(a) Applicability. The standards of this section shall apply to:
(1) All new construction; or
(2) Expansions of existing buildings by more than 20% of their gross floor area (GFA).
(b) Maintenance. All landscaping required to be installed herein shall be maintained in accordance with an approved landscape plan with landscaped areas maintained with plantings in good health and free of refuse and debris.
(c) Vegetation. All proposed plant material shall be:
(1) Non-invasive species as determined by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources;
(2) Not more than 30% of any single plant genus; and
(3) Living, disease free, undamaged, and free of material defects.
(d) Mature Tree and Plant Conservation. The preservation of plants and trees that exist on a site shall count toward the requirements of this Zoning Code, provided that:
(1) Existing preserved trees must be greater than six inches in caliper measured diameter;
(2) Existing vegetation is clearly indicated on the landscaping plan;
(3) Existing vegetation is not an invasive species; and
(4) Existing vegetation is in good health or can reasonably be brought into good health.
(e) Front Yard Trees. Trees shall be planted at a rate of at least one tree per 40 linear feet of frontage. Trees shall be planted in the front yard no closer than three-four feet from the lot line. Tree plantings shall not be placed in the visibility triangle.
Figure 11. Front yard tree planting is required. One tree shall be planted per 40 linear feet of lot frontage. The illustrated lot has an 80-foot frontage and requires at least two street trees to be planted.
(f) Buffering. A landscaped buffer shall be required depending on the adjacent zone or district. Buffer yards shall be categorized as small, medium, or large, as defined below. The standards for each buffer yard are set forth in the table below.
Buffer Yards | Small | Medium | Large |
Buffer Yards | Small | Medium | Large |
Width (min) | 20’* | 30’ | 40’ |
Canopy or Evergreen Trees (min per 100 linear ft.) | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Ornamental Trees (min per 100 linear ft.) | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Shrubs (min per 100 linear ft.) | 4 | 5 | 6 |
*Where a residential subdivision is being established, a buffer yard 20 feet in width must be planted along all main thoroughfares which abut the subdivision and provides access to the subdivision. | |||
Trees shall be prorated and rounded up to the nearest whole number for every foot over the initial 100 feet of contiguous boundary with the conflicting zoning district or use. | |||
Undulating mounds or berms may be substituted for a perimeter buffer. Mounds or berms shall be a minimum height of six feet, a minimum crown width of two feet, and a side slope not greater than three feet horizontal to one foot vertical. Mounds or berms shall be planted and covered with live vegetation. One tree must be planted on the berm for every 40 feet in length. | |||
For medium and large buffer yards, the erection of a high-quality fence made of wood or masonry six feet in height shall reduce the required buffer yard by ten feet. | |||
Buffers shall be located along the outer perimeter of the lot, parallel to and extending along 100% of the shared lot lines, except the lot line abutting the right-of-way. Landscaping plants located in the front yard within ten feet of the right-of-way shall be a mature height of no more than four feet or trimmed to maintain vehicular vision clearance between four feet and ten feet from grade. |
Table 3: Buffer Yard Standards
District or Zone Where Developing Use is Located* | ||||||
TND | R-1, R-2 | R-3 | CC, NC | IIM | ||
Adjoining District | TND | Small | Medium | Large | ||
R-1, R-2 | Small | Medium | Large | |||
R-3 | Small | Small | Medium | Large | ||
CC, NC | Medium | Medium | Medium | Medium | ||
IIM | Large | Large | Large | Medium | ||
Table 4: Buffer Table by District or Zone. *The construction of the landscaped buffer shall be the responsibility of the developing use.
(g) Parking Lot Landscaping. Landscaping shall be provided within islands in off-street parking areas located in R-3, CC, NC, and IIM Zones, as follows:
(1) One landscaped interior island must be provided for every 14 parking spaces and islands must be distributed evenly throughout the parking area;
(2) Interior islands may be consolidated, or intervals may be expanded, in order to preserve existing trees;
(3) An interior island shall be a minimum of nine feet in width and 320 square feet in area;
(4) Interior islands must be installed below the level of the parking lot surface to allow for runoff capture; and
(5) All interior islands must contain at least one tree with a minimum diameter of two inches.
(h) Landscaping shall be provided along the entire perimeter of an off-street parking area in R-3, CC, NC, and IIM Zones as follows:
(1) A minimum five-feet wide, landscaped area with a row of shrubs must be provided at the perimeter of the parking lot. Shrubs must be a minimum of 18 inches in height when planted and must reach a minimum size of three feet in height within three years of planting.
(2) A minimum of one tree and three shrubs must be planted for every 100 lineal feet of planting.
(3) The required five-foot landscaped area may be reduced to three feet when a three-foot high masonry wall, wrought iron or wood picket fence is erected.
(4) Beyond the five-feet wide landscaped area, when abutting a major thoroughfare, an additional buffer area ten feet in width must be given between the parking lot landscaping and the edge of the right-of-way.
(5) A landscaped area will not be required along a perimeter of an off-street parking area if that particular side or sides are adjacent to a required landscape buffer as outlined in Section 1105.01(f).
(Ord. A-3075. Passed 1-24-22; Ord. A-3116. Passed 11-28-22; Ord. A-3164. Passed 1-8-24.)