(A) Purpose. The purpose of a landscaped buffer is to help provide transition between different types of land uses, to break up or soften the appearance of paved surfaces, to protect significant water bodies and to provide the shade and greenery necessary to create a livable urban environment. Notwithstanding any other requirements of this section, buffers shall be required for all development as follows.
(B) Applicability. Buffers shall be required whenever new development is approved or an existing building is expanded by more than 20%.
(C) Location. Buffers shall not be located on any portion of an existing street or right-of-way; however, they may occupy part or all of any required front, side or rear yard setback. Property buffers shall be located on the outer perimeter of a lot or parcel, extending to the lot or parcel boundary line.
(D) Use of buffers. A buffer may be used for passive recreation. All other uses are prohibited, including off-street parking. However, where permitted, freestanding signs may be installed in required buffers. To prevent damage to existing trees, overhead utility lines and underground pipes cannot be installed in buffers. With approval of the Zoning Administrator, such pipes may cross, but shall not run longitudinally within, the buffer.
(E) General requirements.
(1) Planting requirements in buffer areas may be altered on a case-by-case basis by the Urban Forester in locations where the required buffer is wholly or partially within an existing easement.
(2) Along areas that are scheduled for easement or right-of-way acquisition or expansion by the SC Department of Transportation in the near future, the Urban Forester may allow a postponement of all or a portion of the buffer planting. Whenever postponement is allowed, a letter of compliance pursuant to this section shall be required.
(3) Where the location of existing permanent buildings on an existing site reduces the area available for a buffer, buffer requirements shall be met to the maximum extent practicable.
(4) Where implementation of the buffer requirements on an existing site would require the removal of parking spaces, the Zoning Administrator may approve a reduction of up to 20% of the required parking spaces in order to make room for required landscaping.
(F) Exceptions. In the event that unusual topography or elevation of a development site, the size of the parcel to be developed, the soil or sub-surface condition of the site would make strict adherence to the requirements of this section serve no meaningful purpose or would make it physically impractical to install and maintain the required buffer plantings, the Urban Forester may alter the requirements of this section as long as the existing features of the development site comply with the spirit and intent herein. Such an alteration may occur only at the request of the property owner who shall submit a plan to the Urban Forester showing existing site features that would buffer or screen the proposed use and any additional buffer materials the property owner will plant or construct to buffer the proposed use.
(G) Street buffers.
(1) Street buffers shall be required along all streets for new development sites, except residential development with no more than four units; redevelopment sites; residential subdivisions; and expansion of a commercial building by more than 20% except that street buffers shall not be required in the CBD District.
(2) All required street buffers shall be no less than six feet in width at any point and average eight feet in width, as measured perpendicularly to the street, along the entire length of the property.
(3) Large maturing trees shall be planted unless overhead utility lines or other factors require the use of medium or small maturing trees, as approved by the Urban Forester. Fractions generated by applying the minimum number of plants to the actual linear footage of the buffer shall be rounded up to the next whole number. (For example, 125 feet of buffer length would be required to have two large trees or three medium trees or four small trees.) The planting schedule for street buffers shall be as follows:
Type | Minimum Number Per Linear Foot |
Large Maturing Trees | .015 |
Medium Maturing Trees | .04 |
Small Maturing Trees | .06 |
(4) In addition to the tree planting requirements, a minimum of 30% of the buffer area shall be planted in a combination of approved shrubs, perennials, ornamental grasses, live ground cover, or turfgrass, except that additional plantings may not be required in significant natural forested areas maintained within the street buffer if so approved by the Urban Forester. All other areas, including bare ground under trees, shall be covered in a minimum of three inches of mulch. Spacing and arrangement of plant material must be primarily based on the mature dimensions of the plants.
(5) Berms shall be allowed to augment required street buffer plantings as long as a minimum of 50% of all required trees and plantings shall be planted along the street front portion of the berm.
(H) Property Buffers.
(1) The purpose of a property buffer is to minimize the potential negative impact between adjacent land uses and streets, and to promote land use compatibility.
(2) Property buffers shall be required along all applicable property boundaries for new development sites, redevelopment sites, major subdivisions, and whenever an existing nonresidential use is expanded by more than 20% except that property buffers shall only be required in the CBD District when a proposed nonresidential development is adjacent to an existing residential unit.
(3) The property buffer width shall be established for new development as follows:
PROPOSED USE | EXISTING USE | |||
Residential,
SF & Duplex1 |
Residential, MF | Manufactured Home Park | Non- Residential | |
PROPOSED USE | EXISTING USE | |||
Residential,
SF & Duplex1 |
Residential, MF | Manufactured Home Park | Non- Residential | |
Residential, SF & Duplex | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Residential, MF | 20' | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Manufactured Home Park | 40' | 40' | 0 | 0 |
Non-Residential | 30' | 30' | 30' | 0 |
Heavy Industrial | 40' | 40' | 40' | 20' |
Light Industrial | 30' | 30' | 30' | 0 |
1 Existing residential and residentially zoned properties
(4) The total number of trees required shall be determined by the size in square feet of the required buffer, divided by the area needed for each tree. Only one size tree will be required for the buffer area (for example, a buffer area 600 square feet in size would be required to have three large trees or four medium trees or six small trees.) The use of evergreen trees and plans are strongly encouraged. Large maturing trees shall be planted unless factors such as overhead utility lines or buffer size require the planting of smaller trees. Such substitutions must be approved by the Urban Forester. In addition to the tree planting requirements, a minimum of 40% of the buffer area shall be planted in a combination of approved shrubs, annuals, perennials, live ground cover, ornamental grasses, or turfgrass. All areas shall be maintained in a minimum of three inches of mulch. Plant materials shall be designed and installed in a manner that provides variability of height at maturity. Spacing and arrangement of plant material must be primarily based on the mature dimensions of the plants. The property buffer planting schedule shall be as follows:
Type | Minimum Number |
Large Maturing Trees | 1 per 200 square feet of buffer area |
Medium Maturing Trees | 1 per 150 square feet of buffer area |
Small Maturing trees | 1 per 100 square feet of buffer area |
(5) The width of a property buffer may be reduced up to 50% if a fence or wall is included.
(I) Riparian buffers. A riparian buffer is required along perennial and intermittent streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes per the requirements of § 157.194
-Low Impact Design.
(J) Parking lot landscaping. The following standards shall apply to all new parking areas with ten or more spaces and all expansions to existing parking areas which add ten or more spaces, unless otherwise noted. In an expansion, only the area of expansion is required to be included in the calculation; however, the landscaping may be provided anywhere within the parking area.
(1) Plant material shall be selected and arranged to insure the maximum safety of the public. No landscaping area shall be designed, installed or maintained in such a way that it provides cover or refuge for criminal activities.
(2) Plant material is required along 10% of the length of exterior building walls and structures to provide separation between the building and the vehicular surface area.
(3) Landscaped islands at least 200 square feet in size and a minimum of five feet on any side shall be placed at the ends of each row of parking spaces. Intermediate islands at least 200 square feet in size and a minimum of five feet on any side shall be placed throughout the parking lot so that no parking space is further than 60 feet from a tree, as measured from the end or edge of the parking space. One tree is required at the end of every row of parking, even if the row terminates at a buffer area.
(a) Each landscaped island shall include one large maturing tree unless there is an overhead utility line or street light present, in which case a small or medium maturing tree shall be planted.
(b) In addition to the tree planting requirement, a minimum of 20% of each landscaped island shall be planted in a combination of small maturing shrubs, perennials, annuals, ornamental grasses, and/or live ground cover. All other areas shall be maintained in a minimum of three inches of mulch wherever plant material is placed.
(4) Landscaped areas within or adjacent to parking areas must be protected from vehicular damage by a raised curb, wheel stops or approved equivalent barrier of at least six inches in height.
(5) Alternative, creative landscaping plans that incorporate larger islands or different spacing of landscaped areas than required in this section may be approved by the Urban Forester, as long as the minimum area of landscaping and minimum number of trees is provided.
(Ord. 15-002, passed 2-24-15)