The City of Sandy recognizes the aesthetic and economic value of landscaping and encourages its use to establish a pleasant community character, unify developments, and buffer or screen unsightly features; to soften and buffer large scale structures and parking lots; and to aid in energy conservation by providing shade from the sun and shelter from the wind. The community desires and intends all properties to be landscaped and maintained.

This chapter prescribes standards for landscaping, buffering, and screening. While this chapter provides standards for frequently encountered development situations, detailed planting plans and irrigation system designs, when required, shall be reviewed by the City with this intent clause as the guiding principle.

(Ord. No. 2024-01, § 1(Exh. A), 2-20-2024)

A.

Where landscaping is required by this Code, detailed planting plans shall be submitted for review with development applications and shall comply with the standards in this chapter. All required landscaping and related improvements shall be completed or financially guaranteed prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy.

B.

Appropriate care and maintenance of landscaping on-site and landscaping in the adjacent public right-of-way is the right and responsibility of the property owner, unless City ordinances specify otherwise for general public and safety reasons. If street trees or other plant materials do not survive or are removed, materials shall be replaced in kind within six months.

C.

Significant trees shall be preserved and integrated into the design of a development. Trees of 11 inches DBH or greater (6 inches or greater in the FSH Overlay District) are considered significant. Plants to be saved and methods of protection shall be indicated on the detailed planting plan submitted for approval. Existing trees shall be considered preserved if no cutting, filling, or compaction of the soil takes place between the trunk of the tree and the area five feet outside the tree's drip line. Trees to be retained shall be protected from damage during construction by a construction fence located five feet outside the dripline.

D.

Planter and boundary areas used for required plantings shall have a minimum diameter of five feet (two and one-half foot radius, inside dimensions). Where the curb or the edge of these areas are used as a tire stop for parking, the planter or boundary plantings shall be a minimum width of seven and one-half feet.

E.

In no case shall shrubs, conifer trees, or other screening be permitted within vision clearance areas of street, alley, or driveway intersections.

F.

Up to 35 percent of a site's total required landscaped area may be developed into pedestrian amenities, including sidewalk cafes, seating, water features, and plazas. Other pedestrian amenities may be approved as part of a discretionary review.

G.

An applicant may choose to count one or more pre-existing vegetated areas toward a site's total required landscaped area, provided that the pre-existing vegetated area is located within the dripline of an existing tree and does not include any nuisance plants.

H.

For nonresidential development, or for residential development processed through discretionary review, required landscaping shall be designed and arranged to offer the maximum benefits to the occupants of the development as well as provide visual appeal and building separation.

I.

All areas not occupied by paved roadways, walkways, patios, or buildings shall be landscaped.

J.

All landscaping shall be continually maintained, including necessary watering, weeding, pruning, and replacing.

(Ord. No. 2024-01, § 1(Exh. A), 2-20-2024)

The minimum landscaping area of a site to be retained in landscaping shall be as follows:

(Ord. No. 2024-01, § 1(Exh. A), 2-20-2024)

Planting of trees is required for all parking lots with four or more parking spaces, public street frontages, and along private drives more than 150 feet long.

The City maintains a list of appropriate trees for street tree planting. Selection of species for street trees and trees within parking areas shall be made from the City-approved list. Alternate selections may be approved by the Director following written request as part of a discretionary review. The type of tree used shall determine frequency of trees in planting areas; tree spacing along streets and within parking areas shall meet the spacing standards in the table below. Trees in parking areas shall be dispersed throughout the lot to provide a canopy for shade and visual relief. "Medium" canopy trees are those whose canopy reaches 30 to 50 feet in width at maturity. "Large" canopy trees are those whose canopy reaches over 50 feet in width at maturity.

Trees may not be planted:

• Within five feet of permanent hard surface paving or walkways, unless specific species, special planting techniques and specifications approved by the Director as part of a discretionary review are used.

• Unless approved otherwise by the City Engineer as part of a discretionary review:

• Within ten feet of fire hydrants and utility poles

• Within 20 feet of street light standards

• Within five feet from an existing curb face

• Within ten feet of a public sanitary sewer, storm drainage or water line

• Where the Director determines as part of a discretionary review that the trees may be a hazard to the public interest or general welfare.

• Trees shall be pruned to provide a minimum clearance of eight feet above sidewalks and 12 feet above street and roadway surfaces.

(Ord. No. 2024-01, § 1(Exh. A), 2-20-2024)

Landscaping shall be irrigated, either with a manual or automatic system, to ensure long-term maintenance of the plantings.

(Ord. No. 2024-01, § 1(Exh. A), 2-20-2024)

A.

At least 75 percent of the required landscaping area shall be planted with a combination of trees, shrubs, and evergreen ground cover except as otherwise authorized by Subsection 17.92.10.F.

B.

Plant Materials. Use of native plant materials or water-efficient plants for the Willamette Valley is required in compliance with the 2016 Water Management and Conservation Plan. Use of nuisance species listed in the City of Portland Plant List is not permitted.

C.

Trees shall be species having an average mature spread of crown greater than 15 feet and having trunks which can be maintained in a clear condition with over five feet of clear wood (without branches). Trees having a mature spread of crown less than 15 feet may be substituted by grouping the same so as to create the equivalent of a 15-foot crown spread.

D.

Deciduous trees shall be balled and burlapped, be a minimum of seven feet in overall height or one and one-half inches in caliper measured six inches above the ground at the time of planting. Bare root trees will be acceptable to plant during their dormant season.

E.

Coniferous trees shall be a minimum five feet in height above ground at time of planting.

F.

Shrubs shall be a minimum of one gallon in size or two feet in height when measured at the time of planting.

G.

Hedges, where required to screen and buffer off-street parking from adjoining properties shall be planted with an evergreen species maintained so as to form a continuous, solid visual screen within two years after planting.

H.

Vines for screening purposes shall be a minimum of one gallon in size or 30 inches in height at the time of planting and may be used in conjunction with fences, screens, or walls to meet physical barrier requirements as specified.

I.

Groundcovers shall be fully rooted. If used in lieu of turf in whole or in part, ground covers shall be planted in such a manner as to provide complete coverage in one year after planting.

J.

Turf areas shall be planted in species normally grown as permanent lawns in western Oregon. Either sod or seed are acceptable. Acceptable varieties include improved perennial ryes and fescues.

K.

Landscaped areas may include architectural features or artificial ground covers such as sculptures, benches, masonry or stone walls, fences, rock groupings, wood chips, decorative hard paving, and gravel areas, interspersed with planted areas. The exposed area developed with such features shall not exceed 25 percent of the required landscaped area. Artificial plants are prohibited in any required landscape area.

(Ord. No. 2024-01, § 1(Exh. A), 2-20-2024)

A.

Areas where pre-existing vegetation has been removed or damaged through grading or construction activity in areas not affected by the landscaping requirements and that are not to be occupied by structures or other improvements shall be replanted.

B.

Plant material shall be watered at intervals sufficient to assure survival and growth.

C.

The use of native plant materials or water-efficient plants for the Willamette Valley is required to reduce water use in compliance with the 2016 Water Management and Conservation Plan.

(Ord. No. 2024-01, § 1(Exh. A), 2-20-2024)

The planter strip in the public right-of-way shall include street trees spaced in accordance with Section 17.92.30, in accordance with the adopted street tree list, and at sizes in accordance with Section 17.92.50. In addition to street trees, the planter strip shall also include other landscaping, such as groundcover, turf, or wood chips to fully cover all exposed soils. Landscaping within the street right-of-way shall not count as part of the site area percentage to be landscaped in accordance with Section 17.92.20.

(Ord. No. 2024-01, § 1(Exh. A), 2-20-2024)

Intent: Buffer plantings are used to reduce building scale, provide transition between contrasting architectural styles, and generally mitigate incompatible or undesirable views. They are used to soften rather than block viewing.

A.

Where required, a mix of plant materials shall be used to achieve the desired buffering effect.

B.

Buffering is required in conjunction with issuance of construction permits for parking areas containing four or more spaces, loading areas, and vehicle maneuvering areas serving parking areas with four or more spaces. Boundary plantings shall be used to buffer these uses from adjacent properties and the public right-of-way. On-site plantings shall be used between parking bays, as well as between parking bays and vehicle maneuvering areas. Buffers shall have a minimum width of five feet, in accordance with Subsection 17.82.10.D. A balance of low-lying ground cover and shrubs, and vertical shrubs and trees shall be used to buffer the view of these facilities. At a minimum, one tree shall be planted for every 30 linear feet of buffer area. Masonry walls (except plain concrete block) and fences may be used in conjunction with plantings but may not be used by themselves to comply with buffering requirements. Exception: parking lots reserved for large trucks in industrial and commercial zones are exempt from parking bay buffer planting requirements.

(Ord. No. 2024-01, § 1(Exh. A), 2-20-2024)

Intent: Screening is used where unsightly views or visual conflicts must be obscured or blocked and where privacy and security are desired.

A.

Materials. Fences and walls used for screening may be constructed of wood, concrete, stone, brick, and wrought iron. Other commonly used fencing/wall materials may be used if approved as part of a discretionary review.

B.

Height and Opacity. Where landscaping is used for required screening, it shall be at least six feet in height and at least 80 percent opaque, as seen from a perpendicular line of sight, within two years after planting.

C.

Chain Link Fencing. A painted chain link fence (not galvanized finish) with slats shall qualify for screening only if a landscape buffer is also provided in compliance with Section 17.92.80 above.

D.

Height Measurement. The height of hedges, fences, walls, and berm shall be measured from the lowest adjoining finished grade, except where used to comply with screening requirements for parking, loading, storage, and similar areas. In these cases, height shall be measured from the finished grade of such improvements. Screening is not permitted within vision clearance areas.

E.

Berms. Earthen berms up to six feet in height may be used to comply with screening requirements. Slope of berms may not exceed 2:1 and both faces of the slope shall be planted with ground cover, shrubs, and trees.

Expanses of fences and walls that are longer than 50 feet shall include offsets, changes of materials and textures, or landscaping in order to prevent visual monotony.

(Ord. No. 2024-01, § 1(Exh. A), 2-20-2024)

Sight-obscuring shrubbery or a berm, wall or fence shall be placed along a property line between residential and commercial and industrial zones and around trash and recycling areas, gas meters, ground level air conditioning units, disc antennas exceeding 36 inches in diameter, and equipment storage or an industrial or commercial use with outside storage of equipment or materials. Such "sight-obscuring" screening shall be at least 80 percent opaque when viewed horizontally from between two and eight feet above the average ground level.

(Ord. No. 2024-01, § 1(Exh. A), 2-20-2024)

All outdoor storage areas for commercial, industrial, public and semi-public uses are to be entirely screened by sight obscuring shrubbery or a berm, wall or fence. Such "sight-obscuring" screening shall be at least 80 percent opaque when viewed horizontally from between two and eight feet above the average ground level. Exceptions to the preceding requirements include: new or used cars, motorcycles and trucks (but not including car parts or damaged vehicles); new or used boat sales; recreational vehicle sales; new or used large equipment sales or rentals; manufactured home sales; florists and plants nurseries.

(Ord. No. 2024-01, § 1(Exh. A), 2-20-2024)

If weather conditions or other circumstances beyond the control of the developer or owner make completion of the landscaping impossible prior to desired occupancy, an extension of up to six months may be applied for by posting "security" equal to 130 percent of the cost of the landscaping, assuring installation within six months. "Security" may consist of a performance bond payable to the city, cash, certified check, time certificates of deposit, assignment of a saving account, letter of credit, or other such assurance of access to funds necessary for completion as shall meet the approval of the City Attorney. Upon acceptance of the security, the developer or owner will be allowed occupancy. If the installation of the landscaping improvement is not completed within 180 days, the City shall have access to the security to complete the installation. Upon completion of the installation by the city, any portion of the remaining security minus administrative charges of 30 percent shall be returned to the owner. Costs in excess of the posted security shall be assessed against the property and the City shall thereupon have a valid lien against the property, which will come due, and payable.

(Ord. No. 2024-01, § 1(Exh. A), 2-20-2024)

All landscape materials and workmanship shall be guaranteed by the installer and/or developer for a minimum of two years. This guarantee shall ensure that all plant materials survive in good condition and shall guarantee replacement of dead or dying plant materials.

(Ord. No. 2024-01, § 1(Exh. A), 2-20-2024)