(A) Purpose. The purpose of this section is to improve appearances, increase the compatibility of differing land uses, reduce soil erosion, protect water quality, provide summer cooling and winter wind protection, and increase property values.
(B) Types of development included. The requirements of this section shall apply to all proposed commercial, industrial, multiple-family residential, and public or semi-public developments that are required to submit an application for site plan review. Excluded are building additions less than 50% of the existing floor area and parking lot expansions less than 50% of the existing parking area. Individual detached (single-family) houses are exempt from this landscaping section except for sub-section (C), below. Plats that create lots for more than one detached house are subject to these regulations, however.
(C) Plantings for single-family detached houses. Single-family detached houses shall have at least one overstory tree per house, with a minimum caliper size of 2.0 inches.
(D) Planting plan required. Each application for site plan review shall include a planting plan, drawn to scale by a professional landscape architect or nursery landscape designer, which shall address:
(1) Existing and proposed topography using two-foot contour intervals, if topography is being altered.
(2) Existing and proposed vegetation. The Community Development Department may require a survey of existing trees by species that have a diameter at four feet in height of 12 inches or greater.
(3) Proposed plants shall be shown at their normal mature crown diameter. A table shall be included that lists the symbols, quantities, common names, botanical names, sizes of plant material, root specification (e.g., balled, potted, and the like) and any special planting instructions.
(4) Existing and proposed site plan elements such as buildings, parking lots, driving lanes, sidewalks, other improvements, water bodies, streams and wetlands.
(E) Plant sizes and variety.
(1) Existing vegetation. Existing healthy, well-formed canopy and understory trees as well as healthy shrubs shall be credited toward the requirements of this section, provided the vegetation is protected before and during development of the site and maintained thereafter in a healthy growing condition, and meets the applicable regulation.
(2) Minimum plant sizes.
Table 15-1: Minimum Plant Sizes
Minimum Size
1 | Notes | |
Deciduous canopy or shade trees Ball and burlap Container | 2.0" diameter 1.25" diameter | Multi-stem varieties: Minimum height of 6 feet above ground level. All new trees shall be tethered and wrapped. |
Understory, small maturing, or ornamental trees | 1.25" diameter | Multi-stem varieties: Minimum of 4 feet in height |
Conifer trees | 6 feet tall | |
1All diameters are measured at a height of 4' | ||
(3) Species variety. To curtail the spread of disease or insect infestation in a plant species, not more than one-quarter of the plantings may be of the same species. To help provide year-round color, both deciduous and coniferous plants shall be used.
(4) Prohibited plants.
(a) The following trees shall be prohibited: Box Elder, Chinese Elm, Cottonwood, Siberian Elm, Female Ginkgo, Silver Maple, Norway Maple, Russian olive, and Buckthorn.
(b) These following trees shall not be used within 20 feet of the street edge: aspen, apple, black locust, black walnut, butternut, catalpa, cherry, Douglas fir, fir, juniper, larch, mulberry, plum, poplar, spruce, willow and yew.
(5) Sod. Sod shall be used in boulevard areas rather than seed to establish turf grass.
(F) Tree and woodland protection.
(1) Natural forest and woodland areas shall be preserved to the extent practical, and substantial tree stands shall be incorporated into site development as feasible. Treed locations shall not be clear-cut if selective cutting and grading can be used to protect and preserve portions of the forest. The land developer shall demonstrate that no practical alternative exists to removing existing trees from a site. Credit may be given for certain trees that are preserved, and additional trees may be required in place of major trees that are removed.
(2) Tree inventory and protection required. If requested by the Community Development Department, the applicant shall submit a tree survey prepared by an arborist or land surveyor. All trees with a diameter of 12 inches or more shall be retained to the extent practical.
(3) Credit towards landscape requirements. Protected trees may be used to offset the number of required new overstory trees on a one-to-one basis provided that the protected trees meet the requirements for new plantings.
(4) Removal and replacement of protected trees. If any trees with a diameter of 12 inches or greater are removed, they shall be replaced with new trees that meet the minimum size requirement at the rate of one new tree for each tree removed. Replacement trees shall be in addition to the normally required number of overstory trees.
(5) Tree protection during construction. All protected trees shall be fenced before grading or excavation begins. Encroachments into the root zones of protected trees shall be avoided.
(6) Exemptions. The following tree removal activities are exempt from the standards of this section:
(a) Removing trees that are dead or dying based on an inspection by an arborist;
(b) Removing of trees that are determined by the City Engineer to be an immediate nuisance or threat to an existing structure, underground utility or to the public health, safety, or welfare; and
(c) Removal by the city or its authorized agent of trees on city or publicly-owned land or in public rights-of-way in accordance with this subchapter to complete street improvement projects.
(G) Maintenance required. Required plantings shall be maintained in a healthy condition in perpetuity. Dead or diseased plants shall be replaced.
(H) General site landscaping.
(1) Landscape elements. Landscape design may include existing trees or shrubs that are in good condition, turf grass, ground cover plants, overstory trees, ornamental trees, shrubs, perennials, flowers, ornamental grasses, berms, walls and fences. Each site shall include a combination of coniferous and deciduous plants and a combination of trees and shrubs. Overstory trees may be either deciduous or coniferous.
(2) Areas of the site to be landscaped.
(a) All parts of each site that are not occupied by parking, patios, driveways or other hardscape shall be planted with at least turf grass or ground cover plants. These locations include:
1. Required setback spaces that abut a public street;
2. Required setback spaces along a side yard between the front lot line and the building;
3. Required setback spaces that abut a different type of land use (e.g., commercial versus residential); and
4. All islands in parking lots.
(b) No landscaped area may be used for parking vehicles or the storage or display of materials, supplies or merchandise.
(3) Priority of locations for plantings. The priority for the locations to be planted with trees and shrubs is:
(a) Site edges that abut a differing type or intensity of land use; refer to division (J), below for how to plant such locations;
(b) The space between the public street right-of-way and the parking lot or building;
(c) The setback along an interior or rear lot line; and
(d) Islands or peninsulas in commercial or residential parking lots.
(4) Minimum number of overstory trees required along public streets.
Table 15-2: Minimum Number of Overstory or Ornamental Trees Required
Type of Land Use | Minimum Number of Trees Required per 100 Linear Feet of Public Street Edge |
Multiple-family residential development | 3.0 |
Commercial development | 3.0 |
Business park (I-1 District) | 3.0 |
General industrial (I-2 District) | 2.0 |
These required trees shall be planted between the front property line and the building setback line and shall be supplemented with shrubs at the rate shown in Table 15-3, below. Additional overstory or ornamental trees may be needed along other property line or within parking lots to meet the requirements of this section.
(5) Minimum number of shrubs required along public streets.
Table 15-3: Minimum Number of Shrubs Required
Type of Land Use | Minimum Number of Shrubs Required per 100 Linear Feet of Public Street Edge |
Multiple-family residential development | 20 |
Commercial development | 15 |
Business park (I-1 District) | 12 |
General industrial (I-2 District) | 0 |
These required shrubs shall be planted between the front property line and the building setback line. Additional perennials or annuals may be needed along other property line or within parking lots to meet the requirements of this section.
(I) Parking lot screening. The following requirements for the setback areas and interior portions of parking lots complement the general site landscaping requirements shown in division (H) of this section.
(1) Perimeter landscaping requirements. The views toward parking lots from public streets or residential areas shall be treated with plantings and, possibly, earthen berms, fences or other methods. The priority for planting locations shall be:
(a) Parking lots adjacent to housing. See division (J) of this section, buffers between different zoning districts or land use intensities;
(b) Between the public street right-of-way and the parking lot or the building. Refer to division (I)(2) of this section;
(c) The interior of parking lots. Refer to division (I)(3) of this section; and
(d) Other parking lot edges.
(2) Parking lots adjacent to streets.
(a) Any parking lot for a commercial, industrial, multiple-family residential, public or semi-public development adjacent to a public street shall have a minimum planting strip equal to the required setback along the street right-of-way;
(b) For residential, commercial, public or semi-public sites, the landscaping shall be designed to soften the views of parked cars from the street. In a traffic safety visibility triangle, mature shrubs or ornamental grasses shall not exceed 30 inches in height. This division does not apply to I-2 zone.
(c) Overstory trees (deciduous or coniferous) shall be provided at a minimum rate shown in Table 15-2, Number of Overstory Trees Required, above.
(d) Screen ing materi als may includ e a combi nation of plants, berms, raised planters, mason ry walls, or other screening devices that meet the intent of this requirement.
Figure 15-1: Illustration of parking lot perimeter screening
Figure 15-2: Perimeter landscaping required between a parking lot and a street
(3) Islands in parking lots.
(a) This division does not apply to the I-2 zone. Planted islands shall be used to demarcate driving aisles and to break up long rows of parking at the rate of one island for every 50 parking spaces. Landscaped islands shall have a minimum outer width of nine feet. Plantings in the islands shall consist of at least one overstory tree per island and rock mulch. Additional shrubs or other perennials may be included at the discretion of the owner to enhance appearances.
(J) Landscaping between different zoning districts or land use intensities.
(1) The plantings required in this division are in addition to plantings required in division (H) of this section, general site landscaping.
(2) New developments shall provide a landscaped buffer between differing zoning districts or land uses of significantly different intensity (i.e. low density and high density, residential and commercial, residential and industrial, commercial and industrial, public/semi-public and residential, and the like). The buffer shall have the width as provided in Table 15-1 and number of plantings as provided in Table 15-2.
2016 S-16
(3) No structure shall be permitted within a required buffer other than a wall, fence, or earth berm. Parking areas and driveways shall not encroach upon buffer areas. Note that the width of the required transition buffer may exceed the width of the normal minimum required parking or building setback.
Table 15-4: Minimum Width and Treatment of Required Buffer Areas
Proposed Use in this Zoning District | ||||
R-1 or R-2 District, a School or a Public Park | R-3 or R-4 District | Any B District | Any I District | |
Adjacent to: | ||||
R-1 or R-2 District, a school or a public park Landscape standard | -- | 15' B | 25' C | 40' D |
R-3 or R-4 District Landscape Standard | 15' B | -- | 20' C | 40' D |
Any B District Landscape Standard | 25' C | 20' C | -- | 15' B |
Any I District Landscape Standard | 40' D | 40' D | 15' B | -- |
(4) Minimum planting requirements.
(a) For every 100 lineal feet of a required buffer area between differing types of land uses or intensities, the following cumulative number of plants shall be provided.
Table 15-5: Minimum Planting Requirements
Required Buffer Area | Overstory Trees (Deciduous and Coniferous) per 100 lineal feet of buffer | Plus Ornamental Trees per 100 lineal feet of buffer | Plus Shrubs per 100 lineal feet of buffer |
A | 2 | 0 | 0 |
B | 3 | 2 | 4 |
C | 4 | 4 | 10 |
D | 6 | 6 | 12 |
(b) The buffer requirement may be reduced one step (not lower than A) if:
1. If there is a public street between differing zoning districts.
2. The property owner on the opposite side of the buffer line has already installed a transition buffer that meets these requirements.
(c) The buffer requirement may be reduced two steps (not lower than A) if a berm and/or an opaque fence or wall totaling at least six feet tall is used. In that case, any required shrubs shall be placed on the outer side of the fence or wall with the intent of softening the barrier.
(K) Screening of storage, loading or trash collection areas.
(1) Intent and applicability. In addition to the other planting requirements in this sub-section, screening shall be required in all districts to shield the view to certain site elements from either off-site or on-site locations.
(2) Items to be screened.
(a) The following areas shall be screened from view from the public street or from nearby housing:
1. Trash and recycling areas;
2. Loading and truck service areas; and
3. Outdoor storage areas.
(b) It is not the intention of this code to require visual screening of these items in the I-2, General Industrial District, from views between industrial sites.
(3) Methods of screening.
(a) All items to be screened shall be provided with a visual screen consisting of fences, walls, gates, berms, approved plants or some combination of those elements.
(b) Fences or walls shall be compatible with the architectural materials and patterns of the principal structure.
(c) Truck dock doors on new (future) buildings shall face away from the public street. Wing walls shall be used to screen the view from the public street of truck docks that are on a wall that is perpendicular to the street.
(d) Outdoor storage of goods or materials shall be screened from view from the public street or from housing by a fence or wall at least six feet tall and 90% opaque. Plantings in the foreground shall be used to soften the appearance of the fence or wall.
(L) Fences and walls.
(1) Construction and maintenance, generally.
(a) Every fence or wall shall be constructed in a substantial, workmanlike manner and of substantial material reasonably suited for the purpose for which the fence is proposed to be used.
(b) Every fence or wall shall be maintained in a condition of reasonable repair and shall not be allowed to become and remain in a condition of disrepair or danger, or constitute a nuisance, public or private. Any such fence which is, or has become dangerous to the public safety, health or welfare, is a public nuisance and the Zoning Administrator shall commence proper proceedings for the abatement thereof.
(c) Chain link fences, wherever permitted, shall be constructed in such a manner that no barbed ends shall be at the top except in industrial districts, or on public property for security purposes.
(d) That side of the fence considered to be the face (the side opposite the post) shall face abutting property, except for farm fences.
(e) No person shall construct or erect any electrical or barbed wire fence, except for Essential Services for which security is imperative or to contain intensively used facilities for raising animals.
(f) No person shall construct a fence topped with razor wire without a conditional use permit, except the federal prison or essential services for which security is imperative.
(g) No fence shall be installed in a location which would prevent a fire hydrant from being immediately discernible or in any manner deter or hinder the Fire Department from gaining immediate access thereto.
(h) In those instances where a fence exists as an enclosure which restricts access from the front to the rear yard, a gate, identifiable collapsible section, or other such means of recognizable ingress shall be unobstructed and a minimum of three feet in width. The location of such ingress points shall be positioned at any point paralleling the front lot lines, between the side lot property line and the principal structure.
(i) All fences shall be constructed on or inside the boundary of the subject property, and not in the public right of way. There is no setback requirement for fences.
(2) Residential district fences or walls.
(a) On properties zoned residential and not a farm, no fence shall be erected or maintained more than six feet in height.
(b) No fence shall be erected in any front or corner side yard, to a height in excess of four feet.
(c) On corner lots in all districts, no fence or planting in excess of 30 inches above the street center line grade shall be permitted within a traffic sight triangle.
(d) If a rear lot line is shared with the side lot line of an abutting lot, that portion of the rear lot line equal to the front setback of the house on the abutting lot shall not be fenced to a height of more than four feet. If the abutting lot is undeveloped, the height of the rear lot fence shall be reduced at the normal front setback line.
Figure 15-3: Fence height limitations where a rear lot line abuts a side lot line
(e) Chain link fences that enclose tennis courts shall not exceed ten feet in height.
(3) Non-residential district fences.
(a) Fences over six feet tall shall require a building permit.
(b) Boundary line fences abutting residential districts shall conform to those conditions applying to the residential district.
(c) Fences for special purposes and fences differing in construction, height, or length may be permitted in any non-residential district by issuance of a building permit from the Community Development Department. Findings shall be made that the fence is necessary to protect, buffer, or improve the premises for which the fence is intended.
(4) Seasonal/snow fencing. The allowed duration for putting up a seasonal or snow fence is between November 1 and March 31 of every year.
(Ord. 1040, passed 1-5-16; Am. Ord. 1098, passed 9-21-21)