Completion bonding and maintenance.
(1) Landscaping plants required by these regulations shall be planted and maintained in a healthy, growing condition according to accepted local customary horticultural practices.
(2) All landscaping shall be maintained in accordance with the approved plan.
(3) Any dead, missing, or other landscaping which is in a condition that does not fulfill the intent of these regulations shall be replaced by the lot owner in accordance with the approved plans as soon as weather permits (taking into considering the planting season for the particular plant material).
(4) Any screening fence, wall, or curbing required by these regulations shall be maintained in good condition by the lot owner.
(5) The Commission or the Zoning Enforcement Officer, as a condition of approval, may require that a performance bond, in a form and an amount acceptable to the Commission or Zoning Enforcement Officer (in consultation with the Commission's engineer), be provided to insure the faithful performance of the landscaping work to be undertaken.
(6) The Commission may require the design landscape architect to certify that all landscaping has been installed in accordance with the approved plans.
(7) When existing trees and vegetation within the site are used to meet the requirements of this section:
(a) The existing landscape shall be surveyed, trees and natural growth to be preserved shall be identified and marked, and a plan to preserve identified vegetation in its natural state insofar as practical shall be developed and made a part of the site landscaping plan;
(b) Clearing limits shall be staked in the field prior to any clearing and/or excavation;
(c) Particular care shall be used to observe and respect these clearing limits during all phases of development;
(d) Existing large trees that are proposed to remain shall be identified and shall have suitable fencing installed at their drip lines to designate areas in which cutting and filling are prohibited and to help minimize soil compaction from construction equipment in their general location; and
(e) Any tree marked for preservation which is removed, or damaged beyond satisfactory repair by action or inaction of the owner, as determined by a professional arborist required by the Commission, shall be replaced with sufficient trees of the same or similar species as approved by the ZEO so that the combined caliper measurements of the replacement trees shall exceed the caliper measurements of the tree that was removed or damaged;
(8) All trees shall be staked for one year from the date of installation. Stakes shall be removed at the completion of one year.
(9) All trees and shrubs shall have a minimum of two inches and a maximum of four inches of mulch placed around the base of the planting area and shall not touch the bark.
Modification of requirements.
(1) The Commission may allow these standards to be modified in special circumstances where other adequate landscape treatment is provided.
(2) During construction, the Zoning Enforcement Officer may allow field substitutions of plant material provided the original intent of the approved landscape plan is maintained upon consultation with a professional landscape architect.
