(1) Land Use Applications Requiring A Detailed Landscape Plan And Subject To This Article's Provisions: A detailed landscape plan shall be submitted to the community development department for the following land use activities:
A. New commercial, new industrial or new business park development, residential, multi-family or commercial subdivision, manufactured home park, planned unit development, special use permit, rezone and public sponsored application.
B. A detailed landscape plan shall also be submitted with a change of use permit or a temporary land use permit associated with an existing commercial, industrial, or business park reconstruction where the rebuilding, remodeling or modification exceeds fifty percent (50%) of the parking area, building structure or building value subject to improvement. The city building inspector shall assign a valuation to the building plans based on nationally recognized building valuation data and compare that to the structure's assessed valuation as calculated by the Canyon County assessor's office. In the event the difference in valuation between the county's calculations and the building inspector's analysis exceeds fifty percent (50%) of the building's assessed valuation, for that portion of the building structure, subject to construction improvement, the controller shall adhere to the landscape ordinance requirements to include landscape plan submittal.
C. A landscaping plan will not be required for new residential development, not part of a phased development, containing less than five (5) units and not located on a gateway street, within a local historical district, along the Indian Creek and the Boise River corridor or on the I-84 corridor. The community development director and the city forester shall approve the landscape plan. This landscape plan may be placed on the same site plan as is used to demonstrate parking layout, setback compliance, etc., provided these plans also conform to scale requirements (see subsection (4)B of this section).
(2) Plan Submittal Requirements: All landscape plans shall comply with the requirements for size, scale, number of copies, and contents as outlined in the community development application form. The specific requirements are listed in the landscaping application form available from the community development department.
The controller shall submit a copy of the current property deed along with a corresponding legal description.
City staff will not review landscape plans for multiple land parcels where the land divisions result from land splits that were not the product of a subdivision process, with the exception of the one lot split opportunity, unless the controller has also submitted a subdivision application. The city will review landscape plans resulting from land splits that were created in the county within the area of impact through record of survey process and then annexed into the city at the time that the city recognized lot splits in lieu of the subdivision process (prior to 1995). If there is a question about how the land has been subdivided, the controller shall demonstrate that the land division has been constructed through a city recognized subdivision process.
The landscape plan will carry the following note: Only landscape placed on the subject property behind the area dedicated for right of way purpose shall be credited toward the controller's landscape obligation. The controller shall be responsible for the care and maintenance of landscaping along any street right of way areas adjoining the subject property. The area lying between the edge of the street pavement and the property line shall not qualify as a percentage of the landscape requirement.
The city of Caldwell reserves the right to require the landscape plan to be stamped by a licensed surveyor if there is doubt about the accuracy of the plans submitted.
(3) Area To Be Landscaped: All portions of any lot or parcel subject to this article not devoted to building area, future building area, parking, access drives, walks, storage or accessory use(s) shall be landscaped in a manner consistent with this article, not to exceed the landscaping limitations imposed by this article.
(4) Landscape Plan Preparation:
A. Landscape plans should be organized in a manner that conveys the landscaping layout in a coherent manner. The landscaping should enhance the physical and aesthetic character of the project. A landscaping plan must be prepared by the project architect, professional landscape architect, landscape designer, or qualified nurseryman and stamped by a licensed professional architect for developments possessing more than twelve thousand (12,000) square feet of private land area subject to this article.
The community development director and/or the city forester may require the preparation of a landscape plan for a smaller development by one of the aforementioned individuals, if the lot or parcel is located on a corridor roadway, within a local historic district, gateway street, Indian Creek and the Boise River corridor, and I-84 corridor or if the land use has the potential to impact a natural resource or lies within a hazardous area.
A more generalized landscape plan, to include the subsections listed below, with the exception of subsections (4)B5, (4)B11, and (4)B13 of this section, may be prepared for a development smaller than twelve thousand (12,000) square feet of land area, subject to the exceptions noted above.
The community development director may modify or set aside landscape plan requirements on a case by case basis if public obligations can still be met.
B. The landscape plan shall be drawn and submitted at a scale no smaller than one inch equals thirty feet (1" = 30') for developments less than five (5) acres in size. The applicant may provide an overall site plan at a scale of one inch equals one hundred feet (1" = 100') for developments greater than five (5) acres in size, provided they also supply landscape details and snapshots of certain key landscape features at a scale no smaller than one inch equals thirty feet (1" = 30'). If there are questions about what size to scale a project, the community development staff can provide assistance. The plan shall be drawn and plotted relying on standard engineering or architectural scales.
1. Individual parking and loading spaces showing parking space striping and parking capacity calculations in accordance with Caldwell's zoning ordinance.
2. Circulation area necessary to serve the parking spaces and arrows indicating direction of circulation pattern.
3. Driveway accesses.
4. Boundaries and dimensions of the site. Boundaries and dimensions of the site shall be determined by a professional land surveyor via a subdivision plat or record of survey. All property boundaries must be clearly marked on the landscape plan. All property pins and monuments located within proximity to the property must be accurately noted on the plan and relied upon for property boundary determination. The platted centerline of all adjacent roadways must be accurately marked on the plans and the basis for the centerline determination must be noted on the plan. Any monuments in proximity to the property that identify the roadway centerline shall be illustrated on the plan.
5. Grading, surfacing, drainage and subgrading details (see section 10-07-13 of this article for when this provision is required).
6. Footprint and dimensions of all existing and proposed structures.
7. Sidewalks, pathways, other pedestrianways and means of connectivity with adjoining properties.
8. Parkway or parkings (the parking strip or buffer area).
9. Location and description of other landscape improvements including, but not limited to, earth berms, walls, fences (include method of fence construction), screens, sculptures, fountains, street furniture, boulders and rock slabs, entrance signage and lights.
10. The location and design of areas to be landscaped.
11. Plant legend, to include the botanical or common name of all proposed plants and their location, quantity, spacing, size and installation detail of all landscape material at the time of planting.
12. Location of existing trees greater than a four inch (4") caliper, their variety (common or botanical name), classification by type (classes 1, 2 and 3 - see Caldwell tree ordinance for class size) and an indication of whether they are to remain or be removed from the site. In the event a large number of trees are to be retained, the general area with the number of trees involved may be given in lieu of listing and locating each tree.
13. A description of how those trees retained will be protected during construction in accordance with section 10-07-04 of this article.
14. Construction plans for the irrigation system and the associated water source (see section 10-07-12 of this article).
15. Percentage of gross area to be landscaped.
16. Location of equipment proposed for recreational use.
17. Common areas. (Note: The storm drainage common areas may need to be separated from the recreation common areas for safety reasons, although both areas count toward the landscaping requirements.)
18. The installer must provide certification to the city that all of the trees or plants installed are free from disease and are not toxic, poisonous or otherwise a nuisance to a person of average plant allergy sensitivity.
19. Location of utility easements, and at grade structure for all utilities.
20. The street's future right of way boundary, as identified on the Canyon County functionally classified road map by type of road functionality and available for viewing at the city or the COMPASS website must be clearly indicated on the plan, when applicable. The minimum required right of way width associated with road functionality can be found in the transportation section of Caldwell's comprehensive plan.
21. Add a defensive zone on the plat map for land gradient greater than nine percent (9%).
(5) Standards And Specifications: All tree planting shall be based on the city's "Arboricultural Standards And Specifications Guide" available from the city forester.
(6) Evaluation Of Landscaping Plans: Landscaping plans will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
A. Compliance with screen and buffer application (see sections 10-07-08, 10-07-09 and 10-07-10 of this article).
B. Retention of existing natural features (see "natural area" definition in section 10-07-01 of this article). Vegetation that is retained may count toward satisfying the landscape requirements with the exception of certain trees (see subsection 10-07-04(1) of this article).
C. Use of suitable trees (see section 10-08-02 of this chapter).
D. Adequacy of the watering facility or irrigation system (see section 10-07-12 of this article). Existing trees shall be provided with a watering area equal to at least 1/2 the tree's crown area where possible.
E. Compatibility with surrounding properties (see section 10-07-10 of this article).
F. Overall aesthetic level (see sections 10-07-04 and 10-07-16 of this article).
G. Storm water management strategy (see section 10-07-13 of this article).
H. Traffic and circulation considerations (see city engineer's department).
I. Consideration for public, health, safety and welfare.
J. Fire and life safety related issues (see section 10-07-04 of this article).
(7) Landscape Plan Tree Preservation Requirements: The plan shall be designed to preserve existing trees with greater than a four inch (4") caliper whenever possible; trees of this size shall be shown on the landscape plan. The plan should indicate whether each tree of this size caliper or larger is to be retained or removed. The plan shall include a description of how trees that are to be retained will be protected during construction.
(8) Tree Preservation Credit: The community development department in cooperation with the city forester may allow the development's required number of parking spaces to be reduced by up to fifteen percent (15%) to accommodate the preservation of existing trees with a caliper of four inches (4") or greater. Any tree preservation credit as outlined in subsection 10-08-02(11) of this chapter must be submitted along with the landscape plan. Trees that are retained may count toward the percentage of required landscaping, provided the trees are not ones prohibited within the area the controller is seeking a credit. Trees on the public right of way shall not be removed without the city's consent and only for valid reasons. Trees required for replacement purpose are not credited toward the other landscaping requirements. For an understanding of tree requirements, see section 10-08-02 of this chapter.
(9) Alternative Compliance: A request for alternative compliance must be submitted along with the application (see section 10-07-14 of this article).
(10) Year Round Variety Landscaping: Landscaping should provide year round variety in color and mix of evergreen and deciduous vegetation.
(11) Modification To Landscaping Plan: Once the landscaping plan has been approved, no modifications can be made to it without the community development director's and city forester's joint determination to allow for the change. This provision also applies to all field changes. All approved changes to the landscape plan must be documented prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy.
(12) Appeal Process: If the community development director, in consultation with the city forester, denies the landscape plan the denial may be appealed pursuant to subsection 10-03-02(6)G of this chapter.
(13) Solar Power Application: City staff will review requests for relief from landscape standards in order to accommodate use of solar power as an energy conservation strategy on a case by case basis. Solar power use should not be pursued at the expense of the heating and cooling properties gained from proper tree planting strategies; rather they should be developed in tandem with these attributes. (Ord. 2533, 12-20-2004)