On at least three sides of the
perimeter of an outdoor parking lot for 20 or more cars, there shall
be planted at least one canopy-forming, deciduous tree every 30 linear
feet. In the interior part of an outdoor parking lot where two rows
of parking spaces containing a total of 10 or more parking spaces
face each other, a landscaped open space separated from the parking
area by a suitable curb with at least four inches vertical and not
less than six feet in width shall be provided. The landscaped strip
may be provided either: 1) between the rows of parking spaces parallel
to the aisle; or 2) in two or more strips parallel to the spaces and
extending from the aisle serving one row of spaces to the aisle serving
the other row of spaces shall contain at least one tree per 30 linear
feet. Trees required by this section shall be canopy-forming, deciduous
trees at least 2.5 inches in diameter at a height of four feet above
the ground at time of planting and shall be of a species characterized
by suitability and hardiness for location in a parking lot. To the
extent practicable, existing trees shall be retained and used to satisfy
this section.
C.
Sight distance. In order to provide an unobstructed sight distance
for motorists, there shall be a triangle which is at least 10 feet
on two sides of the intersection of a street with a driveway or an
interior drive that shall be clear of visual obstructions. The triangle
shall be measured from the point of intersection of the street with
the driveway or interior drive for a distance of at least 10 feet
along the street line; along the side line of the driveway or interior
drive for a distance of at least 10 feet; and by a third line connecting
these two points. Within this triangle so described, nothing shall
be erected, placed, planted or allowed to grow in such a manner as
to impede vision for motorists between a height of three feet and
eight feet above the grade of the center lines of the street and the
driveway or interior drive.
To ensure the implementation and long-term maintenance of landscaping
plans and requirements, the Planning Board may require one or more
of the following:
