Chapter 17-3.4 contains standards for landscaping and screening, fences, and accessory walls, and outdoor lighting. The regulations are intended to protect public health, safety, and welfare by reducing development impacts (e.g., glare, noise, and visual impacts) on adjacent uses; minimizing erosion; slowing the rate of surface water runoff, thereby reducing infrastructure costs; buffering pedestrians from vehicle maneuvering areas; cooling buildings and parking lots in summer months with shade; and enhancing the City's appearance.
(Ord. 2017-08 §1)
A. 
Section 17-3.4.030 establishes design standards for landscaping and screening. Projects requiring Site Design Review or Land Division approval shall meet the landscape standards of the applicable zone, including the standards in Tables 17-2.2.040.D and 17-2.2.040.E and any Special Use requirements under Chapter 17-2.3, and the requirements of Section 17-3.4.030. Property owners are required to maintain landscaping and screening pursuant to Section 17-3.4.030.G.
B. 
Section 17-3.4.040 establishes design standards for when a fence, or a wall not attached to a building, is to be erected, extended, or otherwise altered. It also applies to situations where this Code requires screening or buffering (e.g., outdoor or unenclosed storage uses). The standards of Section 17-3.4.040 supplement the development standards in Tables 17-2.2.030 and 17-2.2.040 and any applicable Special Use requirements under Chapter 17-2.3.
C. 
Section 17-3.4.050, Outdoor Lighting, applies to all new outdoor lighting, i.e., lighting that is installed after November 10, 2017.
D. 
The Planning Official, through a Type II procedure, may grant adjustments to Chapter 17-3.4, pursuant to the criteria of Chapter 17-4.7 Adjustments and Variances.
(Ord. 2017-08 §1)
A. 
General Landscape Standard. All portions of a lot not otherwise developed with buildings, accessory structures, vehicle maneuvering areas, or parking shall be landscaped.
B. 
Minimum Landscape Area. All lots shall conform to the minimum landscape area standards of the applicable zoning district, as contained in Tables 17-2.2.040.D and 17-2.2.040.E. The Planning Official, consistent with the purposes in Section 17-3.4.010, may allow credit toward the minimum landscape area for existing vegetation that is retained in the development.
C. 
Plant Selection. A combination of deciduous and evergreen trees, shrubs, and ground covers shall be used for all planted areas, the selection of which shall be based on local climate, exposure, water availability, and drainage conditions, among other factors. When new vegetation is planted, soils shall be amended and irrigation shall be provided, as necessary, to allow for healthy plant growth. The selection of plants shall be based on all of the following standards and guidelines:
1. 
Use plants that are appropriate to the local climate, exposure, and water availability. The presence of utilities and drainage conditions shall also be considered.
2. 
Plant species that do not require irrigation once established (naturalized) are preferred over species that require irrigation.
3. 
Trees shall be not less than two-inch caliper for street trees and one and one-half-inch caliper for other trees at the time of planting. Trees to be planted under or near power lines shall be selected so as to not conflict with power lines at maturity.
4. 
Shrubs shall be planted from five-gallon containers, minimum, where they are for required screens or buffers, and two-gallon containers minimum elsewhere.
5. 
Shrubs shall be spaced in order to provide the intended screen or canopy cover within two years of planting.
6. 
All landscape areas, whether required or not, that are not planted with trees and shrubs or covered with allowable non-plant material, shall have ground cover plants that are sized and spaced to achieve plant coverage of not less than 75 percent at maturity.
7. 
Bark dust, chips, aggregate, or other non-plant ground covers may be used, but shall cover not more than 35 percent of any landscape area. Non-plant ground covers cannot be a substitute for required ground cover plants.
8. 
Where stormwater retention or detention, or water quality treatment facilities are proposed, they shall meet the requirements of the current version of the Public Works Design Standards.
9. 
Existing mature trees that can thrive in a developed area and that do not conflict with other provisions of this Code shall be retained where specimens are in good health, have desirable aesthetic characteristics, and do not present a hazard.
10. 
Landscape plans shall avoid conflicts between plants and buildings, streets, walkways, utilities, and other features of the built environment.
11. 
Evergreen plants shall be used where a sight-obscuring landscape screen is required.
12. 
Deciduous trees should be used where summer shade and winter sunlight is desirable.
13. 
Landscape plans should provide focal points within a development, for example, by preserving large or unique trees or groves or by using flowering plants or trees with fall color.
14. 
Landscape plans should use a combination of plants for seasonal variation in color and yearlong interest.
15. 
Where plants are used to screen outdoor storage or mechanical equipment, the selected plants shall have growth characteristics that are compatible with such features.
16. 
Landscape plans shall provide for both temporary and permanent erosion control measures, which shall include plantings where cuts or fills, including berms, swales, stormwater detention facilities, and similar grading, is proposed.
17. 
When new vegetation is planted, soils shall be amended and irrigation provided, as necessary, until the plants are naturalized and able to grow on their own.
D. 
Central Commercial C-1 District Streetscape Standard. Developers of projects within the Central Commercial C-1 zoning district can meet the landscape area requirement of subsection B, in part, by installing street trees in front of their projects. The Planning Official shall grant credit toward the landscape area requirement using a ratio of 1:1, where one square foot of planted area (e.g., tree well or planter surface area) receives one square foot of credit. The Planning Official may grant additional landscape area credit by the same ratio where the developer widens the sidewalk or creates a plaza or other civic space pursuant to Section 17-3.2.050.
E. 
Parking Lot Landscaping. All of the following standards shall be met for parking lots. If a development contains multiple parking lots, then the standards shall be evaluated separately for each parking lot.
1. 
A minimum of 10 percent of the total surface area of all parking areas, as measured around the perimeter of all parking spaces and maneuvering areas, shall be landscaped. Such landscaping shall consist of shade trees distributed throughout the parking area. A combination of deciduous and evergreen trees, shrubs, and ground cover plants is required. The trees shall be planned so that they provide a partial canopy cover over the parking lot within five years. At a minimum, one tree per 12 parking spaces on average shall be planted over and around the parking area.
2. 
All parking areas with more than 20 spaces shall provide landscape islands with trees that break up the parking area into rows of not more than 10 contiguous parking spaces. Landscape islands and planters shall have dimensions of not less than 48 square feet of area and no dimension of less than six feet, to ensure adequate soil, water, and space for healthy plant growth.
3. 
All required parking lot landscape areas not otherwise planted with trees must contain a combination of shrubs and groundcover plants so that, within two years of planting, not less than 50 percent of that area is covered with living plants.
4. 
Wheel stops, curbs, bollards, or other physical barriers are required along the edges of all vehicle-maneuvering areas to protect landscaping from being damaged by vehicles. Trees shall be planted not less than two feet from any such barrier.
5. 
Trees planted in tree wells within sidewalks or other paved areas shall be installed with root barriers, consistent with applicable nursery standards.
F. 
Screening Requirements. Screening is required for outdoor storage areas, unenclosed uses, and parking lots, and may be required in other situations as determined by the Planning Official. Landscaping shall be provided pursuant to the standards of subsections F.1 through 3. (See also Figure 17-3.4-4.)
1. 
Outdoor Storage and Unenclosed Uses. All areas of a site containing or proposed to contain outdoor storage of goods, materials, equipment, and vehicles (other than required parking lots and service and delivery areas, per Site Design Review), and areas containing junk, salvage materials, or similar contents, shall be screened from view from adjacent rights-of-way and residential uses by a sight-obscuring fence, wall, landscape screen, or combination of screening methods. See also Section 17-3.4.040 for related fence and wall standards.
2. 
Parking Lots. The edges of parking lots shall be screened to minimize vehicle headlights shining into adjacent rights-of-way and residential yards. Parking lots abutting a sidewalk or walkway shall be screened using a low-growing hedge or low garden wall to a height of between three feet and four feet.
3. 
Other Uses Requiring Screening. The Planning Official may require screening in other situations as authorized by this Code, including, but not limited to, outdoor storage areas, blank walls, Special Uses pursuant to Chapter 17-2.3, flag lots, and as mitigation where an applicant has requested an adjustment pursuant to Chapter 17-4.7.
G. 
Maintenance. All landscaping shall be maintained in good condition, or otherwise replaced by the property owner.
Figure 17-3.4-4 Screening Requirements
(Ord. 2017-08 §1)
A. 
Purpose. This section provides general development standards for fences, and walls that are not part of a building, such as screening walls and retaining walls.
B. 
Applicability. Section 17-3.4.040 applies to all fences, and to walls that are not part of a building, including modifications to existing fences and walls.
C. 
Height.
1. 
Residential Zones. Fences and freestanding walls (i.e., exclusive of building walls) for residential uses shall not exceed the following heights above grade, where grade is measured from the base of the subject fence or wall.
a. 
Within Front or Street-Facing Side Yard Setback. Four feet; except the following additional height is allowed:
(1) 
A fence may be constructed to a maximum height of six feet where it is located on a street-facing side yard.
(2) 
A fence may be constructed to a maximum height of six feet where the fence is of open chain link or other "see-through" composition that allows 90 percent light transmission.
(3) 
One incidental garden structure (e.g., arbor or gate) not exceeding eight feet in height and six feet in width is allowed within a front or street-facing yard provided it does not encroach into a required vision clearance area.
b. 
Within an Interior Side or Rear Yard Setback. Six feet; except the fence or wall height, as applicable, shall not exceed the distance from the fence or wall line to the nearest primary structure on an adjacent property.
2. 
Non-Residential Zones. Fences and freestanding walls (i.e., exclusive of building walls) for non-residential uses shall not exceed the following height above grade, where grade is measured from the base of the subject fence or wall.
a. 
Within Front or Street-Facing Side Yard Setback. Four feet, except the following additional height is allowed for properties located within an industrial, public, or institutional zone:
(1) 
Where approved by the City Planning Official, a fence constructed of open chain link or other "see-through" composition that allows 90 percent light transmission may reach a height of up to eight feet.
b. 
Within an Interior Side or Rear Yard Setback. Eight feet; except the fence or wall height, as applicable, shall not exceed the distance from the fence or wall line to the nearest primary structure on an adjacent property.
3. 
All Zones. Fences and walls shall comply with the vision clearance standards of Section 17-3.3.030.G. Other provisions of this Code, or the requirements of the roadway authority, may limit allowable height of a fence or wall below the height limits of this section.
D. 
Materials. Prohibited fence and wall materials include straw bales, tarps, barbed or razor wire (except in the M-2 Heavy Industrial zone); scrap lumber, untreated wood (except cedar or redwood), corrugated metal, sheet metal, scrap materials; dead, diseased, or dying plants; and materials similar to those listed herein.
E. 
Permitting. A Type I approval is required to install a fence of six feet or less in height, or a wall that is four feet or less in height. All other walls and fences require review and approval by the Planning Official through a Type II procedure. The Planning Official may require installation of walls or fences as a condition of approval for development, as provided by other Code sections. A building permit may be required for some fences and walls, pursuant to applicable building codes. Walls greater than four feet in height shall be designed by a Professional Engineer licensed in the State of Oregon.
F. 
Maintenance. Fences and walls shall be maintained in good condition, or otherwise replaced by the property owner.
(Ord. 2017-08 §1)
A. 
Purpose. This section contains regulations requiring adequate levels of outdoor lighting while minimizing negative impacts of light pollution.
B. 
Applicability. All outdoor lighting shall comply with the standards of this section.
C. 
Standards.
1. 
Light poles, except as required by a roadway authority or public safety agency, shall not exceed a height of 20 feet; pedestal- or bollard-style lighting shall be used to illuminate walkways. Flag poles, utility poles, and streetlights are exempt from this requirement.
2. 
Where a light standard is placed over a sidewalk or walkway, a minimum vertical clearance of eight feet shall be maintained.
3. 
Outdoor lighting levels shall be subject to review and approval through Site Design Review. As a guideline, lighting levels shall be no greater than necessary to provide for pedestrian safety, property or business identification, and crime prevention.
4. 
Except as provided for up-lighting of flags and permitted building-mounted signs, all outdoor light fixtures shall be directed downward, and have full cutoff and full shielding to preserve views of the night sky and to minimize excessive light spillover onto adjacent properties.
5. 
Lighting shall be installed where it will not obstruct public ways, driveways, or walkways.
6. 
Walkway lighting in private areas shall have a minimum average illumination of not less than 0.2 foot-candles. Lighting along public walkways shall meet the current version of the Public Works Design Standards and AASHTO lighting requirements.
7. 
Active building entrances shall have a minimum average illumination of not less than two foot-candles.
8. 
Surfaces of signs shall have an illumination level of not more than two foot-candles.
9. 
Parking lots and outdoor services areas, including quick vehicle service areas, shall have a minimum illumination of not less than 0.2 foot-candles, average illumination of approximately 0.8 foot-candles, and a uniformity ratio (maximum-to-minimum ratio) of not more than 20:1.
10. 
Where illumination grid lighting plans cannot be reviewed or if fixtures do not provide photometrics and bulbs are under 2,000 lumens, use the following guidelines:
a. 
Poles should be no greater in height than four times the distance to the property line.
b. 
Maximum lumen levels should be based on fixture height.
c. 
Private illumination shall not be used to light adjoining public right-of-way.
11. 
Where a light standard is placed within a walkway, an unobstructed pedestrian through zone not less than 48 inches wide shall be maintained.
12. 
Lighting subject to this section shall consist of materials approved for outdoor use and shall be installed according to the manufacturer's specifications.
D. 
Permitting. A Type I approval is required to install or replace outdoor lighting. The Planning Official may require lighting as a condition of approval for some projects, pursuant to other Code requirements.
E. 
Maintenance. For public health and safety, outdoor lighting shall be maintained in good condition, or otherwise replaced by the property owner.
(Ord. 2017-08 §1)