Rock Island City Zoning Code

Farms and accessory uses associated with farming;

Single-family residential dwellings, duplexes and their accessory use when not developed as part of an overall development, i.e., subdivisions or planned developments, and while used for those purposes;

Subdivision(s) and short subdivision(s), except subdivision entrance signs, or landscape design standards required elsewhere in the city regulations;

Remodels representing less than 50 percent of the valuation of the structure as determined by using the most recent ICBO construction tables, or remodels adding less than 20 percent of gross floor area, whichever is greater; and

Changes or expansions in use(s) requiring less than five parking stalls or less than 10 percent of the required parking stalls.

Indication of screening and buffer plantings required by ordinance;

Impervious surfaces;

Natural or manmade features and water bodies;

Existing or proposed structures, fences, and retaining walls;

Location and spacing of each plant to be planted, shown to scale;

Designated recreational open space areas, pedestrian plazas, or green areas; and

The location of all proposed lighting shall be included.

All landscaping shall be maintained for the life of the completed development.

The applicant and/or landowner shall follow accepted nursery standards and practices in the planting and maintenance of vegetation required by this chapter during site development and care shall be taken not to compact the planting areas.

A permanently installed irrigation system shall be provided with adequate water pressure and coverage to serve all landscaped areas, except for areas with existing native species that are incorporated into the approved design.

Landscape designs must coordinate with placement of all site utility elements. Consideration of above and below ground utilities and irrigation delivery systems is required to mitigate impact and reduce future maintenance conflicts. Large maturing trees may not be planted in conflict with overhead transmission or distribution lines. Vines or spreading ground cover must be maintained to avoid encroaching on the city sidewalks.

The property owner or occupant shall keep and maintain the landscaped areas free of weeds and trash, and shall replace any diseased, damaged, unhealthy or dead plants in conformance with the approved landscape plan. All landscape materials shall be pruned, trimmed, and otherwise maintained as necessary to maintain a healthy growing condition. If the city determines the maintenance required under this subsection has not been performed, the city shall take enforcement action pursuant to the provisions of RIMC Title 14.

Planting areas shall be clearly separated from parking spaces and driveways by a raised curb, earthen berm or other suitable formal separation permanently affixed to the ground. Planting areas shall not have artificial impervious material underlying the topsoil.

The plant materials that are chosen shall be those best suited to the climate within the Rock Island area.

Trees.

Shrubs. Where required, shrubs shall be at least one and one-half feet in height at the time of planting.

Ground Cover. Where required, ground cover shall consist of perennials, grasses, shrubs, vines, or other similar living ground cover; provided, that where only a portion of the landscaped area is to be covered with living ground cover, the remaining area may be covered with bark, rock or other similar material.

All landscaped areas shall be designed, consistent with the requirements of this title, and implemented so that the area will be covered within five years.

All landscaped islands must have a minimum depth of topsoil of two feet for shrubs and four feet for trees, unless poor drainage conditions exist which would require modifications as approved by the city.

All landscaping shall be installed prior to issuance of the certificate of occupancy unless financial surety is posted in a form in an amount acceptable to the city of Rock Island as set forth in Chapter 14.90 RIMC.

The minimum landscaping width along the rear and side yards may be reduced to an amount approved by the city, but in no case shall it be less than five feet, if an ornamental wall or fence is constructed in conjunction with the landscaping required.

The city may increase the minimum width of a landscaped area and type of planting if the use is located adjacent to a lower intensity use.

If the side yard is on a corner, all landscaping standards shall apply.

Where side and rear yards are not required to have landscaping, the provision of landscaping shall be at the owner's discretion.

If existing, well established trees that have a trunk diameter of six inches or greater, as measured four feet above ground level, and/or vegetation (excluding noxious weeds and grasses) can realistically be utilized, they should be preserved and incorporated into the overall landscape program.

General Commercial (C-G), Commercial-Industrial (C-I) and General Industrial (I-G) Districts.

Recreation Mixed Use (M-R) and Public Facilities (PF) Districts and Planned Developments.

Conditional Uses/Nonresidential in Residential Districts.

All plant materials and living ground cover must be selected and maintained so that the entire landscaped area will be covered a minimum of 75 percent within five years, with maximum coverage in eight years.

Any combination of deciduous or evergreen trees (but no less than 50 percent of the selected trees must be evergreen), shrubs, earthen berms and related plant materials or design is allowed; provided, that the resultant effect is sight-obscuring from adjoining properties.

All trees must grow to a minimum eight feet and shrubs should be three and one-half feet in height, respectively.

Deciduous trees and a combination of shrubs and/or ground cover approved by the city and as set forth herein:

Shrubs shall be a minimum of one and one-half feet in height at the time of planting and may be dispersed throughout the landscaped planting area or in confined pockets or nodes; shrubs should be no less than six inches overall.

Ground cover shall be designed to cover 60 percent of the required area. Ground cover shall consist of grasses, shrubs, vines, or other similar living ground cover. The remaining area may be covered with bark, rock or other similar material. These areas may also contain trees, shrubs, and other permitted plant materials and pedestrian amenities (e.g., benches); however, areas planted in grass shall be designed and constructed in a manner that will make possible normal maintenance such as mowing and watering. Ground cover shall be planted so that a minimum of 75 percent of the area is covered at maturity within five years.

Perennials can be planted in addition to the required trees, shrubs, and ground cover listed above but they do not take the place of the requirement materials.

It shall be the responsibility of the owner(s) of the lot adjacent to the streetscape area to maintain the trees and planting area in good growing condition and to replace dead or dying trees with similar tree or shrub species. The city shall have the right to prune and maintain trees and shrubs within the lines of the right-of-way, clear view triangle and other public areas as may be necessary to ensure public safety.

A combination of deciduous and/or evergreen trees, shrubs, and ground cover shall be provided;

No more than 60 percent of the trees shall be deciduous;

Trees shall have a minimum trunk size of two-inch caliper as measured 12 inches from the root crown at the time of planting;

Trees shall be planted at intervals no greater than 30 feet on center, unless plantings are clustered into groups, then the planting intervals shall be planted at intervals no greater than 90 feet;

Plant materials shall be planted so that the ground will be covered a minimum of 75 percent within five years;

Of the ground cover provided, at least 75 percent shall be living ground cover;

Shrubs shall be a minimum of one and one-half feet in height at the time of planting with approved living ground cover. Plant materials shall be planted so that the ground will be covered a minimum of 75 percent within five years;

Perennials can be planted in addition to the required trees, shrubs, and ground cover listed above but they do not take the place of the requirement materials;

Earthen berms with grass, vegetative ground cover or other landscaping features should be designed with the required landscaping standards of this chapter, provided the resultant effect would provide a pedestrian-friendly environment and visual relief where clear sight is required and can be achieved.

A combination of evergreen or deciduous trees, shrubs, perennials and ground cover planted adjacent to buildings in the following areas and shall meet the criteria as prescribed herein:

A minimum of 30 percent of the area as measured along the length of a building or structure shall be planted and landscaped in areas identified in subsection (D)(1) of this section.

The landscape area shall not be located greater than 15 feet from the building or structure.

Accessory buildings associated with the primary use shall be exempt from the above requirements.

Landscaping located at road intersections or within a clear view triangle shall not exceed three and one-half feet in height as measured from road grade.

Required Amount.

Each area of landscaping shall not be less than six feet in any direction. The area must contain at least one deciduous tree not less than two and one-half caliper inches as measured 12 inches from the top of the root crown at the time of planting. The remaining ground area must be landscaped with perennials, shrubs and ground cover materials.

A landscaped area must be placed at the interior end of each parking row in a multiple lane parking area. Each area must be at least four feet wide and must extend the length of the adjacent parking stall(s).

One shade tree shall be planted within the interior of the off-street parking area for every 10 parking stalls. The priority in meeting this provision is to preserve existing, well established trees that do not interfere with the safety, operation and functioning of the parking lot.

All landscaped islands must have a minimum depth of topsoil of two feet for shrubs and four feet for trees, unless poor drainage conditions exist which would require modifications as approved by the city.

Screen planting of a dense evergreen material not less than five feet in height at the time of maturity shall be provided in any locations where lights from vehicles within the off-street parking area and/or where overhead illumination may shine directly into windows of adjacent residential buildings. In lieu of screen planting, up to 50 percent of the required landscaping may be subtracted when a solid rock, masonry or wood fence is constructed, provided the fence is at least 42 inches high, but does not exceed five feet in height.

A screen planting of dense evergreen material not less than five feet high at the time of planting shall be required where overhead illumination is located within the off-street parking area and may shine directly into windows of adjacent residential buildings. The city may require a greater height if it is determined that the screen planting of five feet high does not properly screen the overhead illumination from adjacent residential buildings. Parking lot lights will not be permitted to shine over property boundaries.

Provisions shall be made to ensure that adequate pedestrian paths connecting the parking lot with the public right-of-way are provided throughout the landscaped areas.

All areas in a parking facility not used for driveways, maneuvering areas, parking spaces or walks shall be permanently landscaped with Type IV standards and shall be permanently maintained pursuant to a maintenance program submitted by the applicant and approved by the city.

All landscaped areas shall have a border, as approved by the city, such as concrete blocks or curbing, to retain the landscaping materials and to protect them from intrusion by vehicles. All landscaped areas shall be a minimum of six feet in width and contain a minimum area of 60 square feet. Except within 15 feet of a driveway, landscaped areas may include berming, ornamental walls and similar techniques that provide variations and/or modulations in elevation, texture and similar characteristics.

All parking facilities shall be permanently maintained in such a way that dust is not emitted from the parking lot, and shall be free of weeds, litter, debris and graffiti. Parking lots shall be striped as necessary or by city request.

Where lighting is provided, it shall be of low intensity and the lighting shall be shielded in such a way that light and glare are directed only onto the subject property.

When the inclusion of significant existing vegetation located on the site would result in as good as or better satisfaction of the purposes of this section;

When the landscaping would interfere with the adequate flow of stormwater runoff, as determined by the city engineer, along drainage easements and/or when the landscaping would interfere with the adequate treatment of stormwater in grassed percolation areas;

Requests for modifications to landscape plans under this subsection are classified in accordance with limited administrative reviews as set forth in RIMC Title 14.