(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.)
(a) Photometric Plan Review. For all proposed developments in the NC, CC, and IIM Zones and in the CS District, a photometric plan showing compliance with these standards shall be submitted along with all site plans. The photometric plan may be incorporated into the site plan if all photometric plan components are included. The photometric plan shall include all of the following:
(1) All structure(s), parking spaces, building entrances, traffic areas (both vehicular and pedestrian);
(2) Vegetation that might interfere with lighting;
(3) Adjacent uses that might be adversely impacted by the lighting;
(4) All exterior lighting, including but not limited to, architectural, building-entrance, landscaping, flag, accent, etc.); and
(5) A layout of all proposed fixtures by location, orientation, aiming direction, mounting height and type.
(b) Exempt Exterior Lighting. The following exterior lighting is exempt from the requirements of this section:
(1) FAA-mandated lighting associated with a utility tower or airport;
(2) Lighting for the United States flag, Ohio flag, a county or city flag, a corporate flag, or any other permissible flag;
(3) Holiday lighting or special event lighting, provided the lighting does not create unsafe glare on street rights-of-way or on adjacent properties;
(4) Battery-powered emergency lighting;
(5) Architectural lighting of 40 watts or less;
(6) Public safety lighting;
(7) Street lighting in the public right-of-way, though every attempt shall be made to select glare free fixtures and use shields and other devices to direct lighting downward; and
(8) Residential garage, porch, and architectural and landscape accent lighting.
(c) Light Level Measuring. The following sets forth the measurement of light level:
(1) Light levels are specified, calculated and measured in foot-candles. All foot-candles values are maintained foot-candles.
(2) Measurements are to be made at ground level, with the light-registering portion of the meter held parallel to the ground pointing up.
(d) Design and Installation Requirements. All light fixtures shall meet the following requirements:
(1) The maximum light level of any light fixture cannot exceed 0.5 foot-candles measured at the property line of any residential district, 2.0 foot-candles measured at the property line of any non-residential district, and 2.5 foot-candles at the property line of a parking lot.
(2) Lighting must not be oriented to direct glare or excessive illumination onto adjacent properties, streets or sidewalks.
(3) All lighting fixtures and poles within a single development shall be consistent in style, color, size, height, and design and are compatible with the architecture character of the development. Service connections for all freestanding lighting fixtures must be installed underground.
(4) Lighting must meet City of Sidney Engineering Standards.
(e) Lighting Specifically for Parking and Pedestrian Areas. The following regulations apply specifically to parking and pedestrian areas:
(1) Light fixtures within parking and vehicular areas may be no higher than 30 feet.
(2) Light fixtures within pedestrian areas may be no higher than 15 feet.
(3) Light fixture located within 50 feet of a property line of a residential zoning district may be no higher than 15 feet.
(4) Light fixtures in parking and vehicular display areas must be full cutoff.
(5) In all other areas, light fixtures with more than 2,000 lumens must be full cutoff unless they meet the following:
A. Decorative, non-cutoff fixtures can be used when the maximum initial lumens generated by each fixture does not exceed 9,500 lumens;
B. If the unshielded fixture has all metal halide, fluorescent, induction, white high-pressure sodium and color-corrected high-pressure sodium lamps, the outer lamp envelope must be coated with an internal white frosting to diffuse light;
C. All metal halide fixtures equipped with a medium base socket must use either an internal refractive lens or a wide-body refractive globe; or
D. All non-cutoff fixture open-bottom lights must have equipped with full cutoff fixture shields.
E. To the extent possible, as determined by the Administrator, internal light sources within structured parking shall not be visible from the adjacent public right-of-way. Rooftop lighting for parking structures shall be no more than 15 feet above the rooftop parking surface and shall be mounted a minimum of 15 feet in from the edge of the structure.
(f) Flood Lights and Flood Lamps. The following regulations apply to flood lights and lamps:
(1) Flood light fixtures must be either aimed down at least 45 degrees from the vertical or the front of the fixture shielded so that no portion of the light bulb extends below the bottom edge of the shield.
(2) Any flood light fixture located within 50 feet of a street right-of-way must be mounted and aimed perpendicular to the right-of-way, with a side-to-side horizontal aiming tolerance not to exceed 15 degrees.
(3) All flood lamps emitting 1,000 or more lumens must be aimed at least 60 degrees down from horizontal or shielded so that the main beam is not visible from adjacent properties or the street right-of-way.
(g) Canopy Lighting. Lighting under canopies must be designed to prevent glare off-site. Acceptable lighting designs include the following:
(1) Recessed fixture incorporating a lens cover that is either recessed or flush with the bottom of the surface canopy;
(2) Lighting fixture incorporating shields or is shielded by the edge of the canopy itself;
(3) Surface mounted fixture incorporating a flat glass that provides a cutoff design or shielded light distribution;
(4) Surface mounted fixture measuring no more than two feet by two feet, with a lens cover that contains at least 2% white fill diffusion material; or
(5) Indirect lighting where light is beamed upward and then reflected down from the underside of the canopy, provided the fixture is shielded so that direct illumination is focused exclusively on the underside of the canopy.
(h) Sports and Performance Venues. Lighting of outdoor sports areas, athletic fields, and performance areas shall comply with the following standards:
(1) Sport field lights shall not exceed 100 feet in height.
(2) All lighting fixtures shall be equipped with an existing glare control package (e.g., louvers, shields, or similar devices) and aimed so that their beams are directed and fall within the primary playing or performance area.
Figure 12. Illustration showing outdoor lighting aimed at 45 degrees from horizontal. The lower image shows a lamp equipped with a cutoff shield, which reduces glare and uplighting.
(Ord. A-3075. Passed 1- 24-22.)