The intent of this article is to establish standards for buffers required between incompatible land uses, screening of outdoor storage, waste collection areas and similar site elements; and to provide for landscaping surrounding and within vehicular areas. For the purposes of this article, the terms "fences" and "walls" shall have the same meaning. Landscaping shall not be planted in a manner or location which causes a hazard to vehicles entering or within the public right-of-way.

(Ord. No. 2013-02, § 11 (intro.), 3-4-2013)

(a)

Applicability.

(1)

These regulations apply to any off-street parking area containing more than 40 parking spaces and associated vehicular areas. For the purposes of this section, vehicular areas shall include off-street parking and loading; vehicular storage, display, maneuvering and washing; and the dispensing of motor fuels.

(2)

A landscaping plan, in accordance with section 111-349, shall be submitted as part of any site plan required for a development which includes vehicular areas as herein described. This section shall apply to new vehicular areas for all uses, except single-family dwellings, two-family dwellings and manufactured homes. If the size of an existing vehicular area is increased by ten percent or more, the new vehicular area shall be made to comply with the requirements of this section; except that landscaping in the existing vehicular area shall be exempt from the irrigation requirement.

(b)

Interior vehicular area landscaping requirements.

(1)

Each vehicular area shall have interior landscaping covering not less than five percent of the total vehicular area. Such landscaping shall be in addition to all planting within six feet of a building.

(2)

In addition, a five-foot wide landscaping strip shall be provided along the parking lot perimeter and shall be planted with evergreen shrubs and canopy trees one per 40 linear feet). Where this overlaps or conflicts with other landscaping requirements, the greater requirement shall govern.

(3)

The primary landscaping materials used in vehicular areas shall be trees which comply with the standards of the table below. Shrubs and other planting materials may be used to compliment the tree planting, but shall not be the sole component of the landscaping.

(4)

The interior dimensions of any planting area shall be sufficient to protect all landscaping materials planted therein.

(c)

Perimeter landscaping requirements adjacent to public rights-of-way.

(1)

Only trees listed in the table below shall be counted toward these requirements.

(2)

A landscaped strip at least ten feet wide, which shall not include a sidewalk or trail, shall be located between the vehicular area and the public right-of-way, except where driveways cross the property line. The width may be reduced to five feet when a fence, meeting the requirements of section 111-348 and that is between 2.5 and 3.5 feet tall, is provided.

(3)

The entire width of the strip shall be planted with a double staggered row of shrubs. The shrubs shall be evergreen and a minimum of 30 inches high at installation.

(4)

At least one tree for every 40 linear feet of required landscape strip, or portion thereof, shall be planted in the landscape strip.

(Ord. No. 2013-02, § 11.1, 3-4-2013)

Screening is intended to provide visual separation of certain uses from public areas and adjoining properties.

(1)

Applicability.

a.

For all multifamily, manufactured home parks, nonresidential and mixed use developments, the following shall require screening:

1.

Waste/recycling collection areas.

2.

Maintenance areas or utility structures associated with a building or development.

3.

Ganged utility meters and HVAC; other ground-mounted mechanical units.

4.

Loading areas.

5.

Outside runs for veterinary clinics, animal shelters, and kennels.

6.

Outdoor storage, including vehicles.

7.

Any other uses for which screening may be required by the reviewing authority.

b.

These requirements may be modified for developments in industrial districts provided the site elements normally required to be screened will not be visible from non-industrial premises nearby.

(2)

Safety provisions. Screening shall not impede or divert the flow of water in any drainageway and shall not block access to any aboveground, pad-mounted transformer and shall provide the minimum clear distance required by the utility company.

(3)

Design requirements.

a.

Location on site should be the first consideration in screening the uses listed in subsection (1) of this section. The reviewing authority may lessen screening requirements when the location of the use to be screened reduces its visibility or other impact to the public and neighboring properties.

b.

The method of screening, including height and materials, shall be that which is sufficient to visually screen the use. The minimum height needed is preferred.

c.

Fences, berms, or landscaping used for other purposes, but that are proposed as part of a required screen and that meet the requirements of this section, may count toward these requirements.

d.

Uses requiring screening, when co-located, may be screened together.

e.

Uses that produce objectionable noise or odors shall be located so as to minimize such impacts to the public and abutting properties.

f.

Shrubs shall be evergreen and spaced no more than five feet on center. If used in combination with a fence, shrubs may be deciduous.

g.

Trees shall be evergreen and, when used in the absence of a fence, should have a low understory and/or be used together with shrubs to provide a continuous, opaque screen.

(4)

Requirements for specific uses.

a.

Waste and recycling containers shall not be located forward of the front building line. Such containers shall be screened by a combination of opaque fence and plant material on three sides. Opaque gates, designed to complement the screen, shall be installed for access. The fence shall be at least two feet taller than the container.

b.

For restaurants, enclosures shall be sized, as needed, to accommodate the storage of grease containers.

c.

Mechanical equipment on roofs or on site shall be screened so as to not be visible from public streets or adjacent properties. The screening of building-mounted mechanical equipment shall be an integral component of the building design. Mechanical equipment installed on site shall be adequately screened by plant materials and/or fences to blend in with site landscaping.

d.

Outdoor storage, where permitted, shall be screened to a height of six feet or two feet taller than the material or equipment to be screened, whichever is greater.

e.

Where the location of service areas, loading docks, work yards, and similar uses is insufficient to effectively screen the use, required screening shall be at least six feet in height.

(Ord. No. 2013-02, § 11.2, 3-4-2013)

Buffers shall be provided in accordance with the requirements of the table below and as described in this section.

(1)

Applicability. A landscaping plan shall be provided in accordance with section 111-349. Except as otherwise provided herein, buffers shall be required based on the developing land use and the existing, abutting use.

(2)

General standards. In order to decrease incompatibility between neighboring land uses, the following standards shall apply to all required buffers, whether the buffer is comprised of planted, natural, or a combination of planted and natural vegetation.

a.

Buffer requirements shall be in accordance with the table below. Where the uses concerned are not precisely addressed in the table, the approving authority shall use the table as a guide to determine the buffer requirements for the particular case.

b.

Required yards, where corresponding with the buffer area, may overlap and may be counted toward a buffer width requirement.

c.

100 percent of the applicable buffer requirement shall be the responsibility of the developing land use.

d.

Any required buffer abutting a park or greenway may be reduced if the owner dedicates land to be set aside for all or part of the required buffer width to the city for incorporation into the park or greenway. Such land dedication shall be deemed acceptable only upon approval of the council.

e.

Buffer requirements may be modified by the approving authority in certain cases as follows (See also section 111-350):

1.

When the proposed use will abut an existing, nonconforming use on a property that is designated for another use in the comprehensive plan and is zoned accordingly with said plan, the buffer may be modified to be consistent with the projected use of the neighboring land.

2.

If the land use relationships between two abutting lots changes so that a lesser buffer would be required, the width of the previously provided buffer may be reduced accordingly.

3.

Up to one-half of the width of an abutting alley may be counted toward the buffer width requirement but the landscaping density requirements shall not be reduced.

4.

Whenever the proposed use abuts vacant land, buffer requirements shall be based on the zoning of the abutting property or the use projected by the comprehensive plan, whichever requires a lesser buffer.

5.

Golf courses, playfields, stables, swimming pools, tennis courts, and other recreational facilities; parking and other vehicular use areas; buildings, dumpsters, and outdoor storage are prohibited in required buffers. The approving authority may permit a pedestrian accessway through a required buffer, to allow access between the abutting uses, if desired. Public utilities and storm drainage facilities may be constructed in a required buffer, provided the buffer is installed in compliance with the approved landscaping plan. The city may require supplemental evergreen plantings in order to mitigate the effect of land disturbance in the buffer.

(3)

Design standards.

a.

Prior to occupancy of the building or premises, the buffer shall provide a visually impervious barrier, uniformly dense at all heights from the ground, and a minimum of five feet above grade throughout the entire length of the buffer. Within one year after installation, the buffer shall be at least six feet above grade throughout the entire length of the buffer. The buffer shall be comprised of vegetation which meets or exceeds these minimum standards throughout the calendar year.

b.

In the case of planted buffers, the entire surface area of the buffer shall be planted as prescribed in this section. Only evergreen plant materials may be planted within a required buffer. Trees shall be provided as required in accordance with the table below.

c.

The required buffer width may be reduced as provided in the table below when a fence is provided that is five to seven feet tall and that meets the requirements in section 111-348. However, this shall not waive or reduce planting requirements.

(Ord. No. 2013-02, § 11.3, 3-4-2013)

Fences used as a part of any required buffer, screen, or landscaping shall comply with the following:

(1)

Fences shall be of masonry, durable wood, or a combination thereof. Untreated wood, chainlink, plastic or wire shall not be permitted.

(2)

Fences must be of a design to form a visual barrier from all vantage points along the public right-of-way (for screening) or from adjoining property (for screening and buffers). Dense landscaping may be necessary with certain fence designs to provide such visual barrier. In any case, no more than 25 percent of the fence surface shall be left open.

(3)

The finished side of the fence shall face abutting property.

(4)

Required shrubs and trees shall be planted on the exterior side of the fence.

(5)

If a fence is longer than 100 feet in one direction, it shall have columns of wood or masonry which project outward from the fence surface. Such columns shall be spaced no greater than 50 feet on center.

(Ord. No. 2013-02, § 11.4, 3-4-2013)

A landscaping plan shall be required as part of every zoning, site plan, conditional use, variance and building permit application for new construction that requires a buffer, screening and/or landscaping in vehicular areas. The landscape plan shall be drawn to a scale no larger than one inch equals 50 feet and shall contain the following:

(1)

The location and dimension of all areas proposed for landscaping and planting, including a description of the proposed plant materials.

(2)

All dimensions and distances, property lines, easements, rights-of-way and buffers.

(3)

Existing and proposed buildings and structures, including signs, trash and garbage containers, utility and drainage structures.

(4)

Existing and proposed buildings and structures on the subject property and on adjacent property affected by the required buffer. When the finished floor elevation of buildings on the subject property differs by ten feet or more from the finished floor elevation of the buildings on the adjacent property affected by the buffer, the plan shall include a cross section which accurately shows the comparative elevations of the buildings in relationship to the buffer.

(5)

Bodies of water, including water detention and retention areas.

(6)

Driveways, vehicular areas, existing and proposed parking spaces, access aisles and other vehicular areas.

(7)

Sufficient information and detail to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of this section.

(Ord. No. 2013-02, § 11.5, 3-4-2013)

The planting requirements of this article shall be applied equally to similarly classified and situated properties, but may be modified in certain cases where a building site is subject to any of the following circumstances as determined by the commission:

(1)

Existing natural vegetation, which meets, in whole or in part, buffer or screening requirements, may be applied toward the requirements of this article. Where natural vegetation (trees and/or shrubs) exist on a piece of property, when application is made for a building permit, such natural vegetation shall be left undisturbed until the building official has evaluated it with regard to its suitability as a buffer or screen, as applicable. The building official may require that the developer retain a portion of the natural vegetation, where such already exists, rather than require a manmade planting strip or other methods of buffering or screening. However, additional planting may be required to achieve the requirement.

(2)

Where impending development of adjacent property would make these standards unreasonable or impractical.

(3)

Where, after inspection by the city, it is found that the view from adjoining properties is blocked by a change in grade or other natural or manmade features.

(4)

Where planting cannot, in the professional opinion of an expert, be expected to thrive due to poor soil conditions, intense shade or similar conditions.

(5)

In special cases where the side and/or rear yards may be inadequate to meet the landscaping requirements, the commission shall determine, based upon site plan review or other pertinent information requested, an alternative method of buffering, screening or other landscaping as applicable.

(6)

Where the premises is located in an industrial district and site elements normally required to be screened would not be visible from any non-industrial premises.

(Ord. No. 2013-02, § 11.6, 3-4-2013)

(a)

All required plantings shall be permanently maintained in good growing condition by the party required to provide such plantings and, when necessary, replaced with new growth. All fencing shall be permanently maintained in good condition and whenever necessary, repaired or replaced by the party required to provide such fence, which may include the developer, property owner, or a property owners' association.

(b)

All plant material shall be tended and maintained in a healthy growing condition, replaced when dead and kept free of weeds, refuse and debris.

(c)

All landscaping required in this article shall be drought-tolerant, native species or shall be irrigated by an automatic irrigation system.

(d)

In the event the party responsible fails to maintain all or any portion of required landscaping in reasonable order and condition, the city may assume responsibility for its maintenance and may enter the premises and take corrective action, including the provision of extended maintenance. The costs of such maintenance may be charged to said party and may include administrative costs and penalties. Such costs shall become a lien on all involved properties.

(Ord. No. 2013-02, § 11.7, 3-4-2013)