(A) Residential entranceway. In R- 1A, R-1B, R-1C, RM, RM-1, TCD and PD residential districts, entranceway structures, including but not limited to walls, columns and gates, marking entrances to single-family subdivisions or multiple housing projects, may be permitted and may be located in a required yard, except as provided in §§ 155.151 through 155.154, Alternate Development Options, and §§ 155.231 through 155.252, Signs; provided that such entranceway structures shall comply to all codes and ordinances of the city and shall be approved by the Building Official or designee and a permit issued.
(B) Corner clearance. No fence, wall, shrubbery, sign or other obstruction to vision above a height of 30 inches from the established street grades shall be permitted within the triangular area formed at the intersection of any street right-of-way lines by a straight line drawn between said right-of-way lines at a distance along each line of 25 feet from their point of intersection.
(C) Multiple building multiple-family developments. The following requirements shall be followed when two or more buildings are located on a lot. These regulations are pertinent for all multiple-family residential types including two-family flats or duplexes, townhomes, garden apartments, terrace homes, mid- and high-rise developments, similar residential types or a mixture of such uses.
(1) The minimum horizontal distance between building fronts and rears (and building ends if adjacent to front or rear) shall average 40 feet for buildings one story in height. The average shall not be less than 30 feet at one end if proportionately increased at the other end for angular relationships. The minimum distance shall be increased by not less than five feet for each additional story.
(2) The minimum horizontal distance between building ends shall be at least 20 feet for buildings one or two stories in height. This distance shall be increased by five feet for each additional story.
(D) Plant materials - landscaping, greenbelts and buffers. Whenever a greenbelt or planting screen is required under the provisions of this chapter, such greenbelt or planting screen shall be subject to the following conditions:
(1) Installation. All landscaping shall be installed in a manner consistent with the standards of the American Association of Nurserymen, the approved site plan, and the following:
(a) Deadline for installation. Installation of required screening and landscaping shall be completed prior to or at the time of completion of building construction, except when building construction is completed during the off-season when plants cannot be installed, in which case the owner shall provide a performance guarantee to ensure installation of required landscaping in the next planting season.
(b) Extension. The city may extend the deadline to allow installation of required plant materials by the end of the next planting season upon determination that weather conditions, development phasing, or other factors would jeopardize required plant materials and prevent their installation by the deadline specified in this section.
(c) Performance Guarantee. Installation and maintenance bonds may be required.
(2) Performance Bond. Whenever a site plan requires any type of landscaping, the applicant may be required to post a Performance Bond prior to the issuance of a temporary or final Certificate of Occupancy to ensure the completion of landscaping (including irrigation) if the landscaping is not 100% complete when any certificate of occupancy is requested. The city will inspect the landscaping and determine the percentage of completion and a performance bond must be submitted to the city by the developer in the sum equal to the unfinished portion of the landscape work. If the landscaping is 100% compete and approved no Performance Bond will be required.
The selection, spacing and size of plant material shall be such as to create, within a five-year period from the date of planting, a horizontal obscuring effect for the entire length of the required greenbelt area, and a vertical obscuring wall effect of such height as is determined adequate by the Planning Commission for proper screening between land uses.
(3) Plant material spacing. Spacing of plant materials required shall be as follows:
(a) Plant materials shall not be placed closer than four feet from the fence line or property line.
(b) Deciduous and all shrubs may not be planted within five feet, and evergreen trees may not be planted within ten feet of any a curb or public walkway.
(c) Trees and shrubs may not be planted within ten feet of a fire hydrant.
(d) Where plant materials are planted in two or more rows, planting shall be staggered in rows.
(e) Where shrub plantings are required to form a continuous hedge or used for screening purposes, the plants shall not be spaced more than 36 inches on center at planting, and shall have a minimum height and spread of 30 inches at planting. Shrubs that will not attain sufficient width to form a complete hedge spaced 36 inches on center shall be planted at a spacing that will allow them to form a complete hedge within two years of planting.
(4) Size and variety of plant materials. To ensure adequate variety, and to avoid monotony and uniformity within a site, required plant materials shall not include more than 20% of any single plant species, and shall comply with the following schedule for minimum sizes at planting:
PLANT MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS | |
Screening Materials | Minimum Size at Installation |
Deciduous Shade Trees | 2.5 caliper-inches* |
Evergreen Trees | 6 feet height and 5 feet spread |
Deciduous Ornamental Trees | 2 caliper-inches* or 6 feet overall height |
Shrubs | 30 inches in height, 24 inches in spread when used for screening or buffering purposes, or 3 gallon container size when used for other purposes |
Groundcovers | Shall be from flats |
*Caliper-inches measured twelve (12) inches above grade.
The Planning Commission may approve modifications from the above table for appropriate landscape materials that do not meet the above minimum size requirements or are not readily available at landscape supply yards in the required size. If smaller materials are approved the difference for the smaller materials shall be compensated with additional material being provided. In approving such a modification, the Planning Commission shall determine that the substituted plant material size will meet the intent of this section, and that providing a landscape material that meets the above size requirements is impractical or not feasible.
Suggested Trees | |
Tree Size | Tree Type |
Small Trees | Dogwood, Prunus, Service Berry, Crabapple, and Fir |
Medium Trees | Maple, Cherry, Bradford Pear, Honey Locust, and White Pine |
Large Trees | Sycamore, Elm, Chestnut, Red Oak, and Beech |
(5) The following shall apply to all groundcover materials:
(a) Lawn areas shall be planted in species of grass normally grown as permanent lawns in Michigan. Grass may be sodded or hydro-seeded, provided that adequate measures are taken to minimize soil erosion. Sod or seed shall be clean and free of weeds and noxious pests or disease.
(b) A minimum four-inch layer of shredded hardwood bark shall be placed in all planter beds containing trees or shrubs and around the base of all trees planted within lawn areas (mulch cover the entire planting pit width). To aid in maintenance operations all shrubs planted within lawn areas are to be planted in groups and mulched as a group, and hedgerows are to be mulched as one continuous strip.
(c) Live groundcovers such as myrtle (Vinca minor), blue rug junipers (Juniperus horizontalis ‘Wiltonii’), Baltic ivy (Hedera helix ‘Baltica’, Pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis) and other similar vines and plant material should be mulched with a two-inch layer of shredded hardwood bark.
(6) Where under the provisions of this chapter an option is provided to the developer relative to the substitution of a greenbelt for a required wall, the minimum starting height of plant materials in said greenbelt shall be equivalent to the required wall height.
(7) Planting areas shall be separated from a turf grass area through the installation of professional landscape edging or similar method to minimize overgrowth of the turf.
(8) A site plan of the parcel to be developed, together with a detailed planting plan of said greenbelt, shall be submitted to the Planning Commission for approval prior to the issuance of a building permit. The site plan shall indicate, to scale, the proposed location and height of buildings and other structures, the location of public walks, roadways and utilities and the proposed location of off-street parking, loading, service and outside storage areas and points of ingress-egress to the site. The planting plan shall indicate, to scale, the location, spacing, starting size and description for each unit of plant material proposed for use within the required greenbelt area, together with the finished grade elevations proposed thereon. The Planning Commission shall review said planting plan (or may assign such review to a registered landscape architect) relative to:
(a) The proper spacing, placement and location of plant materials relative to the length and width of greenbelt so as to insure that the required horizontal and vertical obscuring effect of proposed land uses will be achieved.
(b) The choice and selection of plant materials will assure that root systems will not interfere with public utilities and that fruit and other debris (other than leaves) will not constitute a nuisance within public rights-of-way, or to abutting property owners.
(c) The proposed relationship between deciduous and evergreen plant materials will assure that a maximum obscuring effect will be maintained throughout the various seasonal periods.
(d) The size of plant material (both starting and ultimate) to assure adequate maturity and optimum screening effect of proposed plant materials.
(9) The Planning Commission shall furnish a list of suggested plant materials upon request of any developer and/or property owner of any parcel requiring the construction of a greenbelt or planting screen. The city encourages the use of species native to this climate.
(10) Plastic and artificial plants are prohibited.
(11) Landscaping of yards in nonresidential districts. Any portion of a front, side or rear yard not utilized for storage, parking, loading or unloading in a zoning district other R-1A, R-1B, R-1C, RM, or RM-1, shall be planted and maintained in a neat condition. A minimum of one tree per 3,000 square feet of planted yard area shall be provided, in addition to any other landscaping requirements of this section.
(12) Irrigation. To assist in maintaining plant materials in a healthy condition, all landscaped areas (including lawns) shall be provided with an automatic underground or drip irrigation system, subject to the following:
(a) The Planning Commission may approve an alternative form of irrigation for a particular site, or may waive this requirement upon determining that underground irrigation is not necessary for the type of proposed plant materials.
(b) All automatic irrigation systems shall be designed to minimize water usage, and shall be shut off during water emergencies, periods of protracted rainfall, or water rationing periods.
(13) Right-of-way landscaping. Public rights-of-way and other public open-space areas adjacent to required landscaped areas and development sites shall be landscaped in a manner that enhances the visual character of city streets and minimizes adverse impacts of vehicular traffic on adjacent uses. Right-of-way landscaping shall be subject to the following:
(a) Street trees. Street tree plantings shall be required for all development projects adjacent to or along the margins of street rights-of-way in the city, subject to the following:
(b) Street trees shall consist of deciduous shade trees planted at a minimum concentration of one street tree per 35 linear feet of right-of-way. Required trees may be planted at regular intervals or in groupings.
(c) Existing trees in good condition and of a desirable species located near or within street rights-of-way shall be preserved where feasible, and be counted toward the street tree planting requirement should the existing trees be four inches in caliper or greater.
(d) Permits may be required by the Wayne County Road Commission or Michigan Department of Transportation for installation of street trees within rights-of-way under their jurisdiction. Where such plantings are not permitted within a street right-of-way, required street trees shall be planted within the front yard setback area, or at an alternative location approved by the reviewing authority.
(e) Ornamental trees. Ornamental trees shall be required for all development projects along the margins of street rights-of-way in the city. One ornamental tree shall be planted for every 75 lineal feet of right-of-way frontage. Ornamental trees may be clustered or planted at regular intervals.
(f) Groundcover plantings within street rights-of-way. Street rights-of-way shall be irrigated and sodded with lawn grasses.
(g) Maintenance of right-of-way landscaping. Right-of-way landscaping shall be maintained by the owner of the abutting lot(s), including any irrigation of the right-of-way.
(h) Corner clearance. Right of way landscaping shall comply with the corner clearance requirements of section
(14) Modification of landscape requirements. Recognizing that a wide variety of land uses and the relationships between them can exist, and that varying circumstances can mitigate the need for landscaping, the Planning Commission may reduce or waive the screening and buffer requirements of this section and approve an alternative screening plan. The Planning Commission shall find that the following standards have been met whenever it modifies any landscaping requirement:
(a) The landscape/screening plan shall protect the character of new and existing residential neighborhoods against negative impacts such as noise, glare, light, air pollution, trash and debris, and hazardous activities.
(b) The alternate width and type of buffer zone and screening provided therein will ensure compatibility with surrounding and nearby land uses because:
1. The development is compatible with and sensitive to the immediate environment of the site and neighborhood relative to architectural design, scale, bulk, building height, identified historical character, disposition and orientation of buildings on the lot and visual integrity.
2. The site has natural existing vegetation and/or topography, natural bodies of water or wetland areas or other existing conditions which offer screening consistent with the standards set forth in this section. The reviewing authority shall require the preservation of these natural features as a condition of site plan approval.
3. The arrangement, design and orientation of buildings on the site maximize privacy and isolate adjacent and nearby land uses from any potential negative impacts of the project.
(H) Retaining walls. Retaining walls greater than one foot in height may, upon discretion of the City Planner, be subject to review of a licensed civil engineer and Planning Commission.
(Ord. 792, passed 12-3-01; Am. Ord. passed 2-20-17)