Morrisville Unified Development Ordinance – September 2018

Article 5: Development Standards Section 5.12. Landscaping 5.12.4. Vehicle Use Area Landscaping

b. Any allowance of deferred installation shall be conditioned on the required landscaping being installed as soon as practicable after the circumstances warranting deferral cease to exist, but no later than six months after such time, and the provision of a performance guarantee ensuring such installation in accordance with Section 8.1.4, Performance Guarantees. G. Maintenance of Required Landscaping The owner shall be responsible for maintaining, in perpetuity, all required landscape areas and landscaping materials (including berms, walls, and fences as well as vegetation) in accordance with the approved landscape plan or alternative landscape plan and the standards of this section. Required vegetation shall be maintained in a healthy condition and landscape areas shall be kept in an orderly appearance, free from refuse and debris. All required vegetation shall be maintained in their characteristic natural shape and shall not be severely pruned or sheared. Trees shall not be topped or shaped as shrubs. Vegetation that has been severely pruned, sheared, topped, or shaped shall be considered damaged and shall be replaced with healthy comparable plant material. Actions shall be taken to protect required landscaping materials from unnecessary damage during all facility and site maintenance operations. Landscaping materials shall be maintained in a way that does not obstruct sight visibility within intersection sight distance areas (see Section 5.8.6.F, Intersection Sight Distance Areas), obstruct traffic signs or devices, or interfere with the use of bikeways and walkways. Landscaping shall comply with Building Code restrictions on placing or storing combustible materials near buildings. If landscaping materials used to meet the requirements of this section die, are seriously damaged, or are removed, they shall be replaced with comparable landscaping materials meeting the standards of this section within the next six months—or within the next year if the death, damage, or removal of the landscaping materials was due to an unusual weather occurrence or other act of nature (e.g., tornado, hurricane). In determining the extent of replacement required, the Planning Director shall consider the type and location of the required landscaping materials as well as the propensity for natural re-vegetation. All initial and replacement landscaping shall be subject to a two-year performance guarantee that ensures proper maintenance and replacement, in accordance with Section 8.1.4, Performance Guarantees. H. Alteration of Required Landscaping Landscaping may be altered through replacement or relocation by a maximum of ten percent over the life of the development without submittal of a revised landscape plan provided that the overall landscaping remains in compliance with this section. A revised plan shall not be required for plantings that exceed the requirements of this section.

5.12.4. Vehicle Use Area Landscaping A. Applicability

Except for driveways serving as off-street vehicle parking areas for bungalow court, pocket neighborhood, single-family detached, duplex, manufactured home, and single-family attached dwellings, the vehicle use areas of developments shall include landscaping both within the interior of the vehicle use area (interior landscaping) and around its perimeter (perimeter landscaping) as a means of mitigating the vehicle use area’s microclimate and visual impacts. (Ord. No. 2016-001, 05/10/2016)

Morrisville, NC

September 25, 2018

Unified Development Ordinance

Page 5-125