A. Purposes: The purposes of the requirements in this section are to provide for appropriate landscaping of building sites as well as the screening of parking and other outdoor areas in order to create and convey an aesthetically pleasing environment that will:
1. Protect residential environments from effects of more intensive adjacent uses;
2. Protect users of parking areas from excessive wind, glare, and temperature extremes;
3. Reduce the adverse effects on public streets and adjacent properties of noise, blowing dust and debris, and motor vehicle headlight glare;
4. Discourage unsafe access to and circulation within off street parking areas; and
5. Contribute to improved community appearance and preservation and enhancement of property values.
B. Application Of Provisions:
1. All projects having landscape requirements under this title shall be required to submit a landscape plan and meet the landscaping requirements of this section, except for single- family detached and single-family attached lots.
2. Existing conditions on developed sites which are not in conformance with the requirements of this section that are otherwise lawful on the effective date hereof may be continued as a matter of right. If there is any lawful expansion of a nonconforming use, the submission of a landscape plan, as determined by the zoning administrator, shall be required, which plan shall be based on the zoning districts within which such uses appear.
C. Approval Process: Landscape plans for the planting required for this section shall be submitted to the village for review by, and subject to the approval of, the zoning administrator. The following elements shall be included in all landscaping plans:
1. Landscape Plan Elements:
a. Title block including the name and street address of the project, designer's name, scale of the plan (no smaller than 1 inch = 50 feet for plans with trees only; and no smaller than 1 inch = 20 feet for plans with shrubs and smaller plants), north arrow and date of the plan.
b. Property lines.
c. Name, location, right of way and paving widths of all abutting streets.
d. Note zoning and use of all abutting properties; location of buildings on abutting properties within two hundred feet (200') of property lines.
e. Natural features such as ponds, lakes and streams; delineation of 100-year floodplain and wetland boundaries, if applicable.
f. Existing and proposed stormwater management ponds and areas.
g. Required landscaped yard widths.
h. Location, height, dimensions, and use of all existing and proposed buildings and other structures, including parking lots, sidewalks, and other paved areas, fences, walls, and recreational equipment.
2. Planting Elements:
a. Location, general types and quality of existing vegetation, specimen trees and natural areas.
b. For plant preservation credits, existing trees of three inch (3") caliper and above to be saved including locations noted, condition, and a list of species. Show on submittals the methods and details for protection of existing vegetation during construction.
c. Location and keyed labels of all proposed plants.
d. Location of all proposed areas to be seeded and/or sodded.
e. Plant list or schedule to include key symbols, quantity, correct botanical and common names, size, spacing and condition of all proposed plants.
f. Location and description of other landscape improvements, such as earth berms, screens, sculptures, fountains, street furniture, signs, lighting and paved areas.
g. General and specific notes to indicate or explain the design and construction procedures to be used and compliance with ordinance requirements.
D. Landscaping Materials:
1. Varieties of living landscape materials used shall be healthy, hardy, and drought resistant; be suitable for climate and environmental influences on the site, such as exposure to sun, wind, water, heat, automobile exhaust fumes, and road salt; and be compatible with the slope of the site, with existing vegetation to be preserved, and with utilities above or below ground level. Where appropriate, landscape materials used shall be protected from damage from pedestrian or vehicular traffic by tree grates, pavers, or other measures.
2. IDOT "General Requirements For Landscape Operations On State Highway Right-Of-Way In Urban Areas" and IDOT "Location Standards For Plant Material On The Right-Of-Way" should be observed for village collector roadways, unless waived by the zoning administrator. Salt tolerance of plant species shall be evaluated using the most recent approved IDOT list.
3. All plants shall conform to the "American Standards For Nursery Stock", latest edition, and shall be installed according to the current standards of the American Association Of Nurserymen.
4. Native plant materials and landscapes are encouraged but are not mandated.
5. In addition to the approved list below, hardy trees providing year round interest and color, and trees providing food and habitat for native and migrating birds and other animals, as approved by the zoning administrator, shall be allowed; trees which have shallow destructive root systems or which create unacceptable quantities of vegetative debris shall not be approved when located near streets, drives or parking lots.
a. Shade Trees:
Botanic Name | Common Name |
Botanic Name | Common Name |
Acer rubrum | Red maple1 |
Acer saccharum "green mountain" | Green mountain sugar maple |
Carpinus caroliniana | American hornbeam |
Celtis occidentalis | Hackberry1 |
Cercidiphyllum japonicum | Katsuratree |
Fraxinus pennsylvanica | Green ash1 (seedless) |
Fraxinus americana "autumn purple" | Autumn purple white ash |
Fraxinus quadrangulata | Blue ash |
Ginkgo biloba (male) | Ginkgo (male) |
Gleditsia triacanthos inermis | Thornless honey locust1 |
Gymnocladus dioica | Kentucky coffeetree |
Pyres calleryana | Gallery pear1 |
Quercus bicolor | Swamp white oak |
Quercus rubra | Red oak |
Quercus macrocarpa | Bur oak |
Quercus imbricaria | Shingle oak |
Tilia cordata | Littleleaf linden1 |
Tilia x "redmond" | Redmond linden |
Tilia tomentosa | Silver linden |
Tilia x euchlora | Crimean linden1 |
Note:
1. Includes cultivars.
b. Evergreens:
Botanic Name | Common Name |
Abies concolor | White fir |
Picea pungens | Colorado spruce |
Pines flexilis | Limber pine |
Pines strobes | White pine |
Pseudotsuga menziesii | Douglas fir |
c. Ornamental Trees:
Botanic Name | Common Name |
Botanic Name | Common Name |
Cercis canadensis | Redbud |
Crataegus crusgalli "inermis" | Thornless cockspur |
Crataegus viridis "winter king" | Winter king hawthorn |
Malus floribunda | Japanese flowering crabapple |
Malus "prairie fire" | Prairie fire crabapple |
Malus "profusion" | Profusion crabapple |
Malus "snowdrift" | Snowdrift crabapple |
Malus sargentii | Sargent crabapple |
6. The following are prohibited as street trees on public properties or when located near drives or parking areas:
Botanic Name | Common Name |
Botanic Name | Common Name |
Acer negundo | Box elder |
Acer platanoides | Norway maple |
Acer saccharinum | Silver maple |
Ailanthus altissima | Tree of heaven |
Betula spp. | Birch (except river birch) |
Juglans nigra | Black walnut |
Catalpa speciosa | Catalpa |
Elaeagnus spp. | Russian olive |
Ginkgo biloba (female) | Ginkgo (female) |
Maclura pomifera | Osage orange |
Morns spp. | Mulberry |
Populus spp. | Cottonwood |
Poplar | |
Aspen | |
Rhamnus cathartics | Buckthorn |
Salix spp. | Willow |
Ulmus parvifolia | Chinese elm |
7. a. Deciduous shade and street trees shall be fully branched and have a minimum caliper of three inches (3") for nonresidential and two and one-half inches (21/2") for residential development, measured six inches (6") above ground level. Specimens shall be properly pruned to maintain a natural form.
b. Ornamental trees shall be fully branched and have a minimum caliper of two inches (2") for nonresidential and one and one- half inches (11/2") for residential development, measured six inches (6") above ground level. Specimens shall be properly pruned to maintain a natural form and effective screening.
c. Evergreen trees shall be a minimum of six feet (6') in height and fully branched to the ground.
d. Tall shrubs shall be supplied in five (5) gallon or larger containers, or balled and burlapped. Plants shall measure at least thirty six inches (36") in height and shall be fully branched to the ground. Shrubs shall be properly pruned to maintain effective screening.
e. Low shrubs shall be supplied in two (2) gallon or larger containers for residential development or five (5) gallon or larger containers for nonresidential development. Plants shall measure at least eighteen inches (18") in height or spread for residential development and at least twenty four inches (24") in height or spread for nonresidential development.
f. Ground cover plants shall be planted so that an effective covering is obtained within two (2) growing seasons.
8. All reasonable efforts shall be made to preserve the existing trees on each building site, consistent with the approved tree list and similar species which would be an asset to the site.
E. General Requirements:
1. Except for accessory uses expressly permitted to be located in required yards, all yards and open space between and about structures and off street parking and loading areas and lots shall be landscaped and kept free of accumulations of garbage, trash, refuse, debris and other unsightly or nuisance creating materials.
2. All landscaping shall be continually maintained by the owner or other person responsible for maintenance of the premises, and all planting areas shall be kept free of accumulations of garbage, trash, refuse, debris and other unsightly or nuisance creating materials until developed.
3. Berms shall be not less than two feet (2') in height nor greater than six feet (6') in height, with heights depending on the finished grades of the abutting properties in relationship to any proposed development.
F. Street, Easement And Buffer Strip Plantings For Nonresidential Developments: The standards are expressed in terms of shade trees required per linear foot of roadway, easement, or buffer strip, and include the full width of each. For determining numbers of conifers and ornamentals applicable to the standard, a conifer at least six feet (6') in height shall equal a shade tree, and two (2) ornamentals as specified above shall equal a shade tree. It is recommended that trees be grouped in clusters.
1. Major Entry:
a. Parkways: One shade tree each side per forty (40) linear feet of roadway.
b. Median: Two (2) shade trees per forty (40) linear feet of median length, plus one tree for each twenty five (25) linear feet of median where the median is wider than thirty feet (30').
2. Frontage Road:
a. Primary screening by a berm not less than two feet (2') in height nor greater than six feet (6') in height, with slopes not exceeding three to one (3:1).
b. Provide one shade tree per forty (40) linear feet of frontage.
3. Front Yards (Parking Setbacks); Nonresidential Districts: The front yard and any yard abutting a street shall be attractively landscaped except where driveways for ingress or egress are located.
4. Building Site Plantings: Each building shall include a minimum of one shade tree in frontage areas for each fifty (50) linear feet of building site frontage. It is recommended that trees be grouped in clusters.
5. Residential Transition Yards:
a. Primary screening by a berm not less than two feet (2') in height nor greater than six feet (6') in height, with heights depending on the finished grades of the abutting residential properties in relationship to the proposed building height and finished grades of the new development.
b. Provide one shade tree per forty (40) linear feet of residentially zoned or used property abutting the subject property.
6. Parking Lot Screening:
a. Every parking lot abutting property zoned in any residential district shall, to the extent hereinafter specified, be buffered and screened by a perimeter landscaped open space having a width of at least ten feet (10') or the width of the required yard, whichever is less.
b. The landscaping and screening treatment of such space shall be so designed and maintained to screen parked cars and shall be bermed so as to partially conceal parked cars from view of the street or adjacent property except where the size or configuration of the existing or proposed topography of the lot makes this infeasible or unnecessary or where erosion, drainage, or maintenance problems might result.
c. The provisions of this subsection F6 shall apply to parking lots developed prior to the effective date hereof, but only to the extent that such parking lots have, on said effective date, unpaved areas abutting them in which landscaping and screening may be installed.
7. Parking Lot Interior Landscaping:
a. Every parking lot shall contain at least one tree for each twenty four (24) parking spaces constructed after the effective date hereof. Such trees may be provided by the preservation of existing trees or the planting of new trees. Each tree shall be surrounded by a landscaped area of at least one hundred twenty (120) square feet. No existing or new tree located more than five feet (5') outside the perimeter of the paved parking area shall be counted in meeting the requirements of this subsection. All islands in excess of fifty (50) square feet, created curbs or other traffic flow regulators shall be landscaped. All internal landscaped islands shall be protected with curbing.
b. No shrub shall be planted closer than two feet (2') from any curb, and no tree shall be planted closer than three feet (3') from any curb.
c. Low shrubs planted in parking lot islands shall be maintained at a height not to exceed three feet (3') in order to keep sightlines clear.
d. In industrial districts, a minimum of five percent (5%) of the parking area shall be devoted to landscaping, and in all other nonresidential districts, a minimum of ten percent (10%) shall be devoted to landscaping.
8. Ground Cover In Landscaped Buffer Strips: Grass or other ground cover shall be planted over all landscaped strips including berms, except in areas planted in flowers, shrubs, or trees, so as to present a finished appearance and reasonably complete coverage within three (3) months after planting. Nonliving landscaping materials such as sand, stone, rocks, or barks may be substituted for living cover over a maximum of thirty percent (30%) of the landscaped area.
9. General Requirements:
a. The owner, occupant, and tenant, and the respective agent of each, if any, shall be jointly and severally responsible for the maintenance, repair, and replacement of all landscaping and screening so as to preserve at least the same quantity and quality as initially approved.
b. All parking island strips and parking screening strips shall be separated on all sides from the parking surface by curbing.
c. Plant materials, including deciduous trees and evergreen trees, shall not cause a hazard. Landscape plant material overhanging walks, pedestrian or bicycle paths and seating areas shall be pruned to a minimum height of eight feet (8'), and to a minimum height of twelve feet (12') over streets and highways and above parking lot aisles and spaces.
d. Plantings shall conform with the requirements of the "vision clearance triangle" as defined in section 11-2-2 of this title.
G. Alternative Compliance: Certain project conditions may justify approval of alternative methods of compliance within the requirements of this section. Conditions may arise where normal compliance is impractical or impossible or where maximum achievement of the village objectives can only be obtained through alternative compliance.
1. Requests for alternative compliance will be considered for any application to which the requirements of this title apply when one or more of the following conditions are present:
a. Topography, soil, vegetation or other site conditions are such that full compliance is impossible or impractical; or improved environmental quality would result from the alternative compliance.
b. Space limitations, unusually shaped lots or prevailing design practices in the surrounding neighborhood may justify alternative compliance for infill sites and for improvements or redevelopment in older developed areas.
c. A change of use on an existing site increases the screening required to more than is feasible to provide.
d. Safety considerations make alternative compliance necessary.
2. Requests for alternative compliance shall be accompanied by sufficient explanation and justification, written and graphic, to allow appropriate evaluation and decision.
3. A proposed alternative compliance measure must be equal to or better than normal compliance in terms of quality, durability, hardiness and ability to meet the landscape standards of this title.
4. Alternative compliance shall be limited to the specific project under consideration and shall not establish precedents for acceptance in other cases.
H. Refuse Containers:
1. Screening: All refuse containers shall be enclosed by a screening fence, wall or densely planted evergreen hedge of a height sufficient to screen such containers or storage areas from view from adjoining properties and public or private streets.
2. Location: No refuse containers shall be located between any principal structure and either its front or corner side lot line.
3. Compliance With Village Regulations: Refuse enclosures, containers, and pallet storage must comply with this code.
4. Exemptions:
a. The requirements of subsection H1 of this section shall not apply to standard receptacles permitted for use by single- family dwellings or to receptacles accessory to schools.
b. None of the requirements of this subsection shall apply to receptacles placed and maintained for use by the general public to avoid littering or to receptacles temporarily placed on construction sites for the purpose of collecting construction debris.
I. Storage Areas: Storage, service, maintenance, and loading areas must be constructed, maintained, and used in accordance with the following conditions:
1. No materials, supplies, or equipment shall be stored upon a site, except inside a closed building or pursuant to a conditional use permit.
2. All public utility and similar equipment shall be screened from view from access streets and adjacent properties by means of a fence, berm, wall or dense opaque landscaping materials.
3. Trucks and semitrailers directly associated with the subject property's permitted business operation shall not be parked or stored out of doors overnight, in the parking lot or on the premises, except within a loading dock berth or an enclosed garage which provides screening from any adjacent right-of-way and is equal in height to the height of the first floor of the principal building or with an approved conditional use. Diesel trucks shall not idle their engines between the hours of eight o'clock (8:00) P.M. and six o'clock (6:00) A.M., except for engine warmup purposes which shall be allowed for a period not exceeding thirty (30) minutes immediately prior to the departure of such vehicle from the premises. Refrigeration unit engines on trucks/trailers shall not be operated between the hours of eight o'clock (8:00) P.M. and six o'clock (6:00) A.M.
4. In the BP and I districts, all activities involving manufacturing, fabricating, processing, assembly, disassembly, repairing, cleaning, servicing and testing shall be conducted in completely enclosed buildings. If allowed as a permitted or conditional use, the storage of materials, products, and goods must be screened with a solid fence or wall on all lot lines with only such openings as are necessary for ingress or egress. Said fence or wall shall be maintained in a neat and orderly appearance and shall be of such height that any materials stored within the confines of such fence cannot be seen from any lot line or public right of way.
5. Storage of hazardous materials should require secondary containment, monitoring, development of an emergency response plan and participation in the Illinois pollution prevention (P2) program.
J. Maintenance Of Improved Sites And Condition Of Improved Lots: Sites that are not improved or built upon shall be maintained in a clean and neat appearance by the property owner. Weeds and brush shall be removed semiannually. The owner or occupant of any lot shall at all times keep it and the buildings, improvements, and appurtenances thereon in a safe and clean condition and shall comply with all applicable governmental, health, fire and safety ordinances and regulations. Trash shall be removed expeditiously. (Ord. 99-02, 1-7-1999; amd. 2011 Code; Ord. 2021-91, 12-9-2021)