(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 perimet er 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 Zoning Administrator 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 Zoning Administrator 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 Zoning Administrator 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 Zoning Administrator 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; and expansion of a commercial building by more than 20%, except that street buffers shall not be required in the CBD district.
(2) For non-residential uses, all required street buffers shall be planted within 20 feet of the right-of-way line along the entire length of the property.
(3) Street buffers for residential uses.
(a) All new single-family detached or attached neighborhoods must provide buffers of at least 30 feet wide along all arterial or collector roads that are external to the development. (Conversely, when single-family detached or attached neighborhoods are designed with the front façades of the homes facing an external local road or another type of road smaller than a local road, no buffer is required.)
(b) All new multi-family developments must provide buffers of at least 50 feet wide along all arterial or collector roads that are external to the development.
(c) Even if this area is wooded at the outset of the development, additional landscaping may be required to screen the new neighborhood from the view of the road, to provide privacy to homes that are adjacent to these roads, and to beautify the entrances to the community. This buffer must be planted with a variety of plant material and meander visually for species diversity and visual interest. Tue design must consist of layered evergreen trees and shrubbery that are fully branched from the ground-level upward as well as canopy trees and ornamental selections. A berm may also be included.
(4) 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 Zoning Administrator. 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 | .02 |
Medium maturing trees | .04 |
Small maturing trees | .06 |
(5) 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 turf grass, except that additional plantings may not be required in significant natural forested areas maintained within the street buffer if so approved by the Zoning Administrator. 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.
(6) 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 50%. Property buffers shall not be required in the CBD Zoning District. Buffers for a Master Planned District shall be established within the requirements for each specific development.
(3) The property buffer width shall be established for new development using the following table.
Proposed Land Use | Existing Land Use | Required Buffer Width |
Proposed Land Use | Existing Land Use | Required Buffer Width |
Single-family detached or duplex on infill lot or in existing subdivision | All | 0 feet or number of feet required in subdivision |
Single-family or multi-family residential* | Undeveloped | 20 feet |
Residential | 20 feet | |
Commercial/institutional | 20 feet | |
Light industry | 50 feet | |
Heavy industry | 75 feet | |
Commercial/institutional | Undeveloped | 20 feet |
Residential | 20 feet | |
Commercial/institutional | 10 feet | |
Light industry | 20 feet | |
Heavy industry | 40 feet | |
Light industry | Undeveloped | 30 feet |
Residential | 50 feet | |
Commercial/institutional | 20 feet | |
Light industry | 20 feet | |
Heavy industry | 50 feet | |
Heavy industry | Undeveloped | 75 feet |
Residential | 75 feet | |
Commercial/institutional | 40 feet | |
Light industry | 50 feet | |
Heavy industry | 75 feet | |
*Required property buffers for single-family detached or attached uses must be contained within a common area maintained by a homeowners’ association and not on private lots. | ||
(4) The total number of trees required shall be determined by the following table.
Required Buffer Width | Large Maturing Trees (per 100 feet) | Small or Medium Maturing Trees (per 100 feet) |
10 feet | 2 | 4 |
20 feet | 3 | 6 |
30 feet | 4 | 8 |
40 feet | 5 | 10 |
50 feet | 6 | 12 |
75 feet | 8 | 16 |
(5) The use of evergreen trees and plans are strongly encouraged. 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 turf grass. 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.
(6) Property buffers must be located along the outer perimeter of the parcel and must extend to the property line or right-of-way line; however, the buffer may be located along shared access easements between parcels in non-residential developments.
(I) Riparian buffers. A riparian buffer is required along perennial and intermittent streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes per the requirements of § 157.194
.
(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 ensure 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) All parking lots, including vehicle sales and display areas, must contain a continuous row of evergreen shrubs along roadways and shared access drives that are not already protected by a land use buffer. This screening may be accomplished by shrubs, small or medium maturing trees, berms, or other hardscape features that are architecturally compatible with the development.
(6) Alternative, creative landscaping plans that incorporate larger islands or different spacing of landscaped areas than required in this section may be approved by the Zoning Administrator, as long as the minimum area of landscaping and minimum number of trees is provided.
(Ord. 15-002, passed 2-24-15; Am. Ord. 2024-014, passed 6-25-24)