Town Council

Town of Summerville Special Called Council Meeting – UDO Workshop #22 Annex Building – 200 South Main Street, Summerville, SC 29483 Training Room, 2nd Floor Wednesday, August 21, 2019 – 1:30pm AGENDA 1. Call to order 2. Executive Session: legal matter a. Legal matter related to personnel matter 3. Other Business a. Action to be taken by Council related to Executive Session 4. Discussion of proposed Unified Development Ordinance (UDO)* a. *Primary discussion of Chapter 11 (Water Management) b. *Discussion of other chapters if necessary. 5. Mayor’s Comments 6. Scheduling of Special Called Council Meeting: UDO Workshop #23 7. Adjourn Buffers may Buffers may be required be required per 8.6 per 8.6 8.6 SCREENING/BUFFERS 8.6.1 BUFFERS Perimeter Buffers as required by the provisions of this ordinance are intended to provide spatial separation between incompatible uses and to promote compatibility between new or expanding residential subdivisions and surrounding land uses. These buffers may be included in buffers that are required for protection of environmentally-sensitive areas such as floodplains or wetlands as required by other sections of this ordinance. A. Required District Buffers: Landscaped perimeter buffers shall be preserved or established along the front, side, and rear boundary lines of all sites located within Conventional Business (N-B, G-B) and Industrial (L-I, H-I) Districts as defined in Chapter 2, along the boundary of Mixed-Use Districts (N-MX, D-MX, UC-MX) adjacent to GR-2 and GR- 5 Districts, and along the boundary and road corridors of residential subdivisions of at least 25 acres and/or 50 lots. Road corridor buffers shall only be required adjacent to all street frontages that are not located within or associated with the principal residential subdivision. Residential Subdivision boundary All Other Districts 15 ft min. Residential Subdivision road Street frontages that are not located within or 15 ft min. corridor associated with the principal subdivision B. Composition of Required Buffer: Each 15 foot increment shall be composed of a landscape screen depicted in 8.6.2 below. This requirement may be satisfied with the preservation of existing vegetation. C. Maintenance of Required Plantings: Trees and shrubs shall not be pruned in any manner that would significantly diminish the desired softening character of the buffer except in accordance with standard horticultural practice or except as required at driveway sight triangles. Trees shall not be limbed-up from the ground more than 7 feet to the lowest branches except in accordance with ANSI A300 pruning standards or as required at driveway sight triangles. D. Permitted Improvements within Perimeter Buffers: Perimeter Buffers shall contain only vegetation with the following exceptions: 1. Vehicular access driveways may encroach into buffers only if the driveway is placed approximately perpendicular to the buffer, or if the driveway is shared by adjoining parcels. 2. Sidewalks and bicycle paths, provided that they shall not count toward meeting the required landscaped area. 3. Signage, lighting fixtures, and street furniture. 4. Walls, fences, arbors, trellises, and sculpture.  5. Utility and services lines. Utility access shall be designed to provide the least intensive impacts on the existing vegetation and should utilize existing rights-of-way and easements for such utility, where possible. In the event utilities and/or subsequent easements occupy 30 percent or more of the buffer, the required buffer width shall still be maintained internal to the development beyond the limits of such utilities and/or easements. E. Residential subdivision boundary and road corridor buffers shall be platted separately as common area or open space. These buffers may be utilized as open space, provided such areas are platted separately as common area, designated and maintained as such, and meet all applicable requirements of Sections 6.5 and 6.6 of this Ordinance. All required transitional buffers must be located within the principal residential subdivision. 8.6.2 LANDSCAPE SCREENS A. Applicability: Landscape screens shall be required anywhere that Section 3 - Use Standards specify requirements for a landscape screen. Where landscape screens are required, they shall be installed in accordance with the provisions below. B. Minimum Width: For a landscape screen, a minimum 15-foot wide pervious space shall be provided, unless another width is deemed appropriate by Town Staff during the approval process based on site conditions. C. Minimum Required Landscaping 1. A minimum of 6 large maturing trees and 40 shrubs shall be planted for each 100 linear feet of landscape screen area to provide continuous coverage. 2. Trees shall be a minimum 50% evergreen. 3. Shrubs shall be a minimum 75% evergreen. D. Existing Vegetation: Existing vegetation located in the required landscape screen area which is designated for preservation may be counted toward the minimum required landscaping for landscape screens as long as such vegetation meets the following requirements: 1. Free from pests or structural problems; 2. Clearly shown on the site plan; 3. Approved by Town staff prior to development as meeting the intent of the landscaping requirements; 4. Not considered invasive or noxious plants; and 5. Adequately protected before and during grading and development of the site.