Chapter 18.50
LANDSCAPING AND SCREENING
Sections:
18.50.010 Intent.
18.50.020 Scope.
18.50.030 Definitions.
18.50.040 Types of landscaping.
18.50.050 Regulations by zone.
18.50.060 General landscape requirements.
18.50.070 Landscape maintenance requirements.
18.50.080 Modification of landscaping requirements.
18.50.010 Intent.
The intent of this chapter is to provide minimum landscaping and screening requirements in order to maintain and protect property values, to enhance the city’s appearance, to visually unify the city and its neighborhoods, to improve the character of certain areas of the city, to reduce erosion and storm water runoff, and to maintain or replace existing vegetation and to prevent and abate public nuisances. (Ord. 4914 § 1, 1996; Ord. 4773 § 1, 1995; Ord. 4229 § 2, 1987.)
18.50.020 Scope.
A. This chapter applies to all uses and activities developed in the city excluding single-family and duplex units on individual lots.
B. When additions, alterations, or repairs of any existing building or structure exceed 50 percent of the value of the building or structure, or a residential use is converted to a nonresidential use, then such building or structure shall be considered to be a new use and landscaping provided accordingly; provided, that if any existing foundation or fence layout precludes full compliance herewith, then the landscaping requirements may be modified by the planning director. (Ord. 4914 § 1, 1996; Ord. 4304 § 1(33), 1988; Ord. 4229 § 2, 1987.)
18.50.030 Definitions.
For the purpose of this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
A. “Deciduous trees” are a minimum of one and one-half to two inches in diameter at the time of planting;
B. “Evergreen trees” are a minimum of four to six feet in height at the time of planting and may include either broadleaf or conifer;
C. “Groundcover” means low evergreen or deciduous plantings planted at three-foot spacing, in all directions;
D. “Shrubs” are a minimum of 18 to 24 inches in height, or two gallons, at the time of planting;
E. “Significant trees” means a healthy evergreen tree, six inches or more in diameter measured four feet above grade; or a healthy deciduous tree four inches or more in diameter measured four feet above grade. The planning director may authorize the exclusion of any significant tree which for the reason of public health, safety or reasonable site development is not desirable to maintain. (Ord. 4914 § 1, 1996; Ord. 4229 § 2, 1987.)
18.50.040 Types of landscaping.
A. Type I – Solid Screen. Type I landscaping is intended to provide a significant sight barrier to separate incompatible uses. Type I landscaping shall consist of evergreen trees or tall shrubs, a minimum of six feet in height at the time of planting, which will provide a 100 percent sight-obscuring screen within three years from the time of planting; or a combination of evergreen trees or deciduous trees, planted 20 feet on center with no more than 30 percent being deciduous and backed by a 100 percent sight-obscuring fence. In addition to the trees, shrubs shall be planted at four-foot spacing, in all directions, and groundcover provided.
B. Type II – Visual Screen. Type II landscaping is intended to create a visual separation between different uses or zones. Type II landscaping shall consist of evergreen and deciduous trees, with no more than 50 percent being deciduous, planted 20 feet on center. In addition to the trees, shrubs shall be planted at three-foot spacing, in all directions, and groundcover provided.
C. Type III – Visual Buffer. Type III landscaping is intended to provide a visual separation of uses from the street and the visual separation of compatible uses. Type III landscaping shall consist of evergreen and deciduous trees, with no more than 75 percent being deciduous, planted 30 feet on center. In addition to the trees, shrubs shall be planted at four-foot spacing in all directions, and groundcover provided.
D. Type IV – See-Through Buffer. Type IV landscaping is intended to provide a visual relief between compatible uses. Type IV landscaping shall consist of deciduous trees, planted 30 feet on center, shrubs planted at four-foot spacing, in all directions, and groundcover provided. (Ord. 4914 § 1, 1996; Ord. 4304 § 1(34), (35), 1988; Ord. 4229 § 2, 1987.)
18.50.050 Regulations by zone.
A. R-R, R-S, LHRS, R-1, LHR1, R-2, LHR2, R-3, and LHR3 Districts. Landscaping shall only be required in conjunction with a conditional use permit. The type and amount to be determined at that time the CUP is approved.
B. R-4 and LHR4 Districts.
1. Street frontage: five-foot width of Type III;
2. Adjacent to R-R, R-S, LHRS, R-1, LHR1, R-2, or LHR2 zone: five-foot width of Type III, adjacent parking or driveways will require a five-foot width of Type II;
3. Adjacent to R-3 or LHR3 zone: five-foot width of Type IV, adjacent parking or driveways will require a five-foot width of Type III.
C. RO and RO-H Districts.
1. Street frontage: 10-foot width of Type III;
2. Adjacent to R-R, R-S, R-1, R-2, or R-3 zone: 10-foot width of Type III, adjacent parking or driveways will require a 10-foot width of Type II;
3. Adjacent to R-4, R-MHP: five-foot width of Type IV, adjacent parking or driveways will require a five-foot width of Type III.
D. I, LHI, C-1, LHC1, C-2, C-N, P-1, and LHP1 Districts.
1. Street frontage: five-foot width of Type III, no street frontage landscaping is required for the C-2 zone except for parking lots and as may be required by ACC 18.28.050(F);
2. Adjacent to R-R, R-S, LHRS, R-1, LHR1, R-2, LHR2, R-3, or LHR3 zone: five-foot width of Type II, adjacent parking or driveways will require a five-foot width of Type I;
3. Adjacent to R-4, LHR4, RO, RO-H, R‑MHP, or LHRMHP zone: five-foot width of Type III, adjacent parking or driveways will require a five-foot width of Type II.
E. C-3, LF Districts.
1. Street frontage: five-foot width of Type III;
2. Adjacent to R-R, R-S, R-1, R-2, or R-3 zone: 10-foot width of Type II, adjacent parking or driveways will require a 10-foot width of Type I;
3. Adjacent to R-4, RO, RO-H or R-MHP zone: 10-foot width of Type III, adjacent parking or driveways will require a 10-foot width of Type II;
4. Outdoor storage yards adjacent to any C, P, I or M-1 zone.
F. M-1 District.
1. Street frontage: 10-foot width of Type III, an additional 10-foot width will be required when loading and unloading docks face a street. In lieu of the additional 10-foot width of Type III landscaping, a Type II landscaping may be provided;
2. Adjacent to any R zone: 10-foot width of Type I;
3. Adjacent to I, C-1, C-2, P-1, or C-N zone: 10-foot width of Type II, adjacent outdoor storage yards will require a 10-foot width of Type I;
4. Adjacent to C-3, LF zone: 10-foot width of Type III, adjacent outdoor storage yards will require a 10-foot width of Type I;
5. For those buildings that have frontage on a street a minimum of a 10-foot width of Type III landscaping shall be placed next to the building;
6. Outdoor storage yards adjacent to other M-1 zoned property shall have a minimum width of a five-foot Type I landscaping;
7. Adjacent to the Interurban Trail. Outdoor storage yards adjacent to the Interurban Trail (regardless of the zoning of the Interurban Trail) shall have a minimum 10-foot width of Type I landscaping.
G. M-2 District.
1. Street frontage: 10-foot width of Type III;
2. Adjacent to any R zone: 30-foot width of Type I;
3. Adjacent to I, C-1, C-2, P-1, or C-N zone: 10-foot width of Type II, adjacent outdoor storage yards will require a 10-foot width of Type I;
4. Adjacent to C-3 or LF zone: 10-foot width of Type II, adjacent outdoor storage yards will require a 10-foot width of Type I;
5. For those buildings that have frontage on a street a minimum of a 10-foot width of Type II landscaping shall be placed next to the building.
H. BP District. The amount and type of landscaping shall be determined at the time of the approval of the business park. The landscaping requirements shall however be guided by the M-1 requirements and a minimum of 15 percent of the business park shall be landscaped.
I. EP District.
1. Except as provided for in subsection (I)(2) of this section, all required yards shall be landscaped with Type III landscaping.
2. The planning director may reduce the width of required landscaping by up to 50 percent for projects employing drip irrigation or similar water conservation measures, use of native plant materials, or xeriscaping.
3. In no case shall less than 15 percent of the lot be landscaped.
4. Outdoor storage areas shall be screened with a minimum width of five-foot Type I landscaping. (Ord. 6036 § 3, 2006; Ord. 5863 § 5, 2004; Ord. 5342 § 2, 2000; Ord. 4914 § 1, 1996; Ord. 4304 § 1(36) – (39), 1988; Ord. 4229 § 2, 1987.)
18.50.060 General landscape requirements.
A. Application. A landscape plan shall be required and shall be accurately drawn using an appropriate engineering scale and shall illustrate the following:
1. Adjacent streets, public and private;
2. Boundaries and dimensions of site;
3. Location of on-site buildings;
4. Location of on-site parking areas;
5. Location and size of landscape areas;
6. Location, species and size of planting materials;
7. Location of outdoor storage areas;
8. Location of significant trees;
9. Location of water source(s).
B. Driveways and Pedestrian Walkways. Landscaping is generally required along all street frontages with the exception of driveways and pedestrian walkways within the property.
C. Fences. When fences and landscaping are required along the property line, the fence shall be set back of the landscaping if the fence abuts a street, so as to not obscure such landscaping. At other property lines the landscaping shall be located to serve the greatest public benefit.
D. Irrigation. No portion of any landscaped area shall be located further away than 50 feet from a source of water adequate to irrigate the landscaping.
E. Lawn Substitution. Sodded lawn may be substituted for the required shrubs or ground cover but all portions of the lawn area must be served by an automatic irrigation system.
F. Maintenance.
1. The property owner shall be responsible for replacing any unhealthy or dead plants for a period of two years after the initial planting.
2. The building official shall require a maintenance assurance device for a period of one year from the completion of planting in order to ensure compliance with the requirements of this section. The value of the maintenance assurance device shall equal at least 50 percent of the total landscape materials.
3. If the landscaping is not being properly maintained, the property owner shall be so notified by the city. If after 30 days from the city’s notification the landscaping is still not being maintained then the maintenance device may be used by the city to perform any type of maintenance necessary to ensure compliance with this chapter.
4. The maintenance assurance device shall be accompanied by an agreement granting the city and its agents the right to enter the property and perform any necessary work. The agreement shall also hold the city harmless from all claims and expenses, including attorney’s fees.
5. Upon completion of the one-year maintenance period, and if maintenance has not been performed by the city, the city shall release the maintenance assurance device.
G. Outdoor Storage. Outdoor storage yards that are visible from a street or are adjacent to residentially zoned property shall be screened by a minimum of a five-foot width of Type I landscaping. Additional width may be required to comply with ACC 18.50.050.
H. Parking Lots.
1. A planter area shall be required along the entire street frontage(s), except driveways and walkways; provided, that no sight-obscuring plants will be allowed whenever safe sight clearance is necessary for ingress and egress from a public street. The width of the planter area shall be as required in ACC 18.50.050(A) through (H) for street frontages;
2. All lots with more than 12 spaces, a 100-square-foot planter area shall be required at the end of each single row of parking, but in no case shall there be more than 10 parking spaces between any required planter area. The location of the planter area may be varied upon evidence submitted which shows that the intent of the landscaping requirements have not been lessened. Any variation must receive planning director approval;
3. Each planter area shall contain at least one tree, a minimum of one and one-half to two inches in caliper. For planter areas in excess of 30 feet in length, more trees are required and shall be spaced not further than 30 feet apart;
4. Each planter area shall contain shrubs, spaced three feet on center, and be a minimum of one gallon in size;
5. Residential parking lots with five or less spaces, and nonresidential parking lots, with three or less spaces, shall be exempt from the parking lot landscape requirements.
I. Performance Assurance.
1. The required landscaping must be installed prior to the issuance of the certificate of occupancy unless the building official determines that a performance assurance device will adequately protect the interests of the city;
2. The performance assurance device shall only be valid for a 120-day period and shall have a value of 100 percent of the estimated cost of the landscaping to be performed. If the landscaping has not been installed after the 120 days then the assurance device may be used by the city to perform any necessary work to implement the landscape plan;
3. The performance assurance device shall be accompanied by an agreement granting the city and its agents the right to enter the property and perform work. The agreement shall also hold the city harmless from all claims and expenses, including attorney’s fees;
4. Upon completion of the required landscaping by the property owner the city shall release the performance assurance device.
J. Private Property. All required landscaping shall be located entirely on private property. When landscaping is required to separate adjacent uses, the landscaping shall run the full length of the adjacent property.
K. Sight Hazards. The building official and/or city engineer may review and modify landscape plans which may affect visibility for ingress, or egress, corner lots or other intersections. Any reduction of landscaping shall be made up elsewhere on-site.
L. Significant Trees. All significant trees, as defined by ACC 18.50.030(E), shall be retained and made part of the landscape plan.
M. Species. The applicant shall utilize plant materials which complement the natural character of the Pacific Northwest.
N. Landscaped Berms. In addition to the minimum landscape requirements of ACC 18.50.050, landscaped berms may be required to mitigate any impacts associated with a specific project. The berms may be applied through an administrative or conditional use permit, contract rezone, or as a condition associated with a mitigated determination of nonsignificance or environmental impact statement. The minimum height of the earth creating the berm shall be three feet and have a slope no greater than two-foot horizontal to one-foot vertical. (Ord. 4914 § 1, 1996; Ord. 4229 § 2, 1987.)
18.50.070 Landscape maintenance requirements.
A. Landscaping, including trees, shrubs, groundcover, or grass, planted as a requirement pursuant to this title, ACC Title 16 or ACC Title 17 shall be maintained in a healthy, living condition. Pruning of trees or shrubs shall be for the purpose of maintaining the tree or shrub in a healthy growing condition, and shall not adversely affect the healthy living condition of the plant or excessively damage the natural growing process.
B. Violation of these provisions shall be processed in accordance with the procedures defined under Chapter 1.25 ACC. The property owner or designee responsible for correcting the violation shall provide a corrective action plan that defines how and when the infraction will be corrected within the time provisions defined by Chapter 1.25 ACC.
C. The corrective action plan shall be subject to the following replacement ratios:
1. For plants that have died, replacement vegetation shall be at least 150 percent of the planting size required of the subject plant material at the time of planting. The plants shall be of the same or similar species to those plants being replaced, unless alternate species are approved by the planning director.
2. For trees or shrubs that have been excessively pruned, replacement vegetation shall be at least 200 percent of the size of the tree or shrub that was required by city regulations at the time of planting. The trees or shrubs shall be of the same or similar species of the plants being replaced, unless alternate species are approved by the planning director.
D. Pruning of trees or shrubs done to alleviate documented public health and safety is permissible and shall not be considered a civil violation; provided, that documentation is provided to the city that a public health or safety concern exists.
E. The property owner or designee shall correct the infraction or provide a schedule that defines how and when the infraction will be corrected within the time provisions defined by Chapter 1.25 ACC. (Ord. 5777 § 1, 2003.)
18.50.080 Modification of landscaping requirements.
The director may authorize a reduced width of planting or waive some or all of the landscaping requirements if the applicant proposes an alternative method of landscaping that would achieve the intent and purpose of the landscaping required in this chapter and which, in the opinion of the director, provides a superior level of buffering/screening. Alternative landscaping techniques may include the use of native vegetation existing on site, the use of berms or increasing perimeter landscape width in strategic locations. (Ord. 5863 § 6, 2004.)