(1)

Purpose. The purpose of this Chapter is to establish standards for landscaping within Tualatin in order to enhance the environmental and aesthetic quality of the City.

(2)

Objectives. The objectives of this Chapter are to:

(a)

Encourage the retention and protection of existing trees and requiring the planting of trees in new developments;

(b)

Use trees and other landscaping materials to temper the effects of the sun, wind, noise, and air pollution.

(c)

Use trees and other landscaping materials to define spaces and the uses of specific areas; and

(d)

Use trees and other landscaping materials as a unifying element within the urban environment.

The following are the minimum areas required to be landscaped for each use and zone:

Table 73B-1
Required Minimum Landscape Area

(Ord. No. 1438-20, § 21, 6-22-20; Ord. No. 1480-23 meeting, § 11, 8-28-23; Ord. No. 1486-24, § 12, 6-10-24)

(1)

General. In addition to requirements in TDC 73B.020, Multi-Family Residential Uses must comply with the following additional standards.

(a)

All areas not occupied by buildings, parking spaces, driveways, drive aisles, pedestrian areas, or undisturbed natural areas must be landscaped.

(i)

This standard does not apply to areas subject to the Hedges Creek Wetlands Mitigation Agreement.

(Ord. No. 1463-21 meeting, § 35, 12-13-21)

(1)

General. In addition to requirements in TDC 73B.020, nonresidential uses, except those located in the Mixed-Use Commercial (MUC) zone which has its own standards, must comply with the following:

(a)

All areas not occupied by buildings, parking spaces, driveways, drive aisles, pedestrian areas, or undisturbed natural areas must be landscaped.

(i)

This standard does not apply to areas subject to the Hedges Creek Wetlands Mitigation Agreement.

(b)

Minimum 5-foot-wide landscaped area must be located along all building perimeters viewable by the general public from parking lots or the public right-of-way, but the following may be used instead of the 5-foot-wide landscaped area requirement:

(i)

Pedestrian amenities such as landscaped plazas and arcades; and

(ii)

Areas developed with pavers, bricks, or other surfaces, for exclusive pedestrian use and contain pedestrian amenities, such as benches, tables with umbrellas, children's play areas, shade trees, canopies.

(c)

Five-foot wide landscaped area requirement does not apply to:

(i)

Loading areas;

(ii)

Bicycle parking areas;

(iii)

Pedestrian egress/ingress locations; and

(iv)

Where the distance along a wall between two vehicle or pedestrian access openings (such as entry doors, garage doors, carports and pedestrian corridors) is less than eight feet.

(d)

Development that abuts an RL or MP Zone must have landscaping approved through Architectural Review and must provide and perpetually maintain dense, evergreen landscaped buffers between allowed uses and the adjacent RL and MP zones.

(e)

Landscape screening provisions are superseded by the vision clearance requirements of Figure 73-2.

(2)

Wetland Buffer. Wetland buffer areas up to 50 feet in width may be counted toward the required percentage of site landscaping, subject to the following:

(a)

Area counted as landscaping is limited to a maximum of two and one-half percent (of the total land area to be developed;

(b)

Area to be counted as landscape must be within the boundaries of the subject property;

(c)

No credit may be claimed for wetland buffer areas lying outside the lot lines of the subject parcel;

(d)

Where wetlands mitigation in the buffer has not yet occurred at the time of development, the developer must perform, or bear the cost of, all necessary mitigation work in the course of site development, in accordance with a Removal/Fill Permit or permits issued by the Oregon Division of State Lands and the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Clean Water Services; and

(e)

Where wetlands mitigation in the buffer has already been performed in accordance with a Removal/Fill Permit or permits issued by the Oregon Division of State Lands and the US Army Corps of Engineers, the developer must include an enhanced mitigation plan approved by the Oregon Division of State Lands and the Clean Water Services as part of the Architectural Review submittal. The developer must complete all work required by the enhanced wetland mitigation plan in conjunction with development of the site.

(Ord. No. 1438-20, § 22, 6-22-20; Ord. No. 1486-24, § 12, 6-10-24; Ord. No. 1451-25 meeting, § 11, 8-11-25)

(1)

General. In addition to requirements in TDC 73B.020, all uses within the Mixed-Use Commercial (MUC) zone, must comply with the following:

(a)

All areas not occupied by buildings, parking spaces, driveways, drive aisles, pedestrian areas, or undisturbed natural areas must be landscaped:

(i)

This standard does not apply to areas subject to the Hedges Creek Wetlands Mitigation Agreement.

(b)

A landscape area may be occupied by utilities, screening, sidewalks, bikeways; and

(c)

Landscape screening provisions are superseded by the vision clearance requirements of Figure 73-2.

(2)

Standards. The matrices in Tables 73B-3 and 73B-4 must be used in calculating widths of landscape buffer areas, as well as screening improvements to be installed between proposed uses and abutting uses. Landscape buffers are not required between abutting uses that are of a different type when the uses are separated by a street.

(a)

Buffer. The minimum improvements within a buffer area must include landscaping and screening specified in Tables 73B-3 and 73B-4. Landscape improvements must meet the following specifications:

(i)

At least one row of trees must be planted. Deciduous trees must be a minimum of two-inch caliper at four feet in height and evergreen trees must be a minimum height of five feet high at the time of planting. Spacing for trees must be as follows:

(A)

Small or narrow-stature trees, under 25 feet tall or less than 16 feet wide at maturity must be spaced not more than 15 feet apart;

(B)

Medium-sized trees between 25 feet to 40 feet tall and with 16 feet to 35 feet wide branching at maturity must be spaced not more than 30 feet apart;

(C)

Large trees, over 40 feet tall and with more than 35 feet wide branching at maturity, must be spaced not more than 30 feet apart.

(ii)

At least ten five-gallon shrubs or 20 one-gallon shrubs must be planted for each 1,000 square feet of required buffer area;

(iii)

The remaining area must be planted in lawn or other living ground cover.

(b)

Screening. Where screening is specified in Tables 73B-3 and 73B-4, the following standards apply, in addition to those required for buffering:

(i)

The prescribed heights of required screening must be measured from the actual adjoining level of finished grade, except that where parking, loading, storage or similar areas are located above finished grade, the height of fences, walls or landscaping required to screen such areas or space shall be measured from the level of such improvements. When the use to be screened is located downhill from the adjoining use, the prescribed heights of required fences, walls, or landscape screening must be measured from the actual grade of the adjoining property. In this case, fences and walls may exceed the permitted six foot height at the discretion of the City Manager, as a condition of approval. When steep grades make the installation of walls, fences, or landscaping to the required height impractical, a detailed landscape/screening plan must be submitted for approval;

(ii)

A hedge of narrow or broad leaf evergreen shrubs must be planted which will form a four-foot high continuous screen within two years of planting; or

(iii)

An earthen berm planted with narrow or broad leaf evergreen shrubs must be provided which will form a continuous screen of the height specified in Table 73B-4 within two years. The unplanted portion of the berm shall be planted in lawn or other living ground cover: or

(iv)

A fence or wall of the height specified in Table 73B-4 must be constructed of materials commonly used in the construction of fences and walls such as wood, stone, rock or brick, or as determined in the Architectural Review process and provide a continuous sight obscuring screen.

(A)

Walls must be a minimum of six inches thick.

(B)

Fence or wall height may not exceed three feet in height in a required front yard or six feet in height in required front yards adjacent to designated arterial or collector streets.

(C)

An evergreen hedge or other dense evergreen landscaping may satisfy a requirement for a sight-obscuring fence where required.

(D)

An earthen berm and fence or wall combination must not exceed six-feet in height.

(Ord. No. 1438-20, § 23, 6-22-20; Ord. No. 1480-23 meeting, § 11, 8-28-23; Ord. No. 1451-25 meeting, § 11, 8-11-25)

The following are minimum standards for landscaping for all zones.

Table 73B-2
Minimum Landscape Standards

Table 73B-3
Landscape Buffer Between Uses

Table 73B-4
Landscaping and Screening

(Ord. No. 1486-24, § 12, 6-10-24)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 1486-24, § 12, adopted June 10, 2024, repealed §§ 73B.060 and 73B.070 and renumbered §§ 73B.080 and 73B.090 as §§ 73B.060 and 73B.070. Former §§ 73B.060 and 73B.070 pertained to additional minimum landscaping requirements for industrial and institutional uses and derived from Ord. No. 1438-20, §§ 24, 25, adopted June 22, 2020.

The following minimum standards apply to the types of landscaping required to be installed for all zones.

Table 73B-5
Minimum Standards for Trees and Plants

(Ord. 1414-18, 12-10-18; Ord. No. 1438-20, § 27, 6-22-20; Ord. No. 1480-23 meeting, § 11, 8-28-23; Ord. No. 1486-24, § 12, 6-10-24)

Editor's note— See editor's note, § 73B-060.