Cortlandt City Zoning Code
ARTICLE VII
Landscaping, Screening and Buffering Regulations
§ 307-20 Purpose.
The purpose of this Article is to establish landscaping, screening and buffering standards that will aid in the separation of incompatible uses from one another so as to reduce negative impacts of glare, noise, dust, odors and unsightly views, especially on residential areas, to minimize erosion, to avoid degradation of air qualities and to enhance the visual character of the Town by providing greenery, landscaping and open space.
§ 307-21 Landscaped coverage requirements.
A.
General. In every instance where there is a required percentage of lot area devoted to minimum landscape coverage as stipulated by minimum landscaped coverage requirements in Article VI of this chapter, landscaping shall be provided in a way that enhances the visual character of the property and adjoining properties and provides appropriate separations and buffers from adjacent uses.
B.
Standards for landscaped coverage in commercial and industrial districts.
(1)
In all required landscaped areas in commercial and industrial districts, there shall be a minimum of two kinds of landscape cover, using some combination of trees, shrubs and ground cover.
(2)
A portion of such required landscaping shall be located in such manner as to separate buildings, parking areas and driveways from abutting street lines. In HC, CD, M-1 and MD Districts, such separation shall be provided in landscaped strips of 25 feet in width which shall be continuous except for access points of driveways and sidewalks.
(3)
Where landscaped strips are required pursuant to this subsection, a screen composed of intermittent visual obstructions from the ground to a height of at least 20 feet shall be provided. The intermittent screen shall be designed to create the impression of a separation of spaces without necessarily eliminating visual contact between the spaces. It may be composed of a wall, fence, landscaped earth berm, planted vegetation or existing vegetation. Trees provided in meeting this requirement should be a minimum of 10 feet in height at the planting time. Examples of screens meeting this standard include:
(4)
A portion of the required landscaping shall be used to screen trash collection and outdoor storage areas. Such screening shall include:
§ 307-22 Parking lot landscaping requirements.
B.
Standards.
(1)
Required landscaped areas pursuant to this section shall comprise a minimum of 5% of the total area within the perimeter of the parking area.
(2)
Required landscaped areas shall be provided to assure the establishment of a safe, convenient and attractive parking facility needing a minimum amount of maintenance, including plant care, snowplowing and the removal of leaves and other debris. Whenever possible, planting islands at least eight feet in width and protected by curbing shall be provided to guide vehicle movement and to separate opposing rows of parking spaces so as to provide adequate space for plant growth, pedestrian circulation and vehicle overhang. Such planting islands and the landscaping within them shall be designed and arranged in such a way as to provide vertical definition to major traffic circulation aisles, entrances and exits, to channel internal traffic flow, prevent indiscriminate movement of vehicles and to provide relief from the visual monotony and shadeless expanse of a large parking area.
§ 307-23 Buffering requirements.
A.
General. Where a lot in a nonresidential district abuts a lot in a residential district, a buffer strip in the lot in the nonresidential district shall be required along the boundary of the lot in the residential district, except that no such buffer strip shall be required along any zoning district boundary line which divides a lot into a residential and nonresidential district.
B.
Standards.
(1)
A portion of the required buffer strip may be located in a required yard.
(2)
Buffer strips of the following widths shall be required:
District | Width (feet) |
|---|---|
CC | 25 |
HC | 50 |
CD | 50 |
MD | 50 |
M-1 | 50 |
(3)
A screen that is opaque from the ground to a height of at least six feet, with intermittent visual obstruction from above the opaque portion to a height of at least 10 feet, shall be provided within the buffer strip. The opaque screen shall be designed to exclude all visual contact between uses and to create a strong impression of spatial separation. The screen may be composed of a wall, fence, landscaped earth berm, planted vegetation or existing vegetation. The remaining portion of the screen may contain deciduous plants. Examples of screens meeting this standard include combinations of the following:
(4)
The Planning Board, as part of site development plan approval, may modify the requirements of Subsection B(2) and (3) when it determines that the specific circumstances of the particular site make adherence to the requirements of Subsection B(2) or (3) unwarranted or impractical and require alternative buffering means which achieve the purposes of this section. The reasons for any such modifications must be expressed and placed into the official record of the Planning Board.
(5)
On lots where both buffer strips and landscaped coverage are required by this chapter, both requirements must be met. A portion, not to exceed 50%, of the landscaped coverage requirement may be satisfied by areas which are provided in meeting the buffer requirement. The locations of such strips and coverage will be approved by the Planning Board as part of site development plan approval.