Consistent with the objectives established in the Intent and Purpose section of this chapter, landscaping shall be provided in the following areas: At the perimeter of sites to buffer, separate and/or screen adjacent land uses; at the perimeter of parking lots to shade, separate and/or screen the view of parked cars from adjacent streets and adjacent land uses; in the interior of parking lots to shade and beautify the paved surface; around the perimeter of buildings to soften, shade and enhance the appearance of structures.
Screening is required to block the view of trash dumpsters, loading areas, service courts and storage areas. Screening is also required between residential and non-residential land uses. Parking lots shall be screened to minimize the view of cars from adjacent streets and adjacent residential uses. It is not necessary to screen, but only to separate adjacent non-residential parking areas.
(a) Bufferyards (perimeter lot landscaping). The bufferyard is a designated unit of yard or open area together with any plant materials, barriers, or fences required thereon. Both the amount of land and the type and amount of landscaping specified are designated to lessen impacts between adjoining land uses. By using both distance and landscaping, the impact of such items as noise, glare, activity, dirt, and unsightly parking areas will be minimized. It is a further intent of the following provisions to provide flexibility to the property owner through the manipulation of four basic elements -distance, plant material type, plant material density, and structural or land forms.
(1) Location of bufferyards. Bufferyards shall be located on the side and rear lot lines of a parcel extending to the lot or parcel boundary line. Bufferyards shall not extend into or be located within any portion of an existing street right-of-way.
(2) Determination of bufferyard requirements. To determine the type of bufferyard required between two adjacent parcels, the following procedure shall be followed:
A. Identify the land use class of the proposed use by referring to Table I.
B. Identify the land use class of each adjoining use by referring to Table I.
C. Determine the bufferyard requirements for those side and rear lot lines or portion thereof on the subject parcel by referring to Table II. Existing plant material or fences may be counted as contributing to the total bufferyard requirement. The bufferyards specified are to be provided on each lot or parcel independent of adjoining uses or adjoining bufferyards.
D. Should a developed use increase in intensity from a given land use class to a higher one (e.g., Class III to Class IV), the Planning Commission shall, during the site plan or development plan review process, determine if additional bufferyard is needed and, if so, to what extent and type.
(3) Bufferyard requirements for non-conforming structures or sites. If a non-conforming site is unable to comply with the minimum bufferyard requirements of this chapter, the applicant shall not be entitled to the permit for which application has been made unless a variance is granted. Existing paved areas beyond the minimum code requirements for number of spaces, maneuvering/access aisles or loading areas, shall be removed if necessary to provide the required buffer.
CLASSIFICATION | ||
Class I: | ||
- | Agriculture | |
- | Single-Family Detached Residences | |
- | Two Family Dwellings | |
Class II: | ||
- | Office Institutional: | |
- | Administrative and Business Offices | |
- | Professional Offices | |
- | Institutions, religious, social, cultural, educational, health & public | |
- | Multi-Family Dwellings | |
Class III: | ||
- | Commercial: | |
- | General retail, entertainment, restaurants, specialty retail, business services | |
Class IV: | ||
- | Light Industrial: | |
- | Light manufacturing, wholesaling, research, and development | |
Adjacent Existing Land Use Class | ||||
I | II | III | IV | |
Land Use Class | ||||
I | * | E | E | E |
II | E | A | C | D |
III | E | C | A | B |
IV | E | D | B | A |
*No bufferyard required. | ||||
Bufferyard | Width | Deciduous (1) Trees | Deciduous (1) Shrubs | Evergreens (1) | Berm(2) | Fence(2) |
A | 15' | 2 | - | 2 | ||
10' | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||
B | 20' | 2 | - | 2 | ||
15' | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||
10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |||
C | 25' | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
20' | 2 | 4 | 2 | |||
15' | 3 | 4 | 4 | |||
D | 30' | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
25' | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||
20' | 3 | 4 | 4 | * | ||
10' | 3 | 4 | 4 | * | ||
E | 30' | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
25' | 3 | 4 | 4 | |||
20' | 3 | 4 | 4 | * | ||
15' | 3 | 4 | 4 | *
| ||
(1) Required minimum plant units per 100'.
(2) Entire length of bufferyard, 3'-4' berm or 4'-6' opaque fence.
(b) Screening of Service Court, Storage Areas and Loading Dock Areas.
(1) For commercial, industrial, office-institutional and community service uses, all areas used for service, loading and unloading activities shall be screened along the entire rear lot line and side lot lines from the rear lot line to the building setback line, if adjacent to or abutting a residential district.
(2) Screening shall consist of walls, fences, natural vegetation or an acceptable combination of these elements, provided that screening must be at least seven feet, and walls and fencing no more than 12 feet in height. Natural vegetation shall be a variety which will attain seven feet in height within five years of planting.
(3) Natural vegetation screening shall have a minimum opaqueness of 75% at all times. The use of year-round vegetation, such as pines or evergreens is encouraged. Vegetation shall be planted no closer than three feet to any property line.
(c) Screening of Trash Container Receptacles.
(1) For commercial, community service, industrial, office-institutional and multiple family uses, all trash containers or receptacles shall be screened or enclosed. Trash containers designed to service more than one residential unit or to service a non-residential structure shall be screened on all sides by walls, fences, or natural vegetation or an acceptable combination of these elements. Trash containers shall not be located in the front yard building setback and shall otherwise conform to the side and rear yard pavement setbacks of the applicable zoning district.
(2) The height of such screening shall be at least six feet. The maximum height of walls and fences shall not exceed ten feet. Natural vegetation shall have a minimum opaqueness of 75% at all times. The use of year-round vegetation, such as pines or evergreens is encouraged. Natural vegetation shall be a variety which will attain six feet in height within five years of planting.
(d) Parking Lot Screening and Landscaping.
(1) Perimeter screening. Effectively concealing vehicles within a parking area from the adjacent roadway or adjoining property requires the selective use of plant, mounding or fence material for visual separation. Located adjacent to the parking lot edge, the perimeter screening is designed to supplement required bufferyard material. The perimeter of parking areas, except those for single-family and two-family residential uses, shall be screened as follows:
A. Parking areas adjacent to a public street or private roadway shall be developed with plant, mounding or fence/wall material which conceals the view of parked cars from the street. The height of walls/fences in this location shall be minimized with a maximum height of 4' and plant material should be used to soften and add visual interest to a wall/fence. A plant material screen shall have a minimum opaqueness of seventy-five percent (75%) at all times. The use of year-round vegetation, such as pines or evergreens is encouraged.
B. Parking areas for non-residential uses and for residential uses such as churches, schools, parks and public facilities adjacent to residentially zoned or used land shall be developed with plant, mounding or fence/wall material which conceals the view of parked cars from the residential property. The height of wall/fences located in front of the building line should be minimized with a maximum height of 4'. Plant material should be used to soften and add visual interest to a wall/fence. A plant material screen shall have a minimum opaqueness of seventy-five percent (75%) at all times. The use of year round vegetation, such as pines or evergreens is encouraged.
C. The separation and landscaping of the required bufferyard will provide adequate screening for all other parking lot perimeters.
(2) Interior parking area landscaping. Landscaping within parking areas, whether ground cover or other upright plant material, is necessary not only to reduce the generation of heat and runoff, but to break up visually the expanse of paved areas. The use of parking islands or peninsulas strategically placed throughout the parking lot is one of the most effective ways to landscape parking lot interiors. The use of shade trees in these landscape areas is encouraged. Any open parking area (including loading areas) containing more than 6,000 square feet of area or 15 or more parking spaces shall provide the following interior landscaping in addition to the required perimeter screening:
A. An area equal to five percent (5%) of the total size in square feet of parking areas smaller than 15,000 square feet shall be landscaped and permeable. For lots between 15,000 and 29,999 square feet, the landscaped area shall equal seven and one half percent (7.5%). For lots larger than 30,000 square feet, the landscaped area shall be ten percent (10%).
B. Whenever possible, large parking areas of 30,000 square feet or larger shall be designed so as to break up their visual expanse and create the appearance of smaller parking lots. This distinction or separation can be achieved by interspersing yard space and buildings in strategic areas and by taking advantage of natural features such as slope, existing woodland or vegetation, drainage courses and retention areas.
C. Landscaping in parking areas shall be dispersed throughout in peninsulas or islands. Minimum island or peninsula size shall be 200 square feet, with a 2' minimum distance between all trees or shrubs and the edge of pavement where vehicles overhang and a minimum width of 10'.
D. The Planning Commission, as part of the site plan review process, may vary the requirements for minimum and maximum size of parking islands and peninsulas if situations including, but not limited to, the following exist:
1. The need to concentrate landscape areas for the purpose of stormwater detention;
2. The need to relocate required landscaping on the perimeter of a parking area in the case of a small or unusually shaped lot or where additional screening is desired.
(3) Required plant materials for the interior of parking areas:
A. One deciduous tree shall be required for every 3,000 square feet of parking area or for every 10 parking spaces.
B. Where site distance or maneuvering conflicts exist, trees shall have a clear trunk of at least five feet above the ground, and the remaining required landscape areas shall be planted with shrubs or groundcover not to exceed two feet in height.
(e) General Landscaping For Lots and Building Foundations. To visually soften the building mass or help define exterior spaces, the following landscaping shall be required for all lots in addition to the landscaping for bufferyards and parking areas. All required planting shall be located in areas which do not include any bufferyard or right-of-way. If the lot consists primarily of impervious surface, such trees may be placed close to the building or may be used to add to required parking area landscaping. Existing plant materials which meet the requirements of this Ordinance may be counted as contributing to the landscaping required of this section.
(1) Lot interior landscaping. Three deciduous trees shall be required for each 100 linear feet of building perimeter of non-residential uses or per dwelling unit of single-family residential uses and one deciduous tree for each multi-family unit.
(2) Building foundation planting requirements.
A. Foundation plantings are intended to soften building edges and screen foundations, and shall be placed within five feet of the building perimeter if feasible. If the Zoning Officer determines that, because of site design considerations such as the location of sidewalks, plazas or service areas, this is not feasible, such plant materials may be located in planter boxes or in other areas of the site in a manner that enhances the overall landscape plan for the development.
B. Five shrubs shall be required per dwelling unit.
C. Foundation shrubbery for non-residential uses shall be used to enhance and highlight building architecture. The use of foundation plantings is particularly important on blank walls (i.e. to window or door openings).
D. Ten shrubs shall be required for every one hundred linear feet of building perimeter for non-residential uses.
(f) Street Trees. Street trees shall be installed adjacent to public or private streets with the species and spacing to be determined by the Director of Parks and Recreation or his/her designee.
(Ord. 02-55(A). Passed 3-4-03; Ord. 09-16. Passed 4-21-09.)