compatibility between different use intensities and comfort and enjoyment for individual property owners. Perimeter buffer yard standards are designed to provide a vegetative transition between developments; mitigating negative impacts to adjacent land uses; preserving open space and existing vegetation where possible and supplementing with new plantings where necessary to obtain the minimum standard buffer; and to prevent or minimize grading changes between adjacent properties to permit adequate buffered areas to remain.
a. General Perimeter Buffer Yard Standards
(1) Location & Arrangement of Buffers . The buffers required in this Article shall be located along the outer perimeter of a lot or parcel of land and shall run parallel with property lines, except where a street buffer is required, in which case such buffer shall be utilized along the related street, and meeting the following standards: A. Buffer Composition . A buffer shall not include any portion of an existing or proposed public right-of-way, private street or public or private easement except as otherwise permitted in this Article. B. Buffer Planting . The plant material contained in the required buffer shall be planted across the entire width of the buffer (not just along the edge of the buffer) planted in staggered rows or a landscape design pattern. C. Buffers between Adjacent Uses. Buffers shall be required between adjacent properties except those located in the Downtown Center-1 (DC-1) District, Downtown Center-2 (DC- 2) District. In the form-based districts Residential Mixed-Use (RMU), Commercial Mixed-Use (CMU), and Employment Mixed-Use (EMU) Form-Based Zoning Districts, perimeter buffers shall only apply at the project boundary. (2) Berms, Walls & Fences . Berms, walls and fences (chain-link is prohibited), may be incorporated into the landscape design, but shall not take the place of the required landscape plant materials. A fence or wall may be permitted in a perimeter buffer in compliance with Article G Lot & Structure Provisions, and where required, landscape plant material shall be located the exterior side of the fence or wall. A minimum of 50% of the required landscape plant material shall be located along the top half of a berm and the remaining plant material may be on the sides and toe of the berm, unless otherwise provided by the Land Development Ordinance. (3) Preserve Environmental Areas . Where a perimeter buffer yard is required in a location that includes identified wetlands, riparian buffers or floodplain, no planting of landscaping material shall be required in these specific areas.
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