Loading...
7.11. SR 02-27-19951 ~~ ITEM 7.11 MEMORANDUM 'ty of ~~ l~ ~ TO: Mayor and City Council River FROM: Steven B. Ach, City Planne~;,~e~~ DATE: February 27, 1995 SUBJECT: Code Amendment for Screening & Landscaping Standards, Section 900.30, Public Hearing Case No. OA 94-5 Issue Consider Ordinance No. 95- ,amending Section 900.30 of the Elk River City Code relating to Screening and Landscaping Standards. Previous Meetings • August 1, 1994 -City Council initiates code amendment (approved) • September 27, 1994 - Planning Commission holds public hearing (continued) • October 25, 1994 -Planning Commission holds public hearing (approved) • November 21, 1994 -City Council holds public hearing (continued) • December 27, 1994 -Planning Commission discusses ordinance • January 23, 1995 -City Council held public hearing (moved to have ordinance brought back in February) • February 27, 1995 -City Council -Ordinance presented for consideration. Attachments Ordinance 95- ,minutes from previous Planning Commission and City Council meetings. Analysis The proposed code amendment is being brought back to the City Council with relatively the same language as presented at last month's meeting. The two exceptions to this include: • correcting a few of the typos that were pointed out • modifying the language in the Performance Guarantee section to read as follows: 13065 Orono Parkway • P.O. Box 490 • Elk River, MN 55330 • (612) 441-7420 • Fax: (612) 441-7425 Memo to Mayor and City Council February 27, 1995 ---------------------------------------------- Page • (4) Performance Guarantee. If required landscape improvements have not been completed at the time a certificate is requested for occupancy of a property, a financial guarantee to ensure completion of the improvements shall be supplied prior to issuance of the certificate of occupancy. The financial guarantee shall be in an amount equal to approximately 50% of the value of the uncompleted landscape improvements, and shall be released upon completion of the required landscape improvements. Developers who have posted a previous financial guarantee in connection with the installation of public improvements shall not be required to post a separate guarantee, but the financial guarantee shall remain in place in an amount equal to approximately 50% of the value of uncompleted landscape improvements until all required landscape improvements are completed. In closing, the proposed code amendment is a culmination of numerous comments received to amend this section of the ordinance. For the most part, these amendments include reformatting this section of the ordinance, clarifying certain requirements that are already listed, and including a few • standards and statements consistent with the standards that have been most recently implemented on projects such as Elk Park Center and Hillside Crossing. s:council:oa94-5xx • ORDINANCE 95 CITY OF ELK RIVER AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 900.30 (SCREENING AND LANDSCAPING) OF THE CITY OF ELK RIVER CODE OF ORDINANCES The City Council of the City of Elk River does hereby ordain as follows: Section 1. The duly adopted Zoning Ordinance of the City of Elk River is hereby amended to read as follows: See Attached Section 2. That this Ordinance shall take effect and be in full force from and after the date of its publication. • Passed and adopted this 27th day of February, 1995, by the City Council of the City of Elk River. Henry A. Duitsman, Mayor ATTEST: Sandra A. Thackeray, City Clerk CJ s:ordinance:900.30 • CITY OF ELK RIVER ~~, ~~ • • LANDSCAPE REQUIREMENTS FEBRUARY 27, 1995 • • 900.30 - REGULATIONS ON SCREENING, LANDSCAPING, LIGHTING, STORAGE AND OUTDOOR DISPLAYS 1. `INTENT AND''PURPOSE A)> The purpose of this ordi .River's intent for all proK with great care.. Pro. sensitivity to envronmei of the general public. Ece is to clearly express the City of E'Ik es to be landscaped and``maintained ies shall be landscaped to express conditions as well as aesthetic `needs esig_ ned to add visvai .:.beauty to the nd quality of t'he design should b'e compatible with each zoning district and the intended use' of the >pro~erty'. Individual review of the landscape design will require »consstency>~with areas which have established unique concepts, 'desigr} patterns, and a high level of aesthetic value. G1>. The preservation of desirable vegetation is a goal which' should _be_ addressed ''prior 'to r~ew construction or expansion of an 'existi'ng use.' 2. ' DEFINITIONS For purposes of this Section, the terms listed below shall be defined as follows: CALIPER: _The length of a straight line measured through the trunk of a tree six (6) inches above the ground for up to and including a four (4) inch caliper size, and twelve (12) inches above the ground for larger sizes. CONIFEROUS/EVERGREEN TREE: A woody plant which, at maturity, is at least thirty (30) feet or more in height, with a single trunk, fully branched to the ground, having foliage on the outermost portion of the branches year-around. DECIDUOUS OVERSTORY SHADE TREE: A woody plant which, at maturity, is thirty (30) feet or more in height, with a single trunk unbranched for several feet above the ground, having a defined crown, and which loses leaves annually. Pagel 1:. • DECIDUOUS UNDERSTORY ORNAMENTAL TREE: A woody plant which, at maturity, is less than thirty (30) feet in height, with a single trunk, unbranched for several feet above the ground having a defined crown, and which loses leaves annually. GROUND COVER:'' Plants which are used for accents and/ar soil stdbilizati are typically 24-inches or iess in heigh'fi. LANDSCAPE: Site amenities, including trees, shrubs, ground covers, flowers, fencing, berms, retaining walls and other outdoor furnishings. MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT: Heating, ventilation, exhaust, air conditioning, and communication units integral to and located on top, beside, or adjacent to a building. i~ rar~lrvr-~r_,mar~~ rtf r~+hc~r mrr~~rir~l to c~raan nvtorinr SCREENING: A barrier which blocks all views from public roads and adjacent differing land uses to off-street parking areas, loading areas, service and utility areas, and mechanical equipment. 3. ~a-~-a~~c--a~€r~~Screening - All nonresidential principal and accessory uses including off-street parking except business signs which are situated within fifty (50) feet of a residential district, shall be screened from such district b rL a wall, fence and/or • landscaping of not less than eighty percent (80%) opacity. Page ?2 • C. - Walls, -er fences ~f ~°c~°~ "°~~"~° or planting screens may be permitted if the nature or extent of the use being screened is such that a lesser decree of screening will adequately promote and protect the use and enjoyment of the properties in the adjacent residential district, or that screening of the type required by this ordinance would interfere with the provision of adequate amounts of light and air to said properties. ~' -Double fronted residential buildings and ,lots along said collector or arterial'>s streets sha11 be screened with:. a fifteen (15) foot easement area ..for Iandscapin,~. Screening shall be accomplished by a combination ©f earth b'erming and planting_ -' In a'fl districts, mechanical eq~iprnent and other sirnitar features shall be screened from adiacen'# properties and public streets with'the a'pplicatian of landscaping, designed to be compatible with the architectural treatment of the principal structure or in the event the above cannot-be accomplished,: p,cxintin~ced of equipment to match the building,>. - ' All external loading and service areas accessory to buildings shall be>> screened from the ground level view when facing residential district_ or public streets, except at access points, with architectural enhancements, walls and/or landscaping. 4. Landscaping a:--A. General Requirement Applicable to all Districts. =All exposed ground areas surrounding or within a principal or accessory use, including street boulevards, which are not devoted to drives, sidewalks, patios, or other such uses shall be landscaped with grass, shrubs, trees, or other living ornamental landscape materials. =All landscaped areas shall be kept neat, clean and uncluttered. - No landscaped area shall be used for the parking of vehicles or the storage or display of materials, supplies. or merchandise. =Undisturbed areas of existing natural vegetation maintained free of noxious weeds need not be altered. • - A reasonable attempt shall be made to preserve as many existing trees as is practical and to incorporate them into the proposed development plan. Page 3 • ~i#-e-~~ic~n: - Slopes greater than Ito--three (~ feet vertical' (3:1) 'will riot be permitted without approval n+~~ City. Only .under sbecial conditions or unique circumsta Slopes'' adacent to pedestrian s sedimentation areas and other slope greater than 4:1 - In all multi-family ai maintained/manicuredtandsca~ irrigation systems. industrial z~ within landscaped,areas adiace stems, insEope of i water or wetland feat ~d commercial zc Itoon ~; Dina districts must have irrigation 'syste t to public right of vvay. k~-B. Landscaping Requirements in Multifamily Districts, Commercial Districts, and Industrial Districts and Nonresidential Uses in Residential Districts. i. Application of Requirements. All properties shall comply with the requirements of this section when new development +sor expansions are to occur on these properties, except for single dwelling unit or two family unit IotS, , r _ ii. Landscape Plan Requirements. Landscape plans shall be prepared by a landscape architect or other qualified individual-acceptable to the .City Landscape plans shall be drawn to a scale of not less than one winch equals 58fift 50 feet and shall include the following information: (a) name and address of property owner and/or developer (b) name of project (c) name of prepaeer of plan (d) date of plan preparation (e) boundary lines of the property with accurate dimensions. Note scale and north arrow. (f) locations of existing and proposed buildings, parking lots, public roads, . easements and other improvements Page 4.= • Is) (g) location, approximate size and common name of existing trees (~}~ planting schedule containing: - symbols - quantities - common names and botanical names - size of plant materials -root condition specifications - special planting instructions (}i) planting details illustrating proposed locations of all new plant material landscaping related improvements. (fi) details of restoration of disturbed areas including areas to be sodded and seeded (ek) location of existing wetlands • iii. Minimum Requirements. All open areas of a lot which are not used and improved for required parking areas, drives or storage shall be landscaped .with : a combination '' 'o# -overstory ;, rees, u~de~s#-e~ ornamen#al ' trees;' coniferous trees, ..shrubs, flowers, and' turf or ground cover materiai's'. The number 'of trees' on- the lot tract, or parcel, shall not _be less than the perimeter of the described area'as measured in feet divided by forty (40]. r-yes...... ,°^r $rrwr$ rvc rv-.r~rca ~rnt~ ire fac~+ rJ'~,irdor~l h~~ fr~rf'~~ I X1(11 (a) Overstory 'Trees. Fifty percent (50~) of-the required trees shah 'be overstory trees. Page 5 . (b) Ornamental Trees. fir=~w-o..~~r-rya ~-"n,e n,t~-i--#r~E ,tti~'~'-~~-~nrr~°r'-r-rt--~5~ for b~ Twenty-five percent (25%) of the required trey >trees.> (c) Coniferous Trees. Twenty-five percenf'(25 _coniferous trees. ~(d~ In order to accomplish an adequate buff (e) Minimum Size and Root Condition of Required fiery-Trees. --~a~~~~as- overstorytree~; ~>two (2) inches in diameter as measured six (6J' .inches above the' ground and trees>must be balled and burlapped. ornamental trees: 'one 'and one-half (1 112) inches in diameter as>~, measured ``six (~ inches above the ground and trees must be balled and • ''burla'p~aed. - coniferous trees: ##v~-(5} t~-si~ ¢~;=,~~+~h~~gl~tsix (61 feet in height and trees must be balled a'nd burlapped. (f) Species. - all required trees shall be comprised of species which are classified as overstory, ornamental, and coniferous trees by the American Nurseryman's Association. - not more than 50 percent (50%) of the required number of overstory or ornamental trees shall be c^~~~~°~' comprised of one species. - all plant materials shall be' indigenous to the hardiness zone of the area in which the City is','located. 'The" use of drought'toierant plant materials are encoura ed to meet Iandsca in re uirements. (~~) Credit for Oversizing Required ~ Trees. The total number of required overstory trees may be reduced by one tree for each new deciduous tree measuring four and one-half (4-1 /2) inches or more in diameter, or each new coniferous tree measuring ten (10) feet or more in height, which is planted on the lot or tract. In no event, however, shall this fir--~~ ur-~r~g--a--zr# r sec 's shall be>ornamental of the required treesshc er Page 6~ credit result in a reduction in the total number of required trees by more than twenty-five percent (25%) . (#h} Credit for Existing Trees. The total number of required new ~~-~~°,~~r~ trees may be offset by the retention of existing-~~~tery trees on the lot provided that such trees satisfy the requirements of this section as to size and species. A sliding scale shall be used to determine the amount of credit for existing trees. Existing trees between four (4) inches in diameter and less than eight (8) inches in diameter will receive credit for one (1) tree. Existing trees eight (8) inches in diameter or greater will receive credit for two (2) trees. ~ Credit can not exceed fifty percent (5Q%~of the total rec{uirement. ice:--,jj~ Maintenance. The property owner of the lot upon which-t-i~ required landscaping or screening is located shall maintain all materials in a sightly and healthy growing condition (i~ Placement of Plant Materials. . All reauired landscapina sh building, facility, _or structures. pubH~ right-of-way>unless appr • (21 Plant materia'Is shall be 'Ic utilities. _,, X31 ,At all ' intersectio lar~dsca e 'materials t intersecting stree s. 5. Enforcement. >ight Visibility triang lot occupied. by the usE all be located within art reasonable ..access to a > shall be kept clear c fight lines of, motorists c (~1) Installation. All landscape improvements required by this subsection shall be installed by the owner no later than one year after the issuance of a building permit for the subject property. Replacement of any dead trees shrubs ground covers and soddingshall be _respons~biuTV or me properry owner. (~2) Inspection. .Twelve. (12) months after the date of issuance of a! building permit, the ~+ldira~--~ff+c-i-a~City si~a61=--may conducf a field inspection' of the subject site to assure compliance with'''the requirements of this` ordinance and implementation of the approved landscape plan.. • NO IandscaK>l Page 7 • rvflor Oho 'e ~f Iho f'nr.l f ori'{'.+rv Fo ..( (1~.~ .. 4... iL... e.-F (d3) Exceptions and Adjustments. Where a strict application of this subsection is not possible due to unique topographic landform, irregular lot shape or historic features worthy of preservation, the applicant may present an alternative landscape and screening plan to the City-I'll~i~g ~'^~n^~fifi3^~ for alternate approval. j41 Performance Guarantee. If required landscape improvements have not been completed at the time a certificate is requested for occupancy of a property, a financial guarantee to ensure completion of the improvements shall be supplied prior to issuance of the certificate of occupancy. The financial guarantee shall be in an amount equal to approximately 50% of the value of the uncompleted landscape improvements, and shall be released upon completion of the required landscape improvements. Developers who have posted a previous financial guarantee in connection with the installation of public improvements shall not be required to post a separate guarantee, but the financial guarantee shall remain in place in an amount equal to approximately 50% of the value of uncompleted landscape improvements until all required landscape improvements are_ • completed. b Interior Parking Area L All off-street. parking areas shall 'include unpaved, landscaped islands that are reasonably distributed throughout the>pgrking area. These islands should> be located to break' up expanses of paved areas and facilitate' traffic' control IL' `Landscaped islands should be sized and-designed to adequately support' `landscap,ing. 7. >~ Preservation of Woodland Areas I. In order to>;.retain, as far as practicable, substantial tree stands'as part of` urban development. -tea tree preservation plan should be submitted to the City prior to removing trees or commencing construction. • Page 8~