Bylaw

Preamble: The regulations contained in this section establish the landscaping requirements for all development within the City. It is recognized that landscaping is an integral component of development and enhances the appearance and environmental performance of developments. It should be noted that while this section outlines the minimum landscaping requirements, specific regulations may also be included within specific land use districts as required to ensure quality development and use compatibility. All sections of this Bylaw pertaining to landscaping should be reviewed and adhered to when developing site plans, design plans and landscaping plans.

(1) All development shall provide landscaping in compliance with this Bylaw.

(2) The Development Authority may vary the landscaping requirements contained in this Section for an individual development site if the required landscaping has been provided at a broader, more comprehensive level of plan. This may include an Area Structure Plan, Neighbourhood Structure Plan, or Master Site Plan.

(3) For any variance considered under the above, landscaping must still be provided in a manner that is compatible with the purpose and intent of this Bylaw, properly addressing of the use and development of the site, streetscape, amenity and environmental performance.

(1) Development approved prior to the adoption of this Bylaw shall adhere to the landscaping requirements of its approval, to the satisfaction of the Development Authority, unless a new Development Permit application is made.

The following landscaping standards and requirements apply to all development covered under this Bylaw, unless detailed otherwise within a specific land use district or overlay.

(1) Any portion of a site not occupied by buildings, pedestrian circulation or storage or parking areas shall be landscaped.

(2) The minimum landscaping requirement listed in any district shall be applied to the whole development site. Where a site includes multiple lots, the landscaping requirement shall be applied comprehensively and not to individual lots.

(3) All required yard (setback) areas, except for those specifically required for sidewalks and motor vehicle access, are to be landscaped.

(4) When a landscaped area is required adjacent to a boulevard, the tree species chosen must complement the existing boulevard trees.

(5) The Development Authority may require landscaping within a site that is intended for future development if, in the opinion of the Development Authority, the lack of landscaping creates a potential negative visual impact, given the visibility of the area from adjacent properties and public roadways.

(6) All landscaped areas shall be designed to facilitate effective surface drainage consistent with a lot grading plan.

(7) Where this Bylaw requires a minimum area for landscaping, this shall not include any interior side yard or space with a minimum dimension less than 1.5 metres.

(8) Parking or storing of vehicles is not permitted on landscaped areas unless approved as a display area on approved Development Permit drawings.

(9) The siting or location of coniferous and deciduous trees shall be to the satisfaction of the Development Authority, having regard to such considerations as solar access and shade, screening and sight lines, and year-round provision of foliage.

(10) All areas subject to landscaping shall be maintained as a landscaped area once complete.

(11) Soft landscaping shall be maintained to the minimum standards of this Bylaw on an ongoing basis. Any tree or shrub required to meet the minimum standards of this Bylaw that does not survive shall be replaced within one year.

(12) Where any landscaping is to be provided on a site and is not governed by a Development Permit, Development Agreement, or Subdivision Servicing Agreement, such landscaping must be completed within 2 years.

(13) If the Development Authority allows a variance from the requirements set out in this section, the Development Authority may impose as a condition of development approval, where feasible and practical, landscaping alternatives that focus on the enhancement of streetscape and environmental performance by the addition of landscaping between the building and the adjacent road, and in the parking areas adjacent to the road.

A landscape plan for a proposed development must be submitted as part of each Development Permit application and must include the following information:

(1) The property lines of the site, adjacent land uses, approximate location of buildings and landscaping on adjacent sites;

(2) All overhead, surface and underground utilities, limits of easements and right-of-ways;

(3) The existing and proposed topography;

(4) The existing vegetation and indication of whether it will be retained or removed;

(5) The layout of berms, open space, pedestrian circulation, retaining walls, screening, soft landscaped areas, and hard landscaped areas;

(6) The location, height and materials of all proposed walls, fences and screening;

(7) Common and botanical names, sizes, and quantities of plant material and the types of landscaped areas; planting details indicating soil depths, amount of topsoil, and mulch types;

(8) Irrigation systems, if proposed;

(9) A table indicating the required quantities of plant material, as required by this Bylaw;

(10) Established City landscaping and infrastructure within 6 metres of the subject property, or any other established landscaping and infrastructure that will be impacted by the proposed development.

(1) The Development Authority shall review the landscape plan to verify its compliance with the provisions of this section. The Development Authority may approve, deny or require changes to the landscape plan if it is not in compliance. Provided that the purposes of this section are still achieved, written requests for alternative landscaping schemes may be submitted to the Development Authority and may be considered when the following conditions apply:

(a) Topography, soil or other site conditions are such that full compliance is impossible or impractical;

(b) It can be demonstrated that the alternative proposal will result in better environmental or aesthetic quality and conditions; or

(c) Safety considerations are involved and no other alternative exists to reduce potential hazards.

(d) The site has space limitations or an unusual shape;

(2) The Development Authority may authorize minor changes to an approved landscape plan without requiring a separate Development Permit application.

(1) Landscaping materials must be selected based on the context of the site and in the case of soft landscaping, for their hardiness, disease-resistance, drought-resistance and maintenance characteristics. When new landscaping is required, existing mature trees and established soft landscaping are encouraged to be retained and augmented where possible.

(2) Naturalized landscapes, where provided, shall be designed to reflect the plant materials, soil types and topography typical to the relevant sub-region. Generally, naturalized landscapes would apply to areas adjacent to Nose Creek, environmental reserves, major utility right-of-ways and public utility lots, and parking lot islands. Naturalized landscapes may be accommodated in any land use district subject to an approved landscape plan.

(3) All plants used to complete landscaping required by this Bylaw must be listed in the Alberta Horticultural Guide and shall be tolerant to specific site conditions, such as sun, shade, excessive wind, road salt, etc.

(4) Tree planting shall be in groupings or mulched beds to encourage improved growth, survivability and aesthetics.

(5) Shrubs shall be planted in groups of three or more.

(6) For the purposes of calculating the Number of Plantings Required, the requirements shall be based on the amount of landscaped area required for the site. Where the calculation of Number of Plantings Required results in a fractional number, the requirement shall be rounded up to the nearest whole number.

(7) Where the calculation of Number of Plantings Required results in less than one tree or less than three shrubs, a minimum of one tree or three shrubs, respectively, shall be provided.

(8) The quality and extent of landscaping established on a site shall be the minimum standard to be maintained on the site for the life of the development. Adequate means of irrigating and maintaining the landscaping shall be provided.

(9) Any trees or shrubs which are found at the time of an inspection that are identified as diseased or in decline must be replaced during the next planting season, unless otherwise accepted by the Development Authority.

(10) The minimum specifications for plantings required by this Bylaw at the time of planting shall be as outlined in Table 4 (Minimum Landscaping Requirements) below:

(11) No individual tree species shall represent more than 33% of the total trees required for any development.

(12) Notwithstanding the Number of Trees Required outlined in Table 4 (above) for Single Detached, SemiDetached, and Duplex developments, or portions thereof for a comprehensive development, the requirement for front yard landscaping shall be:

(a) Two (2) trees per lot, or;

(b) A combination of trees and shrubs equivalent to two (2) trees per lot, in accordance with the Shrub Substitution provisions outlined in Table 4 (Minimum Landscaping Requirements), or;

(c) A xeriscaping plan, incorporating drought-resistant and local plant species, prepared to the satisfaction of the Development Authority.

(1) Unless otherwise accepted by the Development Authority, all landscaping required for a development site shall be provided as soft landscaping.

(2) The Development Authority may accept the provision of Hard Landscaping to satisfy the requirements of this Bylaw where the landscaping provided meets all of the following criteria:

(a) Is consistent with the purpose and intent of the Land Use District in which it is located;

(b) Provides amenity for the site;

(c) Is permeable and does not alter the approved grading and drainage pattern for the site;

(d) Contributes to the environmental performance of the site; and

(e) Is sensitive to conditions of the site and its interface with the surrounding area.

(1) Where a proposed development provides Enhanced or Low Water Landscape treatments and meets or exceeds all other requirements of this Bylaw, the Development Authority may reduce the minimum required landscaped area by up to 20% of the requirement that is stated in the district.

(2) For Enhanced Landscaping treatments, the minimum landscaped area required by the district may be reduced at the discretion of the Development Authority where:

(a) 1.0 trees and 2.0 shrubs are planted for every 30m² of landscaped area provided;

(b) All deciduous trees have a minimum calliper of 70mm at the time of planting;

(c) Coniferous trees have a minimum height of 3.0 metres at the time of planting.

(3) For Low Water Landscaping treatments, the minimum landscaped area required by the district may be reduced at the discretion of the Development Authority where:

(a) A low water irrigation system is provided and irrigation is confined to trees and shrubs on-site;

(b) Trees and shrubs with similar water requirements are grouped together;

(c) A maximum of 30% of the required landscaped area is planted with sod and the remainder is covered with plantings or mulch;

(d) A minimum of 30% of required plantings provided on-site are Low Water plantings.

(1) Artificial landscaping shall be at the discretion of the Development Authority and subject to review of a landscaping plan complete with specifications on the artificial landscaping proposed (i.e. composition, installation, base materials, drainage test reports, etc.);

(2) Artificial turf must be permeable and able to meet appropriate drainage and runoff standards to the satisfaction of the Development Authority;

(3) Where artificial turf is proposed in residential districts, it:

(a) Shall be complementary to other natural landscaping elements proposed on the subject property and the surrounding area that would, in the opinion of the Development Authority, improve the overall aesthetic of the property and the neighbourhood;

(b) Shall include a thatch layer to provide integrated colour variation to the satisfaction of the Development Authority;

(c) Shall provide an appropriate material weight and varied blade height to ensure a natural aesthetic to the satisfaction of the Development Authority

(4) Artificial turf shall not be permitted in all other districts, except where forming part of a Day Care, Animal Service, or Outdoor Recreation facility;

(5) Artificial landscaping must be maintained and repaired or replaced if damaged within thirty days of receipt of notice from the Development Authority;

(6) The Development Authority, in evaluating a proposal for artificial landscaping, shall consider:

(a) Interface with landscaping on adjacent properties and other landscaping treatments on the site;

(b) Visibility of the artificial landscaping from the street and adjoining properties;

(c) Existing distribution of artificial landscaping in the surrounding area, as determined by the Development Authority.

Notwithstanding the setbacks identified in any industrial district, any development in an industrial area:

(1) Shall include a 5.0m landscape buffer adjacent to the property line that abuts or is adjacent to a residential district, or as determined by the Development Authority;

(2) Shall include a 5.0m landscape buffer adjacent to the property line that abuts Veterans Blvd., Yankee Valley Blvd., East Lake Blvd., Hamilton Blvd. or Kings Heights Blvd.;

(3) Shall include a 3.0m landscape buffer adjacent to the property line that abuts any other Collector or Arterial road.

Notwithstanding the setbacks identified in any commercial or institutional district, any development in a commercial or institutional district, except the Downtown Core Mixed Use District (M3):

(1) Shall include a 3.0m strip of landscaped area adjacent to a property line that abuts a road;

(2) Shall ensure that off-street loading spaces in any commercial district adjoining or fronting onto any residential property in a residential district are screened on each side by a wall, fence, berm or hedge not less than 1.8m in height to the satisfaction of the Development Authority;

(3) Shall screen all outdoor storage areas from view of adjacent arterial roads through the use of fencing, landscaping, masonry wall, berm, or combination thereof, in addition to the any other applicable regulations in this section, to the satisfaction of the Development Authority;

(4) May require other types of screening at the discretion of the Development Authority to reduce visual impact between the residential and non-residential district.

(1) Landscaping shall be incorporated into the design of parking lots to improve streetscape and aesthetics of the site, enhance the pedestrian environment, improve the internal circulation and allow for stormwater infiltration on the site.

(2) Landscape islands shall be required for surface parking areas with a capacity of 50 or more vehicles.

(3) Landscaped islands provided in parking areas:

(a) Shall be provided at the beginning and end of every row of parking stalls;

(b) Shall be spaced with no more than 24 parking stalls between landscaped islands;

(c) Shall be provided with a minimum area of at least 20m² and a minimum dimension of at least 1.8m;

(d) Shall be provided with a minimum depth of 0.75m and a minimum volume of 15m³;

(e) Shall require a minimum of 1 tree or equivalent plantings per 10m² of landscaped island area. Planting types and species provided for this requirement shall be selected based on survivability in constrained landscaped areas;

(f) May identify up to one-third of the provided landscaped islands on a site which can be used to accommodate snow storage for the site during winter and may have reduced plantings provided within such islands accordingly.

(4) Landscaped islands must be surrounded with a concrete curb and designed and located in such a way that the health of all landscaping associated with them can be maintained for the life of the principal development.

(5) The Development Authority may approve a different planting requirement where the landscaped island contains a naturalized planting scheme, and/or where the landscaped island is used to detain storm water.

At the time of subdivision, or as a condition of a Development Permit, an irrevocable letter of credit or other form of security deemed acceptable to the Development Authority may be required to ensure that proposed landscaping is carried out with reasonable diligence. The details and requirements of this security shall accord with all applicable security policies of the City and related agreements (e.g. subdivision servicing, development agreements), as may be amended from time to time, including but not limited to Section 2.5 of this Bylaw, where applicable.