Mooresville Development Standards contain information for planting strips that reads:
Planting strips, located between the curb and sidewalk parallel with the street, shall be 6 feet or more in width. To maintain sight lines, trees and other objects are prohibited in the sight distance areas. If trees or plantings are placed in the right-of-way, the property owners’ association covenants shall include language which outlines how and when the trees or plantings will be maintained. The covenants must be submitted to Town Public Works Street Superintendent for review and approval. Tree types placed within the right-of-way must be approved by the Engineering Services Director (See the Landscape Section). The developer and/or property owners’ association must keep the trees trimmed on the road side to maintain a clear distance from the pavement to a height of 10-feet above the pavement.
Additionally, when I began working for Mooresville two years ago, I began asking for/requiring an autoturn illustration (CAD) of our largest apparatus to demonstrate it could not only maneuver turns and turn-arounds but also avoid landscaping conflicts. I use the term "blunt and traumatic pruning" of street trees and similar installations to describe what happens when tall profile vehicles encounter low limbs and branches. It gets the attention of our planners and outside development folks and we're able to place a little more emphasis on future tree growth and maintenance considerations. This has led to more attention on both sides locating trees further away from roadways and entrance drive aisles in both residential and commercial.
Feel free to email me at gwoolard@mooresvillenc.gov if you have any questions or if I can be of any help!
