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(a) General. No construction, reconstruction, enlargement, extension or exterior alterations of any building or structure, or the occupancy of a new building or structure occur, until the required landscaping and/or screening has been provided according to this chapter. This chapter shall not apply to single-family dwellings or their respective lots.
(b) New development or redevelopment. Any new development or redevelopment of land must fully comply with the standards and regulations of this chapter.
(c) Additions and enlargements.
(1) Renovations or repairs. A building or lot may be repaired or renovated without providing additional landscaping or screening, unless there is an increase in gross floor area or improved lot area (e.g., expanded parking lot or building addition).
(2) Additions and increases in gross floor area.
A. When a building, accessory building, parking lot or structure, or lot is increased in gross floor area or improved lot area up to 25% (aggregate from the area as of the effective date of this code), landscaping and/or screening is required for the addition.
B. When there is an increase in the gross floor area or lot improvement by more than 25% (aggregate from the area as of the effective date of this code), the entire lot must conform to the landscaping and screening requirements of this chapter.
(d) Change in use. Any change in use that increases development intensity and results in increased traffic or processes, must fully comply with this chapter. For the purposes of this chapter, a change in use includes:
(1) A residential use to a commercial use; or
(2) A commercial use to a manufacturing use.
(Ord. 21-161, passed 12-13-2021)
As part of a site plan review application or conditional use application, whichever may come first, the applicant shall be required to submit a plan setting forth the proposed method of landscaping and/or screening. The plan shall take into consideration the space required to be landscaped and/or screened, the planting area available, the density of the foliage required to adequately protect abutting properties and the height of screening necessary to provide the desired protection.
(Ord. 21-161, passed 12-13-2021)
(a) The planted area shall be free of structures (other than a fence or wall), dumpsters, material storage or display, manufacturing or processing activity, loading and unloading areas or vehicle parking or outdoor display. No new driveways or streets shall be permitted in areas unless otherwise approved by the city.
(b) All areas not covered by plants, shrubs and trees shall be well maintained by an all-season vegetative ground cover and shall be kept free of debris and trash.
(c) Ground cover must be installed appropriate to the surface conditions of the area. Grass is the default landscaping material for ground, although other alternative ground covers may be used, if approved as part of a site plan review, for areas such as parking lot islands, where physical conditions may warrant more tolerant ground cover. In all cases, ground cover should be some form of natural vegetation. Small areas of decorative gravel or rock may also be utilized in the ground cover areas when approved as part of the site plan review.
(d) All plantings must be suitable for the city’s soils and climatic conditions and:
(1) Shall be distributed so as to provide a relatively uniform planting. Where the planting is along a street and some visibility into the development is desired, the plant material may be arranged to provide view corridors;
(2) The landscaped areas shall be entirely pervious except for barrier structures and walks that provide pedestrian access. No more than 25% of the required area may consist of impervious materials such as gravel, stones, or paving;
(3) A mix of hardwood and ornamental tree species shall be provided; and
(4) Native grasses and plants that are pollinator friendly shall be provided.
(e) If an applicant demonstrates to the satisfaction of the city that an existing healthy tree line, attractive thick vegetation, natural earth berm and/or slopes will be preserved and serve the same landscaping or screening purposes that would otherwise be required by this chapter, then such preserved existing screening may be permitted to be used, in part or whole, in place of new ground cover, grading and plantings. If this existing natural screen is removed at any time, the applicant or property owner shall be required to plant landscaping or establish screening that will meet the ground cover, grading, screening and planting requirements of this chapter.
(Ord. 21-161, passed 12-13-2021)
Screening is intended to eliminate or minimize conflicts between potentially incompatible, but otherwise permitted land uses on adjoining lots. Screening may include a combination of setbacks and visual buffers or barriers.
(a) Screening plan. A screening plan must be submitted and must incorporate a landscaping plan. The screening plan must show the location of all screened areas on the site, location of utility easements, roads and drives, emergency access, walkways and existing and proposed structures on the site.
(b) Required screening.
(1) Screening of development. Screening is required in the following scenarios and are required to be erected by the more intensive use in order to properly visually buffer the use or activity of the more intensive use:
Table 1232-1: Screening Requirements | |||||
Adjacent Development or Zoning District | |||||
Proposed Development | Single-Family Residential | Multi-Family Residential | Commercial, Office, and Mixed Use | Industrial | |
Single-family residential | Screening required | Screening required | |||
Multi-family residential | Screening required | Screening required | |||
Commercial, office, and mixed use | Screening required | Screening required | Screening required | ||
Industrial | Screening required | Screening required | Screening required | ||
(2) Location.
A. Required areas for screening must be developed along the perimeter of the lot and extend inward from the property line of the development site. Screening may not be located within any dedicated public or private street right-of-way, utility easement or encroach on adjacent property.
B. An area used for screening may be included in the calculation of setback requirements.
(3) Minimum standards. Screening may include a mix of trees, berms, plantings, fences and walls to achieve a solid screen of a minimum of 75% of the length of the building, structure and/or activity requiring screening on the more intensive property.
A. No structure or off-street parking or loading area shall be located in the area dedicated for screening.
B. Fences or walls shall be six feet in height and shall be landscaped along the base.
1. All structures and hardware used for landscaping or screening, such as walls or fences, shall be constructed of weatherproof or weather resistant materials such as treated wood, PVC or composite materials such as Trex, brick, natural stone or pre-cast stone or other material approved by the city.
2. The finished side of the fence or wall shall face the adjacent property or right-of- way.
C. Berms shall be a minimum of four feet in height.
1. Berms must be formed with a gradual slope with a rounded top to allow for planting and stabilized slopes.
2. Berms shall include trees and shrubs at or near the crown to extend the vertical height of the screening.
D. If no fence, berm or wall is erected as a part of the screening, a minimum of 30 feet of open space shall be provided on which to plant screening materials.
E. Evergreen trees and shrubs shall be included for effective screening if a wall or fence is not installed. All trees and shrubs used as screening materials shall reach the minimum screening requirement within two years of planting.
(c) Screening of equipment. In addition to the other forms of required landscaping, screening shall be required to conceal specific areas of high visual or auditory impact or hazardous areas from adjacent, less intense uses and from views from public rights-of-way. Such areas shall be screened at all times, unless otherwise specified, regardless of adjacent uses, districts, or other proximate landscaping material.
(1) Screened items. The following areas shall be screened in accordance with this section:
A. Large waste receptacles (e.g., dumpsters and cardboard recycling containers) and refuse collection areas;
B. Any use or activity where is screening is required by a use-specific standards in § 1216.06: Use-Specific Standards;
C. Off-street loading areas;
D. Outdoor service areas that are necessary to support common business operations (e.g., outdoor freezer or refrigeration units, storage units and the like);
E. Ground-level or facade-mounted mechanical equipment and utility structures;
F. Roof top equipment that is not otherwise hidden by the roofline, parapet wall, or other similar feature;
G. Screening shall not be required if any of the above items are not visible from adjacent rights-of-way or from adjacent residential lots; and
H. All sides of the item shall be screened with the exception that one side of the item may be screened with a gate or other similar feature to allow access while screening the item when access is not necessary.
(2) Screening methods.
A. The following items are permitted for use as screening materials, and more than one method may be used on a lot or site:
1. Vegetative materials that provide a fully opaque screen to the minimum height necessary to fully screen the facility from off-site views (see Figure 1232-A);
2. An opaque fence or wall; or
3. Integration into the building design (e.g., false walls or other architectural screening). See Figure 1232-A.
B. The required screening shall have a height sufficient enough to screen the applicable item(s) provided it is in accordance with any other applicable sections of this code including, but not limited to, § 1226.03: Fences and Walls.
C. To the maximum extent feasible, pipes, conduit and cables should be located along the rear facade of buildings if conditions do not allow for them to be enclosed within the building itself. Pipes, conduit and cables shall be located as far away from public view as practical and shall be painted a similar color as the building facade to further reduce visibility.
Figure 1232-A: The above image illustrates a vegetative screen that hides HVAC equipment and a dumpster (left image) and the use of a wall and fencing for screening that is architecturally compatible with the principal building (right image).
(3) Configuration of vegetative materials. In cases where vegetative materials are used for screening in accordance with this division, the vegetative materials shall:
A. Be planted around the perimeter of the site feature to be screened in a manner that screens the site feature from all off-site views;
B. Be configured in two staggered rows or other arrangement that provides maximum screening;
C. Be upright, large evergreen shrubs or a hedge and be capable of reaching at least six feet in height within three years of planting; and
D. Be spaced no farther than necessary to create an opaque screen when the shrubs or trees are fully grown. In no case shall trees used for screening be spaced further than 12 feet apart on center.
(Ord. 21-161, passed 12-13-2021; Ord. 24-33, passed 3-25-2024)
(a) All plantings identified on the approved plan must be permanently maintained in good growing condition and replaced with new plant materials, as necessary, to ensure continued compliance with applicable landscaping and/or screening requirements.
(b) All structures and hardware used for landscaping or screening, such as walls or fences, shall be maintained in good working and shall be constructed of weatherproof or weather resistant materials or treated as such.
(Ord. 21-161, passed 12-13-2021)
In cases where plantings cannot be completed due to weather or other conditions prior to building occupancy, the city may require a financial guarantee to be provided in the amount of 120% of the estimated cost of the landscaping or screening to be provided. The form of financial guarantee must be approved by the Law Director prior to approval.
(Ord. 21-161, passed 12-13-2021)