17-7-10.11.5 Landscaping standards | Midvale Municipal Code

17-7-10.11.5 Landscaping standards.

The following landscaping standards apply to all new residential development:

A. Required Open Space, Landscaping and Recreational Amenities. The applicant shall professionally landscape the project property, in accordance with an approved landscape plan. The landscape plan shall include details for the open space, landscape and recreational amenity areas required in the approved large scale master plan for the specific development area. The amount of open space, landscaping and recreation amenity area for a specific development within Subarea 4 shall not be less than that included in the approved large scale master plan. Landscape plan approval is a condition precedent to issuance of a building permit for the project property. All landscaping shall be in place prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy for a structure, unless seasonal conditions make installation unfeasible, in which case the applicant shall provide cash security or its approved alternative for all landscaping, which landscaping shall be installed by the following May 31st.

B. Landscaped Setback from Edge of Public or Private Right-of-Way. The landscaped setback from the edge of a public right-of-way or private right-of-way shall be a minimum of thirty feet, except along Seghini Drive, where the landscape setback shall be a minimum of twenty feet.

C. Residential Landscape Buffer. New development adjacent to a property with a single-family use shall provide a minimum fifteen-foot landscaped buffer consisting of large trees, shrubs, and a minimum six-foot and a maximum eight-foot screening wall along the residential property boundary. The screening wall shall be constructed of precast concrete, SimTek Ecostone Plus (or equivalent), brick, masonry or other permanent materials, and shall have a finish that complements the development along all property boundaries adjacent to single-family residential use.

D. Planting Standards. Landscape plans shall address the following standards:

1. Building Foundation Landscaping. The ground adjacent to the building foundation must be landscaped if it is visible from public vantage points. Building foundation landscaping shall consist of a combination of small and medium sized deciduous and evergreen shrubs, grasses and perennials.

2. Street Frontage Tree Requirements. An applicant shall provide at least one street tree for each forty lineal feet of frontage along all public and private roads. Street frontage trees may be clustered or spaced linearly near the sidewalk as provided in an approved landscape plan.

3. Minimum Number of Trees. A minimum of one tree for every four hundred square feet of required landscaping is required for all landscaped areas. Street trees may be included in calculations to meet this requirement.

4. Plant Materials. Areas requiring landscaping shall be planted with substantial live plant material including: plants, shrubs, trees, sod, etc., for the purpose of buffering, screening, and improving the visual quality of the site. Plants selected for landscape areas shall consist of plants that are well suited to the microclimate and soil conditions at the project site. Plants with similar water needs shall be grouped together as much as possible. Landscaped areas less than four feet wide shall be landscaped with water conserving plants.

a. Types of Vegetation. At least fifteen percent of the landscaping must be evergreen. Up to twenty-five percent of the landscape area may include specialty paving, street furniture, and outdoor seating areas. Trees that are planted in the park strip shall meet the specifications described in the standard construction specifications of Midvale City.

b. Size of Trees. The following standards apply to the use of plant and tree material:

i. Deciduous Trees. All deciduous trees shall have a minimum caliper size of one and one-half inches.

ii. Ornamental Trees. All ornamental trees shall have a minimum caliper size of one and one-half inches.

iii. Evergreen Trees. All evergreen trees shall have a minimum height of six feet.

5. Mulch. After completion of all planting, all irrigated nonturf areas shall be covered with a minimum four-inch layer of mulch to retain water, inhibit weed growth, and moderate soil temperature. Nonporous material shall not be placed under the mulch.

6. Soil Preparation. Soil preparation will be suitable to provide healthy growing conditions for the plants and to encourage water infiltration and penetration. Soil preparation shall include scarifying the soil to a minimum depth of six inches and amending the soil with organic material as per specific recommendations of the landscape designer based on the soil conditions.

7. Planting Plan. A detailed planting plan shall be drawn at a scale that clearly identifies the following:

a. Location of all plant materials and ground covers, a legend with botanical and common names, and size of plant materials;

b. Property lines and street names;

c. Existing and proposed buildings, walls, fences, utilities, paved areas and other site improvements;

d. Existing trees and plant materials to be removed or retained;

e. Designation of landscape zones; and

f. Details and specifications for tree staking (trees less than a two-inch caliper must be double-staked until the trees mature to two-inch caliper), soil preparation, and other planting work.

8. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). The plan must demonstrate how CPTED principles will be used in the design and layout of buildings, streets, accesses and open space areas. Design shall promote natural surveillance, access control, territorial reinforcement, sense of ownership, and maintenance. CPTED landscaping guidelines shall be used, including planting shrubs so as not to impede natural surveillance and trees with a proper ground clearance of six feet above walkways and sidewalks and eight feet above vehicular travel and parking lanes. To encourage public safety through natural surveillance, natural access control, and territorial reinforcement, blank walls are discouraged adjacent to streets, pedestrian areas, and open space amenities. Symbolic barriers, such as low-lying fences/walls, landscaping and signage, shall be used to discourage crime and to promote safety. Ground floor parking garages are discouraged immediately adjacent to streets. Developments shall have street-side building elevations, with windows, and with balconies, decks or landscape terraces encouraged.

a. As part of the site plan approval process, a copy of the landscape plan documentation package shall be submitted to the city for review and approval.

b. Following construction and prior to issuing the approval for occupancy, an inspection shall be scheduled with the planning department to verify compliance with the approved landscape plans.

c. The city reserves the right to perform site inspections at any time before, during or after the irrigation system and landscape installation, and to require corrective measures if requirements of this chapter are not satisfied.

10. Removal. No required landscaping shall be removed without replacement of equal or better quality. This shall include the installation of healthy plant materials as well as a tree-for-tree replacement as governed by this chapter.

E. Irrigation Standards. Irrigation plans shall be designed to accompany the landscape plan and shall address the following standards:

1. A pressure-regulating valve shall be installed and maintained by the consumer if the static service pressure exceeds eighty pounds per square inch (psi). The pressure-regulating valve shall be located between the meter and the first point of water use, or first point of division in the pipe, and shall be set at the manufacturer’s recommended pressure for the sprinklers.

2. All irrigation systems shall include an electric automatic controller with multiple program and multiple repeat cycle capabilities and a flexible calendar program. All controllers shall be equipped with an automatic rain shut-off device, and the ability to adjust run times based on a percentage of maximum ETO.

3. On slopes exceeding thirty-three percent, the irrigation system shall consist of drip emitters, bubblers or sprinklers with a maximum precipitation rate of 0.85 inches per hour and adjusted sprinkler cycle times to eliminate runoff.

4. Each valve shall irrigate a landscape with similar site, slope and soil conditions and plant materials with similar watering needs. Turf and nonturf areas shall be irrigated on separate valves. Drip emitters and sprinklers shall be placed on separate valves.

5. Drip emitters or a bubbler shall be provided for each tree unless located in a turf area. Bubblers shall not exceed one and one-half gallons per minute per device. Bubblers for trees shall be placed on a separate valve unless specifically exempted by the city due to the limited number of trees on the project site.

6. Sprinklers shall have matched precipitation rates with each control valve circuit.

7. Check valves shall be required where elevation differences will cause low-head drainage. Pressure-compensating valves and sprinklers shall be required where a significant variation in water pressure will occur within the irrigation system due to elevation differences.

8. Filters and end flush valves shall be provided as necessary for drip irrigation lines.

9. Valves with spray or stream sprinklers shall be scheduled to operate between six p.m. and ten a.m. to reduce water loss from wind and evaporation.

10. Program valves for multiple repeat cycles where necessary to reduce runoff, particularly on slopes and soils with slow infiltration rates.

11. Spacing of irrigation heads shall not exceed fifty-five percent of coverage diameter.

12. Backflow preventer device is required and shall be located between the water meter and stop and waste valve.

13. Irrigation Plan. A detailed irrigation plan shall be drawn at the same scale as the planting plan and shall contain the following information:

a. Layout of the irrigation system and a legend summarizing the type and size of all components of the system;

b. Static water pressure in pounds per square inch (psi) at the point of connection to the public water supply;

c. Flow rate in gallons per minute and design operating pressure in psi for each valve and precipitation rate in inches per hour for each valve with sprinklers; and

d. Installation details for irrigation components.

F. Fencing. Fencing shall be part of the landscape plan and shall comply with the following:

a. Fences or walls constructed of sight-obscuring solid materials shall not be located within the landscape setback along a public or private right-of-way.

b. Fences up to six feet in height constructed of non-sight-obscuring, open materials, such as wrought iron, picket with gaps greater than the width of the slats, etc., may only be located in the landscape setback along 7800 South, Le Page Street and Holden Street.

c. Screening walls up to eight feet in height are allowed along property boundaries adjacent to existing development located outside Subarea 4. The screening wall shall be constructed of precast concrete, SimTek Ecostone Plus (or equivalent), brick, masonry or other permanent materials, and shall have a finish that complements the development.

2. Interior Fencing. Fences shall not be used to delineate individual developments within Subarea 4. Interior fencing shall only be used as needed for recreational amenities.

3. All fencing and screening walls shall be constructed to comply with sight distance requirements at road intersections and driveways. (Ord. 2021-24 § 1 (Att. A); Ord. 2017-17 § 1 (Att. A (part)))