(A)
These regulations ensure that new development complies with
the landscaping provisions of this code and any applicable Refinement
Plans, Plan Districts, Master Plans, and Conceptual Development Plans;
is adequately screened from less intensive development; considers
the effects of vegetation on public facilities; retains significant
clusters of natural trees and shrubs wherever possible; minimizes
run-off, protects water quality and moderates temperature; facilitates
energy conservation and crime prevention; and improves the appearance
of the City to create a desirable place to live and work.
(B)
Four types of landscaping may be required:
(1)
Landscaping standards for private property as specified in this
section and other sections of this code.
(2)
Street trees in the public right-of-way as specified in SDC
4.2.140.
(3)
Curbside planter strips in the public right-of-way as specified
in SDC 4.2.135.
(4)
Low Impact Development as specified in SDC 4.3.110(C) for review
under the Treatment Standard.
(C)
The following areas of a lot/parcel must be landscaped, unless
otherwise specified in this code:
(D)
At least 65 percent of each required planting area listed in Subsection (C) above must be covered with living plant materials within 5 years of the date of installation, unless a higher standard applies elsewhere in this code. The living plant materials must be distributed throughout the required planting area. The planting acceptable per 1,000 square feet of required planting area is as follows:
(1)
A minimum of 2 trees, not less than 6 feet in height, that are
at least a 2 inch (dbh) caliper (at the time of planting, not including
root ball); and
(2)
Ten shrubs, 5 gallons or larger.
(3)
Lawn and/or groundcover may be substituted for up to 25 percent
of the living plant material requirement, unless trees or shrubbery
are required for screening. This substitution is only allowed when
the applicant has demonstrated that there are provisions for ongoing
maintenance of the landscape areas.
|
These standards do not apply to single unit detached dwellings
and middle housing in the R-1 District.
|
(E)
Parking Lots.
(1)
The following parking lot planting areas must be landscaped
in accordance with the standards in (2) below:
(a)
Parking and driveway setback areas specified in
the applicable land use district; and
(b)
Five percent of the interior of a parking lot,
exclusive of any required parking setbacks, if 24 or more parking
spaces are located between the street side of a building and an arterial
or collector street and are visible from any street.
(c)
See also SDC 4.7.380 or 4.7.385 for multiple unit
housing design standards.
(2)
Parking lot planting areas must include at least 4 shrubs, 5
gallon or larger, for each 100 square feet of planting area. Any shrub
that abuts public right-of-way or that is placed in the interior of
any parking lot must not exceed 2.5 feet in height at maturity. Where
parking lot planting areas are required, Low Impact Development and
vegetated structural stormwater controls may be used to meet this
requirement. Shrubs provided within a structural stormwater control
may not be counted toward meeting this criterion.
(3)
Small Parking Lots and Modifications to Existing Parking Lots.
Planting areas for developments with 1/2 acre or less of new surface
parking lot area must include 1 canopy tree at least 2 inches (dbh)
in caliper,- for each 100 square feet of parking lot planting area.
Trees must meet City street tree standards in the City of Springfield
Street Tree list in Appendix G for the appropriately sized planter
area.
(4)
Large Parking Lots. Developments that include more than 1/2
acre of new off-street surface parking lot area, measured based on
the perimeter of all new parking spaces, maneuvering lanes, and maneuvering
areas, including driveways and drive aisles, must comply with the
following:
(a)
Developments not required to comply with OAR 330-135-0010
must provide a climate mitigation action including at least 1 of the
following:
(i)
Installation of solar panels with a generation
capacity of at least 0.5 kilowatt per new off-street parking space.
Panels may be located anywhere on the property.
(ii)
Payment of at least $1500 per new off-street parking
space into a fund at the Oregon Department of Energy dedicated to
equitable solar or wind energy development; or
(iii)
Tree canopy covering at least 40 percent of the
new parking lot area at maturity but no more than 15 years after planting.
(b)
Developments must provide either trees along driveways
or a minimum of 30 percent tree canopy coverage over new off-street
parking areas. Developments are not required to provide trees along
drive aisles.
(c)
The tree spacing, and species planted must be designed
to maintain a continuous canopy, except when interrupted by driveways,
drive aisles, and other site design considerations. Trees that are
provided in compliance with subsection (4)(a)(ii) above meet this
standard.
(d)
Trees must meet City street tree standards as specified
in City of Springfield Street Tree list in Appendix G for the appropriately
sized planter area.
(e)
Development of a tree canopy under subsections
(a) and (b) must be done in coordination with the local electric utility,
including predesign, building, and maintenance phases.
(f)
Applicant must provide a certification provided
by a certified arborist with an Oregon Landscape Contractor license
that trees planted to meet subsections (1) and (2) will be planted
to meet or exceed the 2021 American National Standards Institute A300
standards.
(F)
All new required planting areas must be provided with a permanent
irrigation system which can include a drip irrigation system. Areas
planted with noninvasive drought tolerant species or plant communities
are exempt from this standard.
(G)
Landscaped setbacks abutting required screening on the same
property are exempted from planting requirements if the area is not
visible from any public right-of-way or adjacent property.
(H)
Planting Installation Standards.
(1)
Existing landscaping to be retained must be provided with protection
which will remain through the construction process. The plants to
be saved and the method of protection must be noted on the Landscape
Plan.
(2)
Existing trees to be retained on private property must not have
construction occur within the drip line, unless a landscape architect
certifies that affected trees will not have at least a 90 percent
chance of survival over a 5-year period. Trees to be retained must
be provided with protection with at least a 3-foot-tall temporary
fence barrier around the drip line and include protection around the
tree to prevent abrasion to the tree. The trees to be retained and
the method of protection must be included on the Landscape Plan.
(3)
The Landscape Plan must include specifications for topsoil,
including depth and organic matter requirements, to ensure the health
and vitality of required planting. Where planting areas have been
excavated the replacement of topsoil must be provided for and indicated
on the Landscape Plan. All waste material must be removed from required
planting areas prior to the application of topsoil.
(a)
Inspection may be made by the Director prior to
planting to verify proper rough grade and installation of irrigation
systems.
(b)
Plant materials and soil preparation may be inspected
prior to or in conjunction with the occupancy inspection to ensure
that placement, quantity, size, and variety conform to the approved
Planting Plan and the requirements of this section. Nursery tags identifying
variety and species must remain on plant specimens until the Final
Building Inspection by the Building Official or the issuance of a
Certificate of Occupancy. (6443)
(4)
Landscaping and vegetation within structural stormwater controls,
including Low Impact Development, must meet the maintenance requirements
in SDC 4.3.110(F).
(6443; Ord.
6464, 11/20/2023; Ord. No. 6465, 11/20/2023)
(A)
Unless otherwise specified in this code, screening is required:
(1)
Where commercial and industrial districts abut residential districts
and no approved screening exists;
(2)
For outdoor mechanical devices and minor and major public facilities;
(3)
For outdoor storage yards and areas in non-residential districts
abutting residential districts along their common property line;
(4)
For garbage and recycling receptacles and areas;
(5)
For automobile wrecking and salvage yards; and
(6)
For multiple unit housing.
(B)
Screening must be vegetative, earthen, and/or structural. Unless
specified elsewhere in this subsection, screening must be continuous
to at least 6 feet above ground level. The following standards apply:
(1)
Vegetative Screening. Evergreen shrubs must be planted to form a continuous hedge. When immediate screening is necessary, a sight-obscuring fence must be installed in place of, or in conjunction with the shrubs. The 6-foot height standard specified in subsection (B), above must occur within 4 years of planting.
For multiple unit housing, the vegetative screening standards
specified in SDC 4.7.380(4) or 4.7.385(D) apply.
(2)
Earthen Screening. Earthen berms may be used to screen either visual
or noise impacts. A berm must be combined with evergreen plantings
or a fence to form an attractive sight and noise buffer. The maximum
height of a berm is 6 feet along local streets and 8 feet along collector
and arterial streets or railroad rights-of-way. Alternatively, a different
height is allowed if a licensed acoustical engineer determines a lower
or higher height must be utilized. Height is measured from the base
of the berm to the top of the berm and does not include additional
fences or landscaping. The exterior face of the berm must be constructed
as an earthen slope. The interior face of the berm may be constructed
as an earthen slope or retained by a structure (wall or terrace) that
meets the building code. The maximum slope is 1:3. The crest area
must be a minimum of 4 feet wide. The slopes must be protected by
trees, shrubs and groundcover to prevent erosion. Berms must be irrigated
as specified in SDC 4.4.105. No part of a berm is allowed to encroach
into an easement. The toe of a berm over 3 feet in height must be
set back at least 5 feet from any property line, unless when abutting
public right-of-way where the setback of the toe of the berm may be
at a zero setback from the property line. Berms must not interfere
with the drainage patterns of the property.
(3)
Structural Screening. A fence or masonry wall must be constructed
to provide a 100 percent sight-obscuring screen.
(a)
No screen is allowed to exceed 4 feet in a residential district front
yard setback, and all screening must comply with vision clearance
requirements of SDC 4.2.130.
(b)
Wherever a required screen in the form of a fence is adjacent to
a residential or commercial district or an arterial or collector street,
it must be made from a non-metallic material.
Any garbage and recycling receptacles or garbage and recycling
area which would otherwise be visible from a public street, customer
or resident parking area, any public facility, adjacent property,
or any residential district, must be screened from view as specified
in subsections (B)(1) and (3), above. All garbage and recycling receptacles
or materials must be contained within the screened area.
(c)
When abutting a street, outdoor storage areas and storage yards must
be screened with a 5-foot planting strip between the storage and street
as specified in SDC 4.4.100.
(6443)
(A)
General. Fences must not exceed the height standards in Table 4.4.1
and must be located as provided in this SDC 4.4.115. In mixed use
districts or any land use district not specified in Table 4.4.1, the
applicable fence standards in Table 4.4.1 must be determined based
on the primary use in the development area, unless another standard
is specified elsewhere in this code.
(1)
Fence height is measured from the average height of the grade adjacent
to where the fence is to be located. If a fence is to be constructed
on top of a berm, the height is measured from the top of the berm.
(2)
Fences must be permitted as specified in the screening standards
in SDC 4.4.110. Where permitted in the commercial, industrial, mixed
use employment and the PLO Districts, outdoor storage of materials
must be screened by a 100 percent sight obscuring fence when abutting
residential districts along common property lines. Partial screening
along rights-of-way and non-residential districts may be permitted
when necessary for security reasons.
(B)
Review Procedure.
(1)
A construction permit is required for fences over 6 feet in height,
in addition to any other permits or approvals required by this code.
(2)
Fences within the Willamette Greenway Setback area are reviewed under
Discretionary Use procedure for fences as specified in SDC 5.9.120.
(3)
Type 3 review is required for fences that exceed the base height
standards where required under SDC 4.4.115(C) below.
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Table 4.4.1
| |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Yard Type
|
Base Height by Land Use District
| ||||
|
Residential
|
Commercial
|
Industrial
|
PLO
|
MS
| |
|
Front Yard(1)
|
6′(2)
|
6′
|
6′/ 8′(3)
|
6′
|
6′
|
|
Street Side Yard(4)
|
6′
|
6′
|
6′/ 8′(3)
|
6′
|
6′
|
|
Rear Yard
|
6′
|
6′
|
6′/8′(3)
|
6′
|
6′
|
|
Height Exceptions
|
8′/ 10′(5)
|
8′
|
8′(6)
|
8′
|
N/A
|
|
Vision Clearance Area(7)
|
2 ½′
|
2 ½′
|
2 ½′
|
2 ½′
|
2 ½′
|
|
Barbed/Razor Wire/Electric
|
Y(8)
|
Y(8)
|
Y(8)
|
Y/N(8)
|
N
|
|
Note: The numbers in the table above in parentheses refer to
the numbered sections below under (C).
|
(C)
Fence Standards.
(1)
The fence must be located behind the front yard setback in all districts
unless allowed in (2).
(3)
In the Campus Industrial District the base height standard is 6 feet.
In all other industrial districts, the base height standard is 8 feet.
(4)
In the residential districts, a fence may be located along the property
line. In all other districts, the fence must be located behind the
street yard setback.
(5)
Situations where the base fence height may be exceeded:
(a)
Eight feet in residential, commercial, and the PLO districts for
public utility facilities, school yards, and playgrounds, provided
that the fence is located behind the front yard and street side yard
landscaped area and outside of the vision clearance area. Residential
districts abutting these facilities, railroad tracks or residential
property side and rear yards abutting streets with 4 or more travel
lanes, may have fences of 8 feet tall along common property lines
and right-of-way.
(b)
Ten feet for residential properties abutting commercial or industrial
districts along common property lines, and around permitted storage
areas in residential districts. Yards of a single unit dwelling do
not constitute permitted storage areas.
(c)
In residential districts, any fence located within a required setback,
and which exceeds the allowable fence height for that setback by more
than 20 percent, must be reviewed through a Type 3 procedure.
(6)
Special standards in the Campus Industrial District:
(a)
No fencing must be permitted within 35 feet of a CI District perimeter
or 20 feet of any development area perimeter or within interior lots/parcels
of development areas. A 3 feet maximum height decorative fence or
masonry wall may be permitted as screening devices around parking
lots.
(b)
Chain link fences must be permitted only when combined with plantings
of evergreen shrubs or climbing vines that will completely cover the
fence(s) within 5 years of installation (as certified by a landscape
architect or licensed nursery operator).
(c)
Painted fences must match the building color scheme of the development
area.
(7)
No fence is allowed to exceed the 2.5 foot height limitation within
the vision clearance area as specified in SDC 4.2.130.
(8)
Barbed wire, razor wire, or electrified fencing is permitted atop
a 6-foot chain link fence. The total height of the fence and barbed
wire must not exceed 8 feet. These materials must not extend into
the vertical plane of adjoining public sidewalks. Barbed wire or razor
wire only fences are prohibited. Electrified fencing must be posted
with warning signs every 24 feet.
(a)
In the PLO District in the Downtown Exception Area and in the MUC,
MUE, and MUR Districts, no barbed wire, razor wire, or electrified
fences are permitted.
(D)
Where a Type 3 approval is required for fences, the following criteria
of approval apply:
(1)
The applicant has demonstrated a security problem exists at the site.
The demonstration must include police reports, insurance claims paid,
or affidavits from neighbors or tenants of the property corroborating
the security problem;
(2)
Demonstration that the placement of the fence will not present a
hazard or risk to the general public or neighboring properties;
(3)
Demonstration that the applicant has exhausted all other practical
remedies to the demonstrated security problem; for example, sight
obscuring screening, “unfriendly landscaping,” lighting
or alarms which might deter trespass on the subject property; or
(4)
Demonstration that the property is subject to noise found to exceed
acceptable noise levels prescribed in the Oregon Administrative Rule
or the Federal Highway Administration Noise Abatement Criteria, as
certified by an acoustical engineer;
(5)
The Planning Commission, based on the evidence presented, must approve,
modify, or deny the request. The Planning Commission may further condition
the request including, but not limited to imposition of the following
conditions; establishing the extent of the site eligible for the fencing,
establishing minimum and maximum height requirements, setbacks from
all property lines, and requiring specific fencing materials.
(6238; 6443; Ord. 6466, 11/20/2023)
