Wapakoneta City Zoning Code
CHAPTER 1294
Screening and Landscaping
1294.01 PURPOSE.
The purpose of this chapter is to provide minimum standards involving the development of land to:
(a) Provide attractive views from roads and adjacent properties;
(b) Screen from view visually undesirable uses;
(c) Require screening between incompatible land uses;
(d) Protect the health, safety and welfare of the community through the reduction of noise, air and visual pollution, and headlight glare.
(Ord. 2010-29. Passed 7-5-10.)
1294.02 APPLICABILITY.
This chapter shall apply to new property development and any collective substantial expansion of existing structures, except for single-family detached dwellings and two family dwellings. Substantial expansion of existing structures shall be defined based on the criteria established below:
When Existing Structure is.... | A Substantial Expansion is...
|
0 - 1,000 sq. ft. | 100% or greater |
1,001 - 10,000 sq. ft. | 50% or greater |
10,001 - 25,000 sq. ft. | 40% or greater |
25,001 - 50,000 sq. ft. | 30% or greater |
50,001 sq. ft. and larger | 20% or greater |
(Ord. 2010-29. Passed 7-5-10.)
1294.03 GENERAL REQUIREMENT FOR SUBMISSION.
Any property to which this chapter applies shall submit a screening or landscaping plan to the Zoning Administrative Officer as part of the zoning certificate process. Screening or landscaping plans shall be prepared by a nursery or by a design professional practicing within their areas of competence. The plan shall contain the following information:
(a) Plans must be at a reasonable scale to identify all proposed screening or landscaping improvements and shall include the following minimum information:
(1) North arrow and scale;
(2) The name of applicant/owner;
(3) The name, address and phone number of the person or firm responsible for the preparation of the screening or landscape plans;
(4) The dates the plans are submitted or revised;
(5) All existing and proposed buildings and other structures, paved areas, planted areas, utility poles, fire hydrants, light standards, signs, fences and other permanent features to be added and/or retained on the site;
(6) All existing plant material to be removed or retained and all new screening or landscaping materials to be installed;
(7) All existing and proposed streets, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, railroad tracks, drainage ditches and other public or semi-public improvements within and immediately adjacent to the site;
(8) All property lines and easements; and
(9) Any other information which is deemed appropriate by the Zoning Administrative Official.
(b) Typical details shall be shown for the planting of the types of trees, shrubs and ground cover within the screening or landscaped area.
(Ord. 2010-29. Passed 7-5-10.)
1294.04 APPROVAL.
(a) No site or development plan required under this Zoning Code shall receive final approval unless a screening or landscaping plan has been submitted and approved when required by this chapter.
(b) No final approval of the zoning certificate shall be granted unless the following criteria are fully satisfied with regard to the approved screening or landscape plan:
(1) Such plan has been fully implemented on the site; or
(2) Such plan, because of seasonal conditions, cannot be implemented immediately, but has been guaranteed by a postponed improvement agreement between the developer and the City.
(c) The Zoning Administrative Official may request the review and approval of the Planning Commission at any time during the review and approval process.
(Ord. 2010-29. Passed 7-5-10.)
1294.05 LANDSCAPING AND SCREENING STANDARDS.
(a) Maintenance of Screening and Landscaped Areas. All screening and landscaping materials shall be installed and maintained according to accepted nursery industry procedures. The owner of the property shall be responsible for the continued property maintenance of all landscaping materials, and shall keep them in a proper, neat and orderly appearance, free from refuse and debris at all times and shall remove all noxious, invasive, or poison type plants. All unhealthy or dead plant material shall be replaced within one year, or by the next planting period, whichever comes first. Violation of these installation and maintenance provisions may be grounds for the Zoning Administrative Officer to:
(1) Find the owner of the property in violation of the conditions of the zoning certificate;
(2) Require replacement of the landscape material; or
(3) Institute legal proceedings to enforce the provisions of this Code.
(b) Screening and Landscape Establishment. Once a screened or landscaped area has been approved by the Zoning Administrative Officer and established by the owner, it may not be used, disturbed or altered in anyway that would decrease its landscape or screening effectiveness unless approved by the Zoning Administrative Officer.
(c) Screening Requirement.
In order to provide protective screening and buffers for residentially zoned areas that are adjacent to nonresidential areas, the Zoning Administrative Officer may require a wall, fence or open space to be provided by any newly developed or substantially expanded nonresidential property if the nonresidential property is not already sufficiently screened.
Screening shall be in accordance with the following:
(1) Screening areas shall be provided for the purpose of minimizing the visual and noise impact between incompatible land uses by improving the aesthetic and functional quality of new development.
(2) Where vegetative and/or topographic conditions already provide a natural screen and buffer prior to development of properties in question, every effort shall be made to retain such conditions in good maintenance. In such cases, additional screening may not be required by the Zoning Administrative Officer, provided that provision is made for maintenance of such areas.
(3) The Zoning Administrative Officer may waive the requirement for a wall, fence or greenbelt if equivalent screening is provided by existing or planned parks, parkways, recreation areas or by topography or other natural conditions found on the subject property.
(4) Screening standards:
WHEN... | IS PROPOSED TO ABUT... | A MINIMUM SCREENING OF... |
Any commercial or office land use | Any residential district | A. If proposed; a wall or fence should be 5 to 7 feet in height and placed near the nonresidential property line. The area between such wall or fence and the property line shall be treated with plantings to form a permanent landscaped area. or |
Any industrial land use | Any residential or business district | |
Any multi-family land use | Any Single-Family Residential District | |
Any institutional land use (including assisted living facilities, educational institutions and religious places of worship) | Any Single-Family Residential District | B. If proposed; a strip of open space along the property line at least 10 feet in width should be established. Such greenbelt shall be planted and maintained with evergreens such as spruce, pine or firs at least 6 feet in height or a hedge at least 5 feet in height, tightly situated so as to provide an effective and permanent visual buffer. The portion of the landscaped area not covered by plantings shall be kept in a neat and orderly appearance. |
(d) Materials for Screening and Landscaping.
(1) Walls and fences. When walls or fences are used to fulfill screening requirements, they shall be detailed on the plan. They are to be of weather-proof materials. This includes pressure treating or painting of lumber if it is not redwood or cedar and using aluminum or galvanized hardware. Chain link fences with or without wooded or synthetic slat material shall not be permitted when used to satisfy screening requirements.
(2) Plants. All plants are to be healthy upon planting. Plant materials used in conformance with the provision of this section shall conform to the standards of the American Association of Nurserymen and shall have passed any inspection required under State regulations. Trees and plant materials should be species indigenous to Zone 6 of the United States Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Trees shall be balled and burlapped or in containers. Shrubs, vines and ground covers can be planted as bare root as well as balled and burlapped or containers.
A. Deciduous trees. Deciduous trees shall have a minimum caliper of at least two and one-half inches conforming to acceptable nursery industry procedures at the time of planting. If deciduous trees are to be used for screening purposes, additional materials listed in this chapter must be used to create a dense buffer.
B. Evergreen trees. Evergreen trees shall be a minimum of six feet in height at the time of planting when used for screening purposes when adjacent to a residential district. Evergreen plantings used for screening shall be planted so as to provide an effective, dense screen upon the time of planting. The height at installation of the planting shall be measured from the level of the planting surface of the evergreen base.
C. Shrubs and hedges. Shrubs and hedges shall be at least five feet in height at the time of planting. All shrubs and hedges shall be designed to provide an effective, dense screen and mature height of at least six feet within two years after the date of the final approval of each planting. The height at installation of the planting shall be measured from the level of the surface of the plant base at the edge closest to the screening.
D. Grass or ground cover. Grass shall be appropriate for the soil type. In swales or other areas subject to erosion, solid sod, erosion reducing net or suitable mulch shall be used and nursegrass seed shall be sown for immediate protection until complete coverage otherwise is achieved and shall be reviewed by the Auglaize Soil and Water Conservation District. Grass sod shall be clean and free of weeds and noxious pests or diseases. Ground cover shall be planted to provide 75% complete coverage after two growing seasons.
(3) Mounds. Mounds made of soil may be used for screening purposes. A difference in elevation between areas requiring screening does not constitute an earth mound. Mounds shall conform to the following standards:
A. The maximum side slope shall be three horizontal to one vertical (3:1) and the design shall be reviewed by the Zoning Administrative Officer to ensure that proper erosion prevention and control practices have been utilized.
B. Berms and earth forms shall be designed with physical variations in height and alignment throughout their length.
C. Landscape plant material installed on berms and earth forms shall be arranged in an irregular pattern to accentuate the physical variation and achieve a natural appearance.
D. The plan shall show sufficient detail, including a plan and profile of the berm or earth form, soil types and construction techniques to demonstrate compliance with the above provisions.
E. Berms and earth forms shall be located and designed to minimize the disturbance to existing trees located on the site or adjacent thereto.
F. For adequate sight distance for points of ingress and egress, no part of any berm which is elevated more than 36 inches above natural grade shall be located within 20 feet of any right-of-way or property line.
G. Adequate ground cover shall be used and maintained to prevent erosion of the mound.
(Ord. 2010-29. Passed 7-5-10.)
1294.06 SCREENING AND LANDSCAPING FOR OFF-STREET PARKING AREAS.
Screening and landscaping for off-street parking areas shall be as established in Section 1284.06(d).
(Ord. 2010-29. Passed 7-5-10.)
1294.07 SCREENING FOR DUMPSTERS AND TRASH HANDLING AREAS.
(Ord. 2010-29. Passed 7-5-10.)
1294.08 EASEMENTS, RIGHT-OF-WAY, AND SETBACKS.
Required screening and landscaping may be placed wholly or partially in utility or other easements providing all requirements of this chapter can be fulfilled and approval is granted by the holder of the easements, in writing.
In no case, however, shall screening or landscaping be established so as to block the sight distance at street or drive intersections. Ground cover and trees with at least six feet of limbless trunk shall be permitted within the sight distance triangle. In the case of a street intersection, the sight triangle shall consist of the area between points 20 feet along both intersecting streets from their respective edge of pavements.
(Ord. 2010-29. Passed 7-5-10.)
1294.09 MODIFICATIONS.
The Board of Zoning Appeals shall have the authority to modify or waive any of the aforementioned requirements in this chapter in considering an individual site with respect to changes in elevation, environmental impact, durability of plant material, aesthetic appeal, and any other factor that will provide a compatible screen or buffer with the surrounding property or neighborhood at the time of application.
(Ord. 2010-29. Passed 7-5-10.)