Chapter 17.302
LANDSCAPING AND SCREENING
Sections:
17.302.040 General requirements.
17.302.050 Minimum landscape area.
17.302.060 Screening and buffering.
17.302.070 Street trees and parking lot trees.
17.302.080 Landscape installation and maintenance.
17.302.010 Purpose.
This chapter establishes standards for landscaping, screening and buffering. It is intended to protect public health and safety, while maintaining compatibility with adjacent land uses and thereby protecting property values. [Ord. 521-2013 § 3 (Exh. A)].
17.302.020 Applicability.
This chapter applies to all projects subject to site development review (Chapter 17.402 DMC) and to subdivisions and other projects where landscaping, screening and/or buffering is proposed with development or is required as a condition of approval. [Ord. 521-2013 § 3 (Exh. A)].
17.302.030 Approvals process.
A. Review Process. Landscaping plans shall be submitted as required by the site development review procedures of Chapter 17.402 DMC, and shall be reviewed by the city pursuant to DMC 17.401.030, Type II reviews.
B. Adjustments. The city may adjust the standards of this section pursuant to Chapter 17.406 DMC. [Ord. 521-2013 § 3 (Exh. A)].
17.302.040 General requirements.
A. For purposes of satisfying the minimum requirements of this section, a “landscaped area” must be planted in lawn, ground cover plants, shrubs, annuals, perennials or trees, or desirable native vegetation, or be used for other landscape elements as defined in this code.
B. Landscaping shall be designed, developed, and maintained to satisfy the specific functional and aesthetic objectives appropriate to the development and the district, considering the following:
1. Type, variety, scale and number of plants used;
2. Placement and spacing of plants;
3. Size and location of landscaped areas;
4. Contouring, shaping and preparation of landscaped areas;
5. Use and placement of nonplant elements within the landscaping.
C. The review authority may grant the applicant credit for landscaping in the public right-of-way. The review authority shall consider the need for future use of the right-of-way for street purposes when granting approval for credit under this section.
D. The landscape design shall incorporate existing significant trees and vegetation preserved on the site. [Ord. 521-2013 § 3 (Exh. A)].
17.302.050 Minimum landscape area.
The minimum area requirements are as follows:
A. C, CBD, LI, and P Zones.
1. In the CBD, LI, and P zones, a minimum of 10 percent of the gross lot area shall be landscaped.
2. In the C zone, a minimum of 15 percent of the gross lot area shall be landscaped.
3. In a commercial zone pedestrian courtyards, plazas, walkways, fountains, benches, sculptures, or decks may be included within the required landscaping percentage if they are designed in conjunction with planting of street trees and potted plants and, upon design review, these features are found consistent with the purpose and intent set forth in this code.
4. Landscaping required under other sections of this code, including, but not limited to, parking lot landscaping pursuant to DMC 17.302.060 and landscaping within front setback areas pursuant to DMC 17.202.060(C), may be included in and counted towards the required landscaping percentage. If landscaping required under other sections of this code exceeds 10 percent of the gross lot area, the full amount of landscaping required under other sections shall still be required.
5. The required landscape area for all zones must be visible from the public right-of-way.
B. Multifamily Developments. A minimum of 25 percent of the gross land area shall be devoted to landscaping in multifamily developments. Interior courtyards, atriums, solar greenhouses, walkways, outdoor recreation areas (e.g., pools and playgrounds) and roof gardens may be included with general landscaped areas in the calculation of this percentage. [Ord. 547-2016 § 1; Ord. 534-2014 § 1 (Exh. A); Ord. 521-2013 § 3 (Exh. A)].
17.302.060 Screening and buffering.
Where required by code, or where placed as a condition of approval, screening and buffering shall meet all of the following minimum requirements:
A. Required Screening. Screening shall be used to eliminate or reduce the visual impacts of the uses in subsections (A)(1) through (7) of this section:
1. Commercial and industrial uses when abutting residential uses;
2. Industrial uses when abutting commercial uses;
3. Service areas and facilities, including garbage and waste disposal containers, recycling bins, and loading areas;
4. Outdoor storage areas;
5. At- and above-grade electrical and mechanical equipment, such as transformers, heat pumps, and air conditioners;
6. Rooftop mechanical equipment;
7. Any other area or use as required by this code.
B. Methods of Screening. Screening shall be accomplished by the use of sight-obscuring plant materials (generally evergreens), earth berms, walls, fences, building parapets, building placement, or other design techniques, as appropriate to the site given its visibility from adjacent uses and rights-of-way. (See also DMC 17.202.050 for fence regulations.)
C. Parking Lot Landscaping and Screening Standards. All new parking lots or expansions of existing parking lots, which for purposes of this section include areas of vehicle maneuvering, parking, and loading, shall be landscaped and screened as follows:
1. Screening Required. Parking lots shall be screened adjacent to lot lines as follows:
a. Any parking area or drive aisle adjacent to an interior lot line shall be screened by a five-foot landscaped strip. Where the parking area is located adjacent to an R-1 or R-2 zoning district, the landscaped strip shall also include an opaque fence to block light trespass from headlights onto adjacent properties. Where additional screening is required between zones, the screening shall be incorporated into the required buffer strip, and shall not be an additional requirement.
b. Any parking area adjacent to a front lot line along a public right-of-way shall be screened by a 10-foot landscaped strip.
2. Screen Height. The screen required under subsection (C)(1) of this section shall be designed and planted to grow to be at least 36 inches higher than the finished grade of the parking area within one year of planting; except for required vision clearance areas, the screen height may be achieved by a combination of earth mounding and plant materials or a combination of a 36-inch wall and plant materials. Where the parking area to be screened is above the adjacent grade, such screening shall cover both the parking and the retaining wall or slope, as applicable.
3. Parking Lot Landscaping. Landscaping within or adjacent to a parking lot shall consist of a minimum of six percent of the total parking area plus a ratio of one tree per 15 parking spaces, except that landscaping within or adjacent to a parking lot containing more than 20 parking spaces in the C zone shall consist of a minimum of 10 percent of the total parking area plus a ratio of one tree per 10 parking spaces. Trees and landscaping shall be installed as follows:
a. The tree species shall be an appropriate large canopied shade tree selected from the street tree list of DMC 17.302.070 to avoid root damage to pavement and utilities, and damage from droppings to parked cars and pedestrians.
b. The tree shall be planted in a landscaped area such that the tree bole is at least three feet from any curb or paved area.
c. The landscaped area shall be planted with shrubs, grass, or living ground cover to assure 80 percent coverage within two years.
d. That portion of a required landscaped yard, buffer strip or screening strip abutting parking stalls may be counted toward required parking lot landscaping as long as the tree species, living plant material coverage, placement and distribution criteria are also met.
e. Landscaping should be evenly distributed throughout the parking area and perimeter.
D. Required Buffers. Buffering shall be used to mitigate adverse visual impacts, dust, noise or pollution, and to provide for compatibility between dissimilar adjoining uses.
E. Methods of Buffering. Where buffering is determined to be necessary, one of the following buffering alternatives shall be employed:
1. Planting Area. Width not less than 15 feet, planted with the following materials:
a. At least one row of deciduous or evergreen trees staggered and spaced not more than 15 feet apart; and
b. At least one row of evergreen shrubs which will grow to form a continuous hedge at least five feet in height within one year of planting; and
c. Lawn, low-growing evergreen shrubs or evergreen ground cover covering the balance of the area.
2. Berm plus Planting Area. Width not less than 10 feet, developed in accordance with the following standards:
a. Berm form shall not slope more than 40 percent (2.5H:1V) on the side away from the area screened from view (the slope for the other side (screened area) may vary); and
b. A dense evergreen hedge shall be located so as to most effectively buffer the proposed use; and
c. Combined total height of the berm plus the hedge shall be at least five feet within one year of planting.
3. Wall plus Planting Area. Width must not be less than five feet developed in accordance with the following standards:
a. A masonry wall or fence not less than five feet in height; and
b. Lawn, low growing evergreen shrubs, and evergreen ground cover covering the balance of the area.
4. Other methods that produce an adequate buffer considering the nature of the impacts to be mitigated, as approved by the review authority. [Ord. 547-2016 § 1; Ord. 534-2014 § 1 (Exh. A); Ord. 521-2013 § 3 (Exh. A)].
17.302.070 Street trees and parking lot trees.
A. Applicability. Street trees within the public right-of-way shall be provided in accordance with street design standards in the City of Dundee Transportation System Plan. Trees in landscape strips on private property adjacent to a public right-of-way may be required elsewhere in this code. Required trees in or adjacent to the public right-of-way shall be subject to the standards of this section.
B. Type of Tree. Tree planting must conform to the list of recommended trees below. Trees that are known to severely damage utilities, streets, or sidewalks or create hazards shall be avoided. Approval of any planting list is subject to review.
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The following tree species are recommended for use as street and parking lot trees: |
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Trees maturing to small mature stature: |
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Common Name |
Latin Name |
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Amur Maple |
Acer ginnala |
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Trident Maple |
Acer buergeranum |
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Hedge Maple |
Acer campestre |
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Globe Norway |
Acer calleryana |
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Bradford Pear (varieties: “aristocrat,” “chanticleer,” etc.) |
Pyrus calleryana |
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Golden Rain Tree |
Koelreuteria paniculata |
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Redbud (needs protection from southwest sun) |
Cercis canadensis |
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Kwanzan Cherry |
Prunus serrulata |
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Crape Myrtle |
Lagerstroemia indica |
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Flowering Plum (Flireiana, Thundercloud, etc.) |
Prunus cerasifera |
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Raywood Ash |
Fraxinus oxycarpa |
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Flame Ash |
Fraxinus oxycarpa |
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Snowdrift Flowering Crabapple |
Malus “snowdrift” |
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Japanese Crabapple |
Malus floribunada |
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Washington Hawthorne |
Crataegus phaenopyrum |
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European Hornbeam |
Carpinus betulus |
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Profusion Crabapple |
Malus “profusion” |
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The following tree species are recommended for use as street and parking lot trees: |
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Trees maturing to medium or large stature: |
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Common Name |
Latin Name |
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Sargent Cherry |
Prunus sargentii |
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Sweet Gum |
Liquidamber styraciflua |
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Marshall’s Seedless Ash |
Fraxinus pennsylvanica |
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Kimberly Blue Ash |
Fraxinus excelsior |
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Rosehill Ash |
Fraxinus americana |
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Flowering Ash |
Fraxinus ornus |
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Norway Maple Cultivars |
Acer platinoides |
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Red Maple Cultivars |
Acer rubrum |
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Scarlet Oak |
Quercus coccinea |
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Red Oak |
Quercus rubra |
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Canyon Live Oak (evergreen) |
Quercus chrysolepis |
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Holly Oak (evergreen) |
Quercus ilex |
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English Oak |
Quercus robur |
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Chinese Pistachio |
Pistacia chinensis |
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Variegated Box Elder |
Acer negundo |
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Ginkgo |
Ginkgo biloba |
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Grecian Laurel |
Laurus nobilis |
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Japanese Zelkova |
Zelkova serrata |
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Amur Cork Tree |
Phellodendron amurense |
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Thornless Honey Locust |
Gleditsia triancanthos |
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The following trees are not allowed as street trees except under special circumstances and with the approval of the review authority. As street trees they cause one or more of the following problems: (1) their roots damage sewer lines or pavement; (2) they are particularly subject to disease or insects; (3) they cause visibility problems along streets or intersections; (4) they create messy sidewalks and pavements, usually due to fruit drop. |
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Common Name |
Latin Name |
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Evergreen Conifers |
numerous species |
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Poplar and related species |
Populus tricocarpa |
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Black Locust |
Robinia psuedoacacia |
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Box Elder (except variegated) |
Acer negundo |
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Sycamore |
Platanus species |
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Siberian Elm |
Ulmus pumila |
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American Elm |
Ulmus americana |
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Walnut |
Juglans species |
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Weeping Willow |
Saxix babylonica |
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Commercial Fruit Trees |
numerous species |
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Catalpa |
Catalpa speciosa |
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Tree of Heaven |
Ailanthus altissima |
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Big Leaf Maple |
Acer macrophyllum |
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Fruiting Mulberry |
Morus alba |
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Osage Orange |
Maclura pomifera |
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Weeping varieties of various trees: i.e., cherry, mulberry, crabapple |
numerous species |
C. Minimum Size to Be Installed. Street trees and other trees planted in accordance with this code shall have a minimum caliper of two inches measured four feet in height at the time of installation.
D. Spacing. The spacing of street trees by size of tree shall be as follows:
1. Small or narrow stature trees, under 25 feet tall and less than 16 feet wide, shall be spaced not greater than 20 feet apart.
2. Medium sized trees, between 25 feet and 40 feet tall and more than 35 feet wide, shall be spaced no greater than 30 feet apart.
3. Large trees over 40 feet tall and more than 35 feet wide shall be spaced no greater than 40 feet apart.
E. Placement. The placement of street trees is subject to review. Tree placement shall not interfere with utility poles, light standards, power lines, utility services, vision clearance, or required sidewalk access.
F. Exceptions to Street Tree Standards. The city may approve exceptions to the street tree standards where one or more of the following conditions are met:
1. The location of a proposed tree would cause potential problems with existing utility lines; or
2. The tree would cause vision clearance problems; or
3. There is not adequate space in which to plant street trees; or
4. Street trees have already been planted on the site. [Ord. 534-2014 § 1 (Exh. A); Ord. 521-2013 § 3 (Exh. A)].
17.302.080 Landscape installation and maintenance.
All landscaping required by this code shall be continually maintained pursuant to this section. Appropriate methods of care and maintenance of landscaped plant material shall be provided by the owner of the property, including necessary watering, weeding, pruning, mowing, and replacement, as applicable, in a substantially similar manner as was approved by the city or as otherwise required by applicable city regulations. The following standards apply to all landscaping required by this code:
A. Clear Vision. No sight-obscuring plantings exceeding 24 inches in height shall be located within any required clear vision area as defined in DMC 17.301.040.
B. Pedestrian Areas. Landscape plant materials shall be kept clear of walks, pedestrian paths, and seating areas; trees shall be pruned to a minimum height of eight feet over pedestrian areas and to a minimum height of 15 feet over streets and vehicular traffic areas.
C. Utilities. Landscape plant materials shall be selected and maintained so that they do not generally interfere with utilities above or below ground.
D. Nursery Standards. Required landscape plant material shall be installed to current nursery industry standards. Landscape plant materials shall be properly guyed and staked to current industry standards as necessary. Stakes and guy wires shall not interfere with vehicular or pedestrian traffic.
E. Plant Selection. Plant materials shall be suited to the conditions under which they will be growing. As an example, plants to be grown in exposed, windy areas where permanent irrigation is not to be provided should be sufficiently hardy to thrive under these conditions. Plants should have vigorous root systems and be sound, healthy, and free from defects, diseases, and infections.
F. Deciduous Trees. Deciduous trees, where required to provide shade (e.g., over parking lots or walkways), shall be fully branched and have a minimum caliper of two inches a minimum height of eight feet at the time of planting. Deciduous trees intended to serve as ornamental (nonshade) trees may be smaller, but shall not be less than one and one-half inch caliper, at time of planting.
G. Evergreen Trees. Evergreen trees shall be a minimum of six feet in height, fully branched, at time of planting.
H. Shrubs. Shrubs shall be supplied in minimum one-gallon containers or eight-inch burlap balls with a minimum spread of 12 to 15 inches.
I. Ground Cover. Ground cover shall consist of not less than 50 percent live plant material. Such plants shall be spaced in accordance with current nursery industry standards to achieve covering of the planting area, with rows of plants staggered for a more effective covering. Ground cover plants shall be supplied in a minimum four-inch size container or equivalent if planted 18 inches on center; and nonliving material used for ground cover shall be limited to compost, bark chips, and other city-approved pervious materials.
J. Irrigation. Except in wooded areas, wetlands, flood plains, or along natural drainage channels or stream banks, where the city may waive irrigation requirements, all developments are required to provide appropriate methods of irrigation for the landscaping. Sites with more than 1,000 square feet of total landscaped area shall be irrigated with automatic sprinkler systems to ensure the continued health and attractiveness of the plant materials. Hose bibs and manually operated methods of irrigation may be used for landscaped areas totaling less than 1,000 square feet. Sprinkler heads shall be located and installed to not cause any hazard to the public.
K. Protection of Plants. Landscape plant material shall be protected from damage due to heavy equipment during construction. After construction, landscape plant material and irrigation shall be protected from damage due to heavy foot traffic or vehicular traffic by protective tree grates, bollards, raised curbs, wheel stops, pavers or other suitable methods.
L. Performance Guarantee. Except where the review authority requires installation of landscaping prior to issuance of building permits, all landscaping required by this code and approved by the city shall be installed prior to issuance of a final occupancy permit unless security equal to 110 percent of the cost of the landscaping is filed with the city assuring such installation within six months of occupancy. The applicant will obtain cost estimates for landscape materials and installation to the satisfaction of the review authority prior to approval of the security. “Security” may consist of a faithful performance bond payable to the city, cash, certified check, time certificate of deposit, assignment of a savings account, or other such assurance of completion as approved by the city attorney.
M. Maintenance Guarantee. The developer or builder, as applicable, shall guarantee all landscape material for a period of one year from the date of installation. A copy of the guarantee shall be furnished to the city by the developer.
N. Final Inspection. The city planning official, prior to the city returning any security provided under this chapter, shall make the final landscape inspection. Any portions of the plan not installed, not installed properly, or not properly maintained shall cause the inspection to be postponed until the project is completed. If the installation of the landscaping is not completed properly within six months of such postponement, or within an extension of time authorized by the city, the city may use the security to complete the installation. Any portion of the security that remains after installation of the landscaping shall be returned to the applicant. [Ord. 521-2013 § 3 (Exh. A)].