New Melle City Zoning Code
ARTICLE X
Landscaping and Screening
Section 405.490 Purpose.
[Ord. No. 224 §§1 — 2(24.01), 10-19-2005]
The purpose of this Article is to promote the public health, safety, comfort and general welfare of the City of New Melle residents by providing tree preservation and landscaping standards. These standards are designed to enhance the quality and appearance of developed properties, protect existing natural resources, buffer differing land uses and conserve the value of land and buildings throughout the City of New Melle. These standards will also increase energy efficiency through shading and cooling, filter air pollution, buffer noise and wind and provide wildlife habitat as well as pleasant visual relief. These standards will apply to all new development and substantial redevelopment projects for commercial, industrial, institutional and residential developments in the City of New Melle.
Section 405.495 Applicability.
[Ord. No. 224 §§1 — 2(24.02), 10-19-2005]
A.
These requirements shall apply to the following:
1.
New development that will require a site plan.
2.
Substantial redevelopment.
3.
New residentially zoned subdivisions.
4.
Conditional use permits or variances as required.
5.
Expansion of an existing use that may require landscaping as determined by the Director of Planning.
Section 405.500 Exemptions.
[Ord. No. 224 §§1 — 2(24.03), 10-19-2005]
A.
These requirements shall not apply to the following:
1.
Individual single-family residencies, not in a proposed and/or existing subdivision.
2.
Individual two-family residences, not in a proposed and/or existing subdivision.
Section 405.505 Plan Requirements.
[Ord. No. 224 §§1 — 2(24.04), 10-19-2005]
A.
All preliminary residential subdivision plats shall be accompanied by a tree preservation plan which outlines the tree preservation areas and shall include the following information:
1.
Property boundary including north arrow and scale.
2.
The proposed layout of all lots and public and private right-of-ways.
3.
Existing topographic data for the site.
4.
The location of all known existing utility easements.
5.
The limits of all tree preservation areas.
6.
A statement of intent by the property owner that all of the City's tree preservation regulations shall be met within the required time frame and all materials to be planted will be of sufficient size, condition and quality and maintained to meet the intent of the City's tree preservation regulations.
B.
All site plans shall depict the following information on said plan or a separate landscape plan:
1.
Property boundary including north arrow and scale.
2.
Topographic information detailing the final grading of the site and all drainage for the landscape areas.
3.
All structures, parking and loading areas, drives, right-of-ways (if applicable).
4.
The location of all existing and proposed easements.
5.
The locations varieties (botanical and common name), number and mature size of all plant materials to be planted within the required screening and transition areas.
6.
A statement of intent by the property owner that all of the City's screening and transition strip regulations shall be met within the required time frame and all materials to be planted will be of sufficient size, condition and quality and maintained to meet the intent of the City's tree preservation regulations.
Section 405.510 Tree Preservation for Residential Subdivisions.
[Ord. No. 224 §§1 — 2(24.05), 10-19-2005]
All developments shall meet a minimum tree preservation requirement of ten percent (10%) of the site or twenty-five percent (25%) of existing woodlands and trees, whichever is greater. The preservation of existing trees must be depicted on the tree preservation/landscape plan. Existing woodlands and trees may be determined by using recent aerial photographs or field inventory.
Section 405.515 Protective Methods.
[Ord. No. 224 §§1 — 2(24.06), 10-19-2005]
A.
To receive preservation credit, trees to be preserved must be protected from direct and indirect root damage and trunk and crown disturbance. No credit will be allowed for any dead tree, any tree in poor health or any tree subjected to grade alterations. The death of any tree within twenty-four (24) months of final grading that has been used for preservation credit shall require the developer/builder to replace the tree at the developer's/builder's cost. The following standards shall apply:
1.
The protection area around trees shall include all land within the canopy drip line. This area shall remain free of all grading and filling activities.
2.
Construction site activities such as parking, material storage, soil stock piling and concrete washout shall not be permitted within tree protection areas.
3.
Tree protection areas should be clearly identified prior to any land disturbance. Methods that may be used include snow fence, polyethylene, chain link fence or construction stakes. Designated areas shall remain clearly marked until the protected area has been inspected.
4.
Signs shall be used to designate tree protection areas. Signs are to be posted visibly on all sides of the preservation area. Minimum size for the signs is twenty-four (24) inches by thirty-six (36) inches and should state the following: "TREE PROTECTION AREA — Machinery access, dumping or storage of materials and equipment is prohibited".
Section 405.520 Screening and Transition Strip Requirements.
[Ord. No. 224 §§1 — 2(24.07), 10-19-2005]
A.
Screening and transition strips as required for various developments are based on proposed land use and the land use of adjacent properties. See Table 1 and Section 405.550 for specific screening and transition strip requirements.
1.
Trash enclosures shall be screened on at least three (3) sides by a six (6) foot solid fence and on the forth (4th) side by a solid gate constructed of cedar, redwood, masonry or other compatible building material.
Table 1 Proposed Development | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Adjacent Existing Development | Single-Family or Two-Family Use | Multi-Family Use or Institutional Use | Commercial Use | Industrial Use |
Agricultural use | Not required | Not required | Not required | D |
Single-family or two-family use | Not required | A or B | A or B | C or D |
Multi-family use | Not required | Not required | A or B | C or D |
Commercial use | Not required | Not required | Not required | C or D |
Industrial use | Not required | Not required | Not required | Not required |
Section 405.525 Landscaping in Parking Areas.
[Ord. No. 224 §§1 — 2(24.08), 10-19-2005]
A.
Any parking lot with at least fifty (50) spaces must have at least one (1) landscaped island or peninsula containing at least two hundred (200) square feet for every fifty (50) parking spaces.
B.
The dimensions of any planting area shall be sufficient to support the landscaping materials planted therein and to insure proper growth.
C.
The primary landscaping materials used for parking lots shall be trees which provide shade or are capable of providing shade at maturity. Shrubbery, hedges and other material may be used to complement the trees. All islands or peninsulas must contain at least one (1) large deciduous tree.
Section 405.530 Materials.
[Ord. No. 224 §§1 — 2(24.08), 10-19-2005]
A.
A mixture of native, hardy deciduous, flowering and/or coniferous trees may be planted.
1.
All deciduous trees planted to meet the requirements of this Article must be a minimum of two and one-half (2.5) inches in diameter at the time of installation.
2.
All coniferous trees must be a minimum of six (6) feet in height at the time of installation.
3.
Types and sizes of shrubs and ground cover plants may be determined by the applicant.
Section 405.535 Installation and Maintenance.
[Ord. No. 224 §§1 — 2(24.09), 10-19-2005]
A.
All landscaping materials must meet the following:
1.
All trees must be in place and healthy prior to the issuance of any occupancy permit. Upon approval by the Director of Planning, a temporary certificate may be issued without the installation, provided written assurances are given that the planting will take place when the proper season arrives.
2.
New landscaping shall not be planted within any easement, right-of-way or sight triangle.
3.
All trees shall have natural bark mulch placed around the base of the tree at least four (4) inches deep and have at least an eighteen (18) inch radius from the trunk.
4.
Newly planted trees shall be supported (staked and tied) through the first (1st) growing season to insure proper growth.
5.
Landscaping on property under a single ownership must be maintained by the owner for the life of the development. The landscaped areas should be kept in a neat and orderly manner at all times. Required trees and shrubs, which exhibit damage, must be restored to healthy condition or replaced within the next growing season.
6.
In subdivisions, all landscaping within common ground areas must be maintained by the developer until the property is turned over to a private property owner or homeowners' association. The landscaping must be maintained in a healthy growing condition as appropriate for the season of the year. Plant materials, which exhibit damage, must be restored to healthy condition or replaced within the next growing season.
Section 405.540 Enforcement and Penalties.
[Ord. No. 224 §§1 — 2(24.10), 10-19-2005]
A.
The City Engineer or his/her authorized representative is hereby charged with the responsibility of administering and enforcing the provisions of the landscaping and tree preservation program. All violations are subject to penalties set forth in the body of this Article.
B.
If the required tree protection areas are disturbed during construction, a replacement ratio of three (3) trees to each tree destroyed, damaged or removed is required to be planted in the development. The final ten percent (10%) of the performance guarantee of the required erosion control plan will be held until all tree preservation requirements have been met.
Section 405.545 Definitions.
[Ord. No. 224 §§1 — 2(24.11), 10-19-2005]
As used in this Article, the following terms shall have these prescribed meanings:
CALIPER
The diameter of the trunk six (6) inches above grade.
CONIFEROUS TREES
Trees at least ten (10) feet tall at maturity, which usually have green foliage throughout all seasons of the year in Missouri.
DRIP LINE
The outermost perimeter of the crown of a plant as projected vertically to the ground.
LARGE TREES
Deciduous shade trees with a mature height of thirty (30) feet or greater and a mature spread of thirty (30) feet or greater.
SHRUBS
A low, woody plant, either evergreen or deciduous, with a mature height usually less than ten (10) feet, having several stems but no trunk.
SMALL TREES/LARGE SHRUBS
Deciduous trees or shrubs with a mature height of ten (10) to thirty (30) feet.
SUBSTANTIAL REDEVELOPMENT
Any addition or expansion, the cost of which equals or exceeds fifty percent (50%) of the market value of the structure before the start of construction of the improvement. The term does not include either:
1.
Any project for improvement of a structure to correct existing violations of State or local health, sanitary or safety code specifications that have been identified by the local Code Enforcement Official and which are the minimum necessary to assure safe living conditions; or
2.
Any alteration of a "historic structure", provided that the alteration will not preclude the structure's continued designation as a "historic structure".
TREE CANOPY
The area in square feet of a tree's spread. Existing tree canopy is determined by measuring the ground's surface area that is covered by the branch spread of a single tree or group of trees. Ultimate tree canopy is determined by assigning the following values for planted trees: one thousand (1,000) square feet for a large deciduous tree, seven hundred (700) square feet for each medium deciduous tree or conifer and three hundred (300) square feet for each small flowering tree.
TREE PROTECTION AREA
All land within the canopy drip line of a tree.
WOODLAND
Any tree canopy over five thousand (5,000) square feet having at least thirty percent (30%) of the trees with a caliper of at least two and one-half (2.5) inches.
Section 405.550 Examples.
[Ord. No. 224 §§1 — 2(24.12), 10-19-2005]
A.
Screening And Transition Strip Requirements. Examples are not to scale. Planting per one hundred (100) feet.
A. | 20 foot width | ◘ | • | ◘ | • | |||
B. | 15 foot width | ___________________________________ | ||||||
◘ | • | ◘ | • | ◘ | ||||
C. | 20 foot width | ___________________________________ | ||||||
◘ | • | ◘ | • | |||||
D. | 40 foot width | ◘ | ◘ | ◘ | ||||
• | • | |||||||
E. | Key: | ◘ | Coniferous Tree | |||||
• | Large Deciduous Tree | |||||||
______ | 6 foot sightproof fence or landscaped berm of such a height as to screen adjoining properties | |||||||
Four (4) shrubs required per deciduous tree. | ||||||||
