Palmer City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XVI
Landscaping, Screening and Buffers
§ 171-79 Purpose; standards; materials; installation and maintenance.
A.
Purpose.
(1)
The Town recognizes the aesthetic, ecological, and economic value of landscaping and requires its use to:
(a)
Promote the reestablishment of vegetation in areas for aesthetic, health, and wildlife reasons.
(b)
Establish and enhance a pleasant visual character which recognizes aesthetics and safety issues.
(c)
Promote compatibility between land uses by reducing the visual, noise, and lighting impacts of specific development on users of the site and abutting uses.
(d)
Unify development and enhance and define public and private spaces.
(e)
Promote the retention and use of existing vegetation.
(f)
Aid in energy conservation by providing shade from the sun and shelter from the wind.
(g)
Restore natural communities through re-establishment of native plants.
(h)
Mitigate the loss of natural resource values.
(2)
This section consists of a set of landscaping, screening and buffer standards and regulations for use throughout the Town. The regulations address materials, placement, layout, and timing of installation.
B.
Landscaping and screening standards. Subsections B(1) through (5) state the different levels of landscaping and screening standards to be applied throughout the Town depending upon which zone the property is located in and which zone it abuts. The locations where the landscaping or screening is required are stated in various places throughout this section. All landscaping and screening required by this subsection must comply with all of the provisions of this section, unless specifically superseded. The landscaping standards are minimums; higher standards can be substituted as long as all fence or vegetation height limitations are met. Crime prevention and safety should be remembered when exceeding the landscaping standards (height and amount of vegetation may be an issue).
[Amended 3-7-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-07]
(1)
General Landscaping 1 for open areas or in the interior sections of industrial areas where industry abuts industry.
(a)
Intent. The General Landscaping 1 standard is a landscape treatment for open areas and the interior sections of industrial areas. It is intended to be applied in situations where distance is used as the principal means of separating uses or development, and landscaping is required to enhance the area in between. While primarily consisting of ground-cover plants, it also includes a mixture of trees, high shrubs, and low shrubs.
(b)
Required materials. The General Landscaping 1 standard has two different requirements for trees and shrubs. Where the area to be landscaped is less than 30 feet deep, the standard is one tree per 30 linear feet. Where the area is 30 feet deep or greater, the requirement is one tree per 800 square feet and either two high shrubs or three low shrubs per 400 square feet of landscaped area. The shrubs and trees may be grouped. Ground-cover plants must fully cover the remainder of the landscaped area.
(2)
General Landscaping 2 for business abutting business.
(a)
Intent. The General Landscaping 2 standard is a landscape treatment which uses a combination of distance and low-level screening to separate uses or development. The standard is applied where a low level of screening is adequate to soften the impact of the use or development, or where visibility between areas is more important than a total visual screen. It is usually applied along street lot lines and in between similar business uses.
(b)
Required materials. The General Landscaping 2 standard requires enough low shrubs to form a continuous screen three feet high and 95% opaque year-round. In addition, one tree is required per 30 lineal feet of landscaped area or as appropriate to provide a tree canopy over the landscape canopy over the landscaped area. Ground-cover plants must fully cover the remainder of the landscaped area.
(3)
General Landscaping 3 for business abutting residential areas.
(a)
Intent. The General Landscaping 3 standard is a landscape treatment which uses screening to provide the physical and visual separation between uses or development. It is used in those instances where visual separation is required.
(b)
Required materials. The General Landscaping 3 standard requires enough high shrubs to form a screen six feet high and ninety-five-percent opaque year-round. In addition, one tree is required per 30 lineal feet of landscaped area or as appropriate to provide a tree canopy over the landscaped area. Ground-cover plants must fully cover the remainder of the landscaped area. A six-foot-high masonry wall (or other wall as approved by the Board) may be substituted for the shrubs, but the trees and ground-cover plants are still required. When applied along street lot lines, the screen or wall is to be placed along the interior side of the landscaped area.
(4)
General Landscaping 4 for industrial abutting residence where space is limited.
(a)
Intent. The General Landscaping 4 standard is intended to be used in special instances where extensive screening of both visual and noise impacts is needed to protect abutting sensitive areas and where there is little space for separation.
(b)
Required materials. The General Landscaping 4 standard requires a six-foot-high solid fence, masonry wall (or alternative as approved by the Planning Board) along the interior side of the landscaped area. One tree is required per 30 lineal feet of wall or as appropriate to provide a tree canopy over the landscaped area. In addition, four high shrubs are required per 30 lineal feet of wall. Ground-cover plants must fully cover the remainder of the landscaped area.
(5)
General Landscaping 5 for industrial abutting residence in less dense areas.
(a)
Intent. The General Landscaping 5 standard is intended to be used in special instances where extensive screening of both visual and noise impacts is needed to protect abutting sensitive uses, and where it is desirable and practical to separate a use by distance as well as sight-obscuring materials.
(b)
Required materials. The General Landscaping 5 standard requires a berm between four feet and six feet high. If the berm is less than six feet high, low shrubs that meet the General Landscaping 2 standard must be planted on top of the berm to assure that the overall screen height is six feet. In addition, one tree is required per 30 lineal feet of berm or as appropriate to provide a tree canopy over the landscaped area. Ground-cover plants must fully cover the remainder of the landscaped area.
C.
Plant materials.
(1)
Shrubs and ground cover. All required ground-cover plants and shrubs must be of sufficient size and number to meet the required standards within three years of planting. Mulch (as a ground cover) must be confined to areas underneath plants and is not a substitute for ground-cover plants.
(2)
Trees. Trees may be deciduous or evergreen. At the time of planting, deciduous trees must be fully branched, have a minimum diameter of 1 3/4 inches, measured 4 1/2 feet above the ground, and have a minimum height of eight feet. At the time of planting, evergreen trees must be fully branched and a minimum of six feet in height.
(3)
Plant material choices.
(a)
Existing vegetation. Existing landscaping or natural vegetation may be used to meet the standards, if protected and maintained during the construction phase of the development. When the existing trees are at least 12 inches in diameter, measured 4 1/2 feet above the ground, they may count triple towards meeting the tree requirements of a landscaping standard.
(b)
Selection of materials. Landscape materials should be selected and sited to produce a hardy and drought-resistant landscape area. Selection should include consideration of soil type and depth, the amount of maintenance required, spacing, exposure to sun and wind, the slope and contours of the site, and compatibility with existing native vegetation preserved on the site.
(4)
Exceeding standards. Landscaping materials that exceed the standards may be substituted for the minimums so long as all fencing or vegetation does not obstruct vision of pedestrian or automobile traffic.
(5)
Complying with the standards. It is the applicant's responsibility to show that the landscaping materials proposed will comply with the regulations of this chapter.
(6)
Varying from set standards. In certain situations, the landscaping requirements outlined here may be impractical or impossible to achieve due to the size or location of the parcel or topography. In these circumstances, the applicant/developer may present a plan to the Planning Board showing a combination of the above-listed options that will be compatible with surrounding areas and achieve the desired buffer results. It shall be the responsibility of the applicant/developer to show why they cannot comply with the standards, and the Planning Board shall have the final discretion on approval or disapproval of the landscaping plan.
D.
Installation and maintenance.
(1)
Installation. Plant materials must be installed to current nursery industry standards. Plant materials must be properly supported to ensure survival.
(2)
Maintenance. Maintenance of landscaped areas is the ongoing responsibility of the property owner. Required landscaping must be continuously maintained in a healthy manner. Plants that die must be replaced in kind. The Zoning Enforcement Officer may seek revocation of permit, court orders, and/or fines if the landscaping has not been maintained in an appropriate manner.