17-7-9.5 Common development standards | Midvale Municipal Code

17-7-9.5 Common development standards.

A. Utilities. All utilities shall be underground.

B. Access Management. All new development shall comply with the following access management standards:

1. All driveways and curb cuts shall be installed according to the standards and specifications contained in the Midvale City Construction Standards and Specifications handbook. Curb cuts for pedestrian access shall orient toward each street frontage.

2. All newly installed driveways for commercial uses shall be a minimum of two hundred feet apart.

3. All newly installed driveways for commercial uses shall align with any existing commercial access across the street.

4. Shared driveways between and among parcels are encouraged and allowed if the parties execute and record an easement, or a deed of dedication, in a form approved by the city attorney to ensure access in perpetuity for both parcels.

C. Irrigation/Planting Plan. The applicant must submit a landscape plan documentation package. The landscape documentation package shall be submitted as part of the site plan application, and approved prior to the issue of any permit. A copy of the approved landscaped documentation package shall be provided to the property owner or site manager. The landscape plan documentation package shall consist of the following items:

a. Project Data Sheet. The project data sheet shall contain the following:

i. Project name and address;

ii. Applicant or applicant’s agent’s name, address, phone and fax number;

iii. Landscape designer’s name, address, phone and fax number; and

iv. Landscape contractor’s name, address, phone and fax number, if known.

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

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

ii. Property lines and street names;

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

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

v. Designation of landscape zones; and

vi. Details and specification 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.

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

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

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

iii. 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

iv. Installation details for irrigation components.

d. Grading Plan. A grading plan shall be drawn at the same scale as the planting plan and shall contain the following information:

i. Property lines and street names, existing and proposed buildings, walls, fences, utilities, paved areas and other site improvements;

ii. Existing and finished contour lines and spot elevations as necessary for the proposed site improvements; and

iii. Grade shall slope away from the structure as required by the International Building Code.

1. Plant Selection. 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. For projects located at the interface between urban areas and natural open space (non-irrigated), extra drought-tolerant plants shall be selected that will blend with the native vegetation areas with slopes greater than thirty-three percent shall be landscaped with deep-rooting, water-conserving plants for erosion control and soil stabilization. Parking strips and other landscaped areas less than four feet wide shall be landscaped with water conserving plants.

2. Mulch. After completion of all planting, all irrigated non-turf 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.

3. 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.

4. Turfgrass. Plan shall delineate turfgrass areas and include a calculation (percentage) of irrigated turfgrass not to exceed fifty percent of the landscaped areas. Turf areas shall be on a separate irrigation zone from other landscape zones.

5. Trees. Trees less than a two-inch caliper must be double-staked until the trees mature to a two-inch caliper.

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 non-turf areas shall be irrigated on separate valve. 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 1.5 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.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

G. Removal. No landscaping may 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.

H. Lighting. Except for ordinary repairs and maintenance of lighting approved and installed after January 2, 2002, all new development must comply with the following outdoor lighting standards:

1. Light Source. Light sources shall be at least as efficient as LED and no greater than four thousand K in correlated color temperature (CCT). Light levels shall be designed such that light trespass measured at the property line does not exceed 0.01 foot-candles. Light fixtures shall use a cutoff luminaire that is fully or partially shielded with no light distributed above the horizontal plane of the luminaire or into nearby residential structures. In no case shall the total lumens emitted for a single site exceed one hundred thousand lumens per acre.

2. Parking Lot Lighting. Parking lot lighting shall be designed and constructed to comply with the following standards:

i. Luminaire mounting height is measured from the parking lot or driveway surface and may range from ten feet to thirty feet, based on review of site plan, proposed land uses, surrounding land uses, parking area size, building mass, topography of site, and impacts on adjacent properties.

ii. Poles and fixtures shall be black, dark brown, or another neutral color approved by the community development director.

iii. All attempts shall be made to place the base of light poles within landscape areas.

iv. Light poles in parking areas shall not exceed thirty feet in height. Poles exceeding twenty feet in height are appropriate only for parking areas exceeding two hundred stalls and not in close proximity to residential areas.

a. Wall-mounted lighting fixtures shall not be located above eighteen feet in height unless being used as building accent lighting. Fixture styles and finishes shall complement the building exterior.

b. Lighting located along pedestrian pathways or in areas primarily dedicated to human activity shall be bollard style lighting or down-directed lighting not to exceed twelve feet in height. Pedestrian lighting shall be coordinated through each project and shall complement adjacent projects to the greatest extent practical.

c. In order to avoid light pollution, backlit awnings, up-light spotlights, and floodlights are prohibited.

d. Street lighting shall either be chosen from the city’s approved streetlight list or installed to match a theme set by developments within the zone or neighborhood.

e. Lighting for outdoor athletic facilities may be mounted on a roof or wall at a height above the typical eighteen-foot maximum provided it is demonstrated by the applicant through submittal of appropriate documentation and light studies showing that the facility cannot otherwise be properly lighted. This lighting shall comply with the following requirements:

i. Light fixtures and necessary supports shall not extend more than four feet above the roof line;

ii. Light fixtures shall include appropriate shields to ensure no light trespass off the site;

iii. Light fixtures shall include appropriate shields and louvers to minimize, to the greatest extent possible, any point source light pollution;

iv. Light fixtures and supports shall be painted to blend with the color scheme of the structure to which they are mounted;

v. Light fixtures shall be dimmable to address any possible unforeseen light impacts once they are constructed and operable; and

vi. The planning commission shall review the hours of light usage and shall approve an appropriate usage schedule depending on the specific situation and impacts on the surrounding area.

4. Upgrading Preexisting Lighting. An applicant must bring preexisting lighting into compliance with this code upon application with the business license department for a change in ownership, new business in a stand-alone structure or in a multi-tenant structure in which the new business utilizes more than fifty percent of the building square footage on the site, in conjunction with an application for a building permit for any alteration, remodel or expansion of any structure on the site, or in conjunction with changes to the approved site plan.

5. Lighting Plan Submission Requirements. A lighting plan is required for all developments and must contain the following:

a. Plans indicating the location on the premises, and the type of illumination devices, fixtures, lamps, supports, reflectors, installation and electrical details;

b. Description of illuminating devices, fixtures, lamps, supports, reflectors, and other devices that may include, but is not limited to, manufacturer catalog cuts and drawings, including section where required; and photometric data, such as that furnished by manufacturers, or similar showing the angle of the cutoff or light emission; and

c. A point-by-point light plan to determine the adequacy of the lighting over the site.

I. 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. (Ord. 2019-06 § 1 (Att. B (part)); Ord. 9/21/2004O-29 § 1 (part))