This section describes the minimum requirements that shall be met in regard to perimeter buffer landscaping for different land use areas, perimeter landscaping for vehicular use areas, interior landscaping and shading of parking lots, landscaping for service areas, and additional site landscaping for businesses, buildings, structures or other new developments.
(a) Perimeter Buffer Landscaping Requirements.
(1) Purpose. It is the purpose of this section to improve the appearance of vehicular use areas, to separate vehicular and pedestrian traffic areas, to reduce the effects of glare from automobile headlights, to screen the appearance of parking areas from public rights-of-way and adjacent properties (vehicular use area perimeter requirements), and to require buffering between different land uses and along certain public rights-of-way (property perimeter requirements).
(2) Opacity requirements. Landscape materials, fences, and walls used to fulfill perimeter landscaping requirements shall be installed to provide at least 80 percent year round opacity. Landscape materials must be predominantly evergreen species and meet opacity requirements within four years after installation.
(3) Perimeter buffer landscape zone. The perimeter buffer landscape zone shall be provided by the property owner adjoining the street, unless the authority building the street has fully met all requirements on the street right-of-way.
(4) Property perimeter requirements. Property perimeter requirements provide buffering between different land uses and along certain rights-of-way.
(5) Vehicular use area perimeter requirements. Vehicular use area perimeter requirements provide buffering of areas used by vehicles such as parking lots and driveways from adjacent property or public rights-of-way.
(6) Requirements conflicts. Whenever a parcel or activity falls under two or more categories, only one category, that with the most stringent requirements, shall be enforced.
(7) Perimeter buffer landscape zone conflicts. The required perimeter buffer landscape zone may be combined with a utility or other easement as long as all of the landscape requirements can be provided in addition to, and separate from, any other easement. Cars or other objects shall not overhang or otherwise intrude upon the required perimeter buffer landscape zone more than two and one-half feet, and wheel stops or curbs shall be required.
(8) Existing landscape material. Existing landscape material shall be shown on the required plan, and any material in satisfactory condition may be used to satisfy these requirements in whole or in part when, in the opinion of the public approval authority, such material meets the requirements and achieves the objectives of this chapter.
(9) Landscaping at driveway and street intersections. To insure that landscape materials do not constitute a driving hazard, a sight triangle shall be observed at all street intersections or intersections of driveways and streets. Within this sight triangle, neither landscape material nor parked vehicles, except for required grass or ground cover, shall be permitted. Within the sight triangle, trees shall be permitted as long as, except during early growth stages, only the tree trunk is visible between the ground and eight feet above the ground, or otherwise does not present a traffic visibility hazard.
A. Driveway intersection sight triangle. At intersections of driveways with streets, the sight triangle shall be established by locating the intersection of the street curb with the driveway edge, and by measuring from this point a distance of twenty feet (20) along the street curb to a point and connecting these points.
B. Street intersection sight triangle. At street intersections, the sight triangle shall be formed by measuring at least thirty-five (35) feet along curb lines and connecting these points.
(b) Interior Landscaping for Vehicular Use Areas. Any open vehicular use area, excluding loading, unloading and storage areas in an industrial, public facility, commercial or business zone, containing more than 6,000 square feet of area, or twenty or more vehicular parking spaces, shall provide interior landscaping in addition to the previously required perimeter landscaping. Interior landscaping may be peninsula or island types, and must include at least one deciduous shade tree per peninsula or island to be counted towards the required landscape area.
(1) Purpose. It is the purpose of this section to break up large areas of impervious surfaces in order to provide shade and heat abatement, and enhance the appearance of the community.
(2) Landscape area. For each 100 square feet or fraction thereof, of vehicular use area, a minimum total of five square feet of landscaped area shall be provided.
A. Minimum area. The minimum landscape area permitted shall be 100 square feet with a minimum inside dimension width of 10 feet, and four-foot minimum dimension to all trees from edge of pavement where vehicles overhang.
B. Maximum contiguous area. In order to encourage the required landscape areas to be properly dispersed, no individual landscape area shall be larger than 350 square feet in size, and no individual area shall be larger than 1,500 square feet in vehicular use areas over 30,000 square feet. In both cases, the least dimension of any required area shall be four feet minimum dimension to all trees from edge of pavement where vehicles overhang. Individual landscape areas larger than above are permitted as long as the additional area is in the excess of the required minimum total.
(3) Vehicle overhang. Parked vehicles may hang over the interior landscaped area no more than two and one-half feet, as long as concrete or other wheel stops are provided to insure no greater overhang or penetration of the landscaped area.
(c) Screening For Service Structures. Service structures shall be screened in all zoning districts. For the purposes of this section, service structures shall include but not be limited to loading docks, storage tanks, electrical transformers, utility vaults which extend above the surface, cooling towers, roof top units and other equipment or elements providing service to a building or a site. Structures may be grouped together; however, screening height shall be based upon the tallest of the structures. Dumpsters shall be screened from public view by an enclosure constructed of material approved by the Planning Commission.
(1) Screening requirements. A continuous (having 100 percent opacity) planting, hedge, fence, wall of earth, which would enclose any service structure on all sides is required, unless such structure must be frequently moved, in which case screening on all but one side is required. The height of the screening material shall be one foot more than the height of the enclosed structure, but shall not be required to exceed 12 feet in height. Whenever a service structure is located next to a building wall, perimeter landscaping material or vehicular use area landscaping material, such walls or screening material may fulfill the screening requirement for that side of the service structure if that wall or screening material is of sufficient height to meet the height requirement set out in this section. Plant material used to screen a service structure shall be an evergreen species which retains its needles throughout the year. Deciduous plant material cannot be used to fulfill this screening requirement. The height of the evergreen plant material at installation must be equal to, or greater than, two-thirds of the height of the service structure(s), and meet the height and opacity requirements within four years. No interior landscaping shall be required within an area screened for service structures.
(2) Curbs to protect screening material. Whenever screening material is placed around any trash disposal unit or waste collection unit, or waste collection unit which is emptied or removed mechanically on a regularly occurring basis, a curb to contain the placement of the container shall be provided within the screening material on these sides where there is such material. The curbing shall be at least one foot from the material and shall be designed to prevent possible damage to the screening when the container is moved or emptied.
(d) Additional Site Landscaping Requirements. All new developments, regardless of type, and all alterations or expansions to existing developments, shall provide site landscaping in addition to previously required perimeter landscaping. Site landscaping shall consist primarily of new tree planting or the preservation of existing trees or hedges within the development site.
(1) Preservation of wooded areas: It is encouraged that efforts be made to preserve natural vegetation areas. Consideration shall be given to laying out streets, lots, structures and parking areas to avoid the unnecessary destruction of heavily wooded areas or outstanding tree specimens. It is further encouraged that whenever possible, heavily wooded areas be designated as preserves.
(2) Preservation of existing landscaping materials. All trees having a trunk diameter of eight (8) inches or greater as measured 4.5 feet from ground level shall be preserved unless such trees are exempted as follows:
A. Trees within public rights-of-way or utility easements or a temporary construction easement as approved by the Municipal Engineer.
B. Trees within the ground coverage of proposed structure or within twelve (12) feet of the perimeter of such structures.
C. Trees within the driveway access to parking or service areas or proposed areas to service a single-family home.
D. Trees that in the judgment of the City Arborist are damaged, diseased, over mature, or which interfere with utility lines or are an inappropriate or undesirable species for that specific location. It is encouraged that exempted trees subject to destruction are preserved by relocation and replanting of such trees on a lot.
(3) Site planting requirement.
A. Purpose. It is the purpose of this subsection to provide additional landscaping to enhance the appearance and customer attraction of commercial and industrial areas, to enhance the architectural character and aesthetics of the site, and to enhance the beautification of the City. This subsection pertains to additional landscaping located around the building and other portions of the site. It does not include landscape material that has been provided to fulfill the planting requirements for interior landscaping, vehicular use area perimeters, property perimeters, and street trees.
B. For all new development the following number and size of trees are required within the interior landscaped area:
Schedule of the Minimum Number and Caliper of Trees
Use and Zoning Types | Total Number of Trees | Min. Caliper of Trees (in.) |
Residential | ||
Individual lot: | 4 | 2 |
Per Acre: | 10 | 2 |
Single Family Cluster per acre: | 10 | 2 |
Multi-family per acre: | 10 | 2 |
Business districts per acre: | 10 | 2 |
Public Facilities Districts: | 10 | 2 |
Industrial districts/acre: | 8 | 2 |
Other districts per acre: | 10 | 2 |
C. Parking Lots: See subsection (b) hereof.
D. No new tree plantings shall be required if existing trees meet or exceed the number required in this chapter and providing that such trees are evenly distributed throughout the developed area and not confined either to out-of-the-way dense clusters or to the perimeter of the developed area. The minimum tree size for such existing tree plantings shall be no less than two (2) inch in trunk diameter. Trees to be preserved shall be subject to a discretionary review by the City Arborist.
(4) For new development or construction, if new tree plantings are required for conformance to the landscaping requirements of this chapter, the applicant or owner shall indicate on the landscape plan the location and size of such tree plantings. If such landscape plan is approved, the applicant or owner shall plant such trees as may be required within one year or the next planting season after issuance of a building permit.
(Ord. 173-2000. Passed 12-17-00.)