Bellingham City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XI
Landscaping Requirements
§ 240-65 Applicability.
Street, sideline, parking area and district boundary plantings shall be provided as specified below when any new building, addition or change of use requires a parking increase of 10 or more spaces. The Planning Board in acting under § 240-16 may authorize alternatives to the following specifications, taking into consideration existing vegetation, topography, soils and other site conditions, provided that equivalent screening, shading and articulation are achieved.
§ 240-66 Plantings.
A.
Plant materials. Required plantings shall include both trees and shrubs, and may include ones existing on the site. To be credited towards meeting these requirements, trees must be at least 2 1/2 inches caliper four feet above grade, be of a species common in the area, and be ones which reach an ultimate height of at least 30 feet. To be credited towards meeting these requirements, shrubs must be at least 24 inches in height at the time of building occupancy, reach an ultimate height of at least 36 inches, and be of a species common in the area.
B.
Number of plants. The number of trees in the planting areas must equal not less than the planting area length in feet divided by 30, and the number of shrubs must equal not less than the planting area length in feet divided by three. Plantings preferably will be grouped, not evenly spaced, and shall be located or trimmed to avoid blocking egress visibility. The planting area shall be unpaved except for access drives and walks essentially perpendicular in the area.
§ 240-67 Planting areas.
A.
Street planting area. Street planting is required for premises abutting any street. Required street planting shall be provided within 15 feet of the street property line along the entire street frontage except at drives.
B.
Sideline planting area. Sideline planting is required for premises abutting any arterial street. Required sideline planting shall be provided within five feet of the side lot line between the front lot line and the building setback (as built, not as required).
C.
Parking area plantings. A minimum of 5% of the interior area of parking lots containing 30 or more spaces must be planted, to contain a minimum of one tree and four shrubs exclusive of perimeter plantings must be planted for every 1,500 square feet of parking lot. Planting areas must each contain not less than 40 square feet of unpaved soil area. Trees and soil plots shall be so located as to provide visual relief and wind interruption within the parking area, and to assure safe patterns of internal circulation.
D.
District boundary planting area. District boundary planting is required on any premises along the full length of any boundary abutting or extending into a Residential, Suburban or Agricultural District and being developed for a use not allowed in that district, unless abutting property is determined by the Building Inspector to be unbuildable or visually separated by topographic features. Required planting shall be located within 10 feet of the boundary.
§ 240-68 Additional screening.
Any outdoor service or storage areas not effectively screened by the above requirements shall be separated from any abutting street or residentially used or zoned premises by a planting area meeting the requirements for a sideline planting area.
§ 240-69 Existing vegetation.
Wherever possible, the above requirements shall be met by retention of existing plants. If located within 25 feet of a street, no existing tree of six inches trunk diameter or greater (measured four feet about grade), dense hedgerow of four or more feet in both depth and height, or existing earth berm providing similar visual screening shall be removed or have grade changed more than one foot unless dictated by plant health, access safety or identification of the premises.
§ 240-70 Exceptions.
Where plant materials as required would harmfully obstruct a scenic view, substitution of additional low-level plantings which will visually define the street edge or property line may be authorized by the Planning Board in acting under § 240-16, provided that proposed buildings are also designed and located to preserve that scenic view.
§ 240-71 Maintenance.
All plant materials required by this bylaw shall be maintained in a healthful condition. Dead limbs shall be promptly removed, and dead plants shall be replaced at the earliest appropriated season.