§ 14-5. Specific landscaping requirements.

14-5.1.

Street yards.

(A)

It is the intent of this section to establish a landscape planting area, hereinafter called a "street yard", adjacent and parallel to the street right of way, but not within it, having the minimum dimensions as required by subsection (C) below, and containing plantings of trees, and which shall be grassed, and/or mulched with organic material and may contain other plantings of shrubs and/or flowers.

(B)

The purpose of street yards is to provide a more pleasing view from the ways of travel, to provide for a continuity of vegetation throughout the zoning jurisdiction of the city, to reduce the amount of impervious surface and stormwater runoff, to filter air, provide shade, and otherwise improve the microclimate and to preserve a remnant of the local natural vegetation cover. Such landscaping may allow for the identification of buildings.

(C)

Every lot shall be provided with a street yard in each yard abutting a street, except that lots abutting more than two streets with less than 20,000 square feet of land area, shall not be required to have more than two street yards.

(D)

Each street yard shall have a minimum width of five feet, a maximum width of 25 feet, and an average width of not less than eight feet. No street yard shall be required in any yard abutting an alley.

(E)

Impervious surfaces, such as driveways, within a street yard shall not exceed 25 percent of the required street yard area, except as provided below:

EXCEPTION #1: Not more than two driveways, 25 feet in width each, may be permitted for any lot having a street frontage of 200 linear feet or less.

EXCEPTION #2: Where an existing developed lot with existing driveways that exceed the allowable 25 percent of the required street yard is to be redeveloped, the existing driveways may be reused and/or reconstructed:

(1)

Up to 50 percent of the width of the lot at the street frontage for lots with more than 100 feet but not more than 200 feet of street frontage; and

(2)

Up to 100 percent of the width of the lot at the street frontage for lots with more than 200 feet but not more than 400 feet of street frontage.

(F)

Each street yard shall contain at least one large maturing tree or two small maturing trees for every 50 linear feet of street yard, or fraction thereof, as measured from the corners of the lot, and such trees shall be located so that at least one such tree will be within each 75 linear feet of street yard. Where such trees are to be grouped or clustered, large maturing trees shall be spaced at least 20 feet apart, trunk to trunk, and small maturing trees shall be spaced at least 12 feet apart, trunk to trunk.

(G)

A large maturing tree shall mean any tree, evergreen or deciduous, which normally grows to an average mature height of at least 35 feet, and a mature crown spread of at least 30 feet, and shall have a caliper of at least two inches and a minimum height of 12 feet at planting in accordance with AAN (American Association of Nurserymen) standards. Any tree not meeting the above dimensional standards shall be considered a small maturing tree. Each small maturing tree shall have a caliper of at least one inch and a height of at least eight feet at planting. Silver Maple, White Pine, Lombardy Poplar and Callery Pear Hybrids, including "Bradford", "Aristocrat", will not be permitted as required trees.

(H)

Trees shall not be planted under overhead electrical lines if such is prohibited by the owner of the electrical lines, in which case the required trees shall be planted at some other location on the subject property acceptable to the UDO administrator.

(I)

Adequate wheel stops or curbs shall be installed for the protection of required trees and plantings that are located or expected to grow to any point within five feet of a vehicular parking area. Such wheel stops or curbs shall be a minimum of six inches in height and shall be adequately anchored to the ground, and may be concrete, rot-resistant heavy timbers or other effective materials.

14-5.2.

Vehicular parking areas.

(A)

A vehicular parking area is an outdoor open area on a lot where motor vehicles are parked or driven. They include parking lots, driveways, aisles between rows of parking, and other similar areas, but do not include parking decks and structures, loading and unloading areas, utility service areas, and display areas. Such parking areas may be surfaced with grass, bare ground, asphalt, concrete, gravel or other material.

(B)

The intent of this section is to provide for trees and planting areas within or adjacent to such vehicular parking areas in order to modify and reduce the deleterious visual, environmental, and aesthetic effects of such areas. These requirements have been developed to:

(1)

Reduce the rate of stormwater runoff and increase the capability of groundwater recharge in urban areas.

(2)

Provide shade, noise management, aid in the filtering of air from gaseous pollutants, and other beneficial environmental effects;

(3)

Prevent the overcrowding of land; and

(4)

Provide for live vegetation, a more pleasing view from the ways of travel, and from nearby properties and to break the visual blight created by large expanses of vehicular parking areas.

(C)

All vehicular parking areas shall be provided with at least one large maturing tree for each 2,000 square feet, or fraction thereof, of vehicular parking areas including drives. Such trees shall be located and arranged so that no tree trunk will be more than 75 feet from a designated vehicular parking space. For up to 25 percent of the number of large trees required, two small maturing trees may be substituted for one large maturing tree.

(D)

Such trees shall be planted within planting areas (i.e. islands) having a minimum of 300 square feet of contiguous growing area and a minimum dimension of seven feet for each large maturing tree and minimum of 200 square feet of contiguous growing area and a minimum dimension of five feet for each small maturing tree.

(E)

These required planting areas shall contain planting soil suitable for the plantings and conditions, and shall be grassed and/or mulched with organic material so that no bare ground is exposed. The areas may contain other plantings of shrubs or flowers.

(F)

Trees shall not be planted under overhead electrical lines if such is prohibited by the owner of the lines, in which case the required trees shall be planted at some other location on the subject property acceptable to the UDO administrator.

(G)

Adequate wheel stops or curbs shall be installed for the protection of trees and other plantings that are located or expected to grow to any point within five feet of a vehicular parking area, including drives, etc. Such wheel stops or curbs shall be a minimum of six inches in height and shall be adequately anchored to the ground, and may be of concrete, rot resistant heavy timbers, or other effective materials.

14-5.3.

Trash container and dumpster screens/buffers.

(A)

The large metal boxes commonly known as "dumpsters" are a type of trash container as such term is used herein. Such dumpsters are, however, referred to in this section by specific name for purposes of emphasis and clarity.

(B)

It is the intent of this section to provide for visual screens and/or buffers between trash container and dumpster locations and all street rights-of-way and adjoining properties.

(C)

Trash containers and dumpsters shall not be located in the front yard of any property and shall be screened from view on all sides, except for one opening not greater than ten feet in width to allow for service access.

(D)

Screens and/or buffers intended to satisfy the requirements of this section shall consist of plant materials, earthen berms or closed (solid) fences or walls or a combination thereof, which will restrict the view from street rights-of-way and/or abutting properties to a height of at least eight feet above adjacent ground elevation year round. The fence or wall may be composed of brick, finished concrete, mortar, treated wood, stone, masonry units, or a combination of the above. The wall shall have a solid appearance. Unless composed of rock or brick, it shall be painted. Plant materials shall be evergreen shrubs at least four feet in height at planting, shall be a species that can be expected to reach a height of at least eight feet within two years of planting, and shall be planted and maintained in accordance with acceptable horticultural standards. Spacing between individual shrubs shall not exceed five feet on center.

(E)

On existing sites with dumpsters where a dumpster site may be impractical for placement due to existing structures, unusual topography or elevation or the location or size of the parcel, the planning director may alter the requirements of this section provided the spirit and intent of the dumpster screening as outlined in section 14-5.3 of the ordinance is maintained. Such an alteration may occur only at the request of the property owner, who shall submit a site plan to the planning director. The planning director shall have no authority to provide said relief unless the property owner demonstrates that the existing site features will prohibit a property from maintaining a dumpster screen.

(Ord. No. 1-2006, § 1, 1-9-2006; Ord. No. 30-2009, § 1, 7-20-2009; Ord. No. 20-2013, 7-15-2013)