HomeMy WebLinkAbout3a Ord_Landscaping March 2025 clean copy 3.4.25Page 1
CITY OF REXBURG
ORDINANCE LANDSCAPING MARCH 2025
NOW THEREFORE, be it ordained by the Council of the City of Rexburg, in the
State of Idaho, as follows:
SECTION 1: AMENDMENT “K-L” of the Rexburg Development Code is
hereby amended as follows:
A M E N D M E N T
K-L
Kennel, Private: Any building, buildings or land designed or arranged for the care of dogs
and cats belonging to the owner of the principal user, kept for the purposes of show, hunting,
or as pets.
Lamp: The generic term for an artificial light source, to be distinguished from the whole
assembly. Commonly referred to as “bulb”.
Landscaping: The area within the boundaries of a given lot/project that consists of planting
materials, including but not limited to living trees, shrubs, ground covers, grass, flowers,
decorative rock, bark, mulch, and other similar materials. Landscaping must be maintained as
in its original design and purpose. (See subsection 3.02.100.)
Laundry, Self-Service: A business that provides home-type washing, drying, and/or ironing
machines for hire to be used by customers on the premises.
Lighting, Holiday: Strings of individual lamps, where the lamps are at least three inches (3”)
apart. (See section 3.6.)
Lighting Plan: Documents specific to a project or development that describe the location and
characteristics of all exterior lighting and the light levels in and adjacent to the property. The
complete lighting unit, including the lamp, the fixture, and other parts. This also can include a
photometric layout.
Livestock, Domestic: Animals such as horses, cattle, swine, sheep, goats, rabbits, and poultry,
which can be kept for education, and/or food production for those who raise them.
Lot: A piece or parcel of land separated from other pieces or parcels as shown on a recorded
subdivision plat or by metes and bounds description for purposes of sale, lease, or separate use.
A.Corner Lot: A lot with frontage on two (2) or more intersecting streets where the
interior angle of intersection does not exceed one-hundred-thirty-five (135°) degrees.
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Corner lots have two front yards and two side yards but no rear yard.
B.Double Frontage Lot: A lot abutting two (2) parallel or approximately parallel streets.
Double Frontage lots have two (2) front yards and two (2) side yards.
C.Flag Lot: Lots or parcels that the City has approved with less frontage on a public
street than is normally required, with no less than twenty (20’) feet of accessible
frontage, generally intended to make deeper property accessible.
D.Interior Lot: A lot having but one (1) frontage abutting on a street.
E.Substandard Lot: A lot or parcel of land that has less than the minimum area or
width as established by the zone in which it is located. Such a lot shall have been of
record as a legally created lot on the effective date of this ordinance.
F.Through Lot: A lot that has a pair of opposite lot lines along two substantially parallel
streets and which is not a corner lot. On a through lot, both street lines shall be deemed
front lot lines.
Lot Area: The total horizontal area within the lot lines of a lot.
Lot Coverage: The area of a site covered by buildings or roofed areas and impervious
surfaces.
Lot Depth: The horizontal distance from the midpoint of the front lot line to the midpoint of
the rear lot line or to the most distant point on any other lot line where there is no rear lot line.
Lot Layout Plan: A plan showing where the building will be placed in relation to the lot lines
to determine compliance with the code requirements for single-family homes, duplexes and
twin homes.
Lot Line: The boundary line of a lot.
A.Front Lot Line: The property line separating the front of the lot from the public right-
of-way.
B.Rear Lot Line: The lot line opposite the front property line. Where the side property
lines of a lot meet in a point, the rear property line shall be assumed to be a line not
less than ten (10’) feet long, lying within the lot and parallel to the front property line.
In the event that the front property line is a curved line, then the rear property line shall
be assumed to be a line not less than ten (10’) feet long, lying within the lot and
parallel to a line tangent to the front property line at its midpoint.
C.Side Lot Line: Any lot line not a front or rear lot line.
Lot of Record: A lot that is part of a subdivision, the plat of which has been recorded in the
office of the Recorder of Madison County, Idaho, or any parcel of land, whether or not part of
a subdivision, that has been officially recorded by a size that met the minimum dimensions for
lots in the district in which it was located at the time of recording or was recorded prior to the
effective date of zoning in the area where the lot is located.
Lot Width: The horizontal distance between side lot lines measured at the required front
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setback line. The width of a lot shall be:
A.If the side property lines are parallel, the shortest distance between these side lines.
B.If the side property lines are not parallel, the width of the lot shall be the length of a
line at right angles to the axis of the lot at a distance equal to the front setback required
for the zone in which the lot is located. The axis of a lot shall be a line joining the
midpoints of the front and rear property lines.
C.For rural acreage developments, the distance between the side lot lines, measured at
the street frontage.
SECTION 2: AMENDMENT “P” of the Rexburg Development Code is
hereby amended as follows:
A M E N D M E N T
P
Parcel: A continuous quantity of land in the possession of or owned by or recorded as the
property of the same person or persons.
Parking Space: A dedicated or delineated area other than a street or alley that is permanently
set aside, reserved, and maintained in accordance with the Rexburg City Development Code
for the parking of one motor vehicle. (See section 3.4 .)
Pedestrian Emphasis District (P.E.D.): A district overlay created near the BYU-I campus
that allows less parking and higher density for residential units. (See section 9.1.)
Pedestrian Oriented Development: Development designed with an emphasis primarily on
the street sidewalk and on pedestrian access to the site and buildings/structures rather than an
auto access. The building structures are generally located close to the public or private right-of-
way and the main entrance(s) are oriented to the street sidewalk. There are generally windows
or display cases along building facades. Although parking is provided, it is generally limited in
size and location.
Pedestrian Walkway: A surfaced walkway, separate from the traveled portion of a public or
private right-of-way parking lot/driving aisle.
Pedestrian Way: A public right-of-way dedicated as a walkway through a block from street-
to-street and/or providing access to a school, park, recreation area, or shopping center.
Percent of elevation: is measured as the horizontal plane (lineal feet) containing doors,
porches, balconies, terraces and/or windows.
Permanent Construction: The pouring of slab or footing, the installation of piles, the
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construction of columns, or any work beyond the stage of excavation. This does not include
land preparation, installation of streets and/or walkways, excavation, setting of temporary
forms, or installation on the property of accessory buildings, such as garages or shed not
occupied as dwelling units or not part of the main structure.
Pervious Surface: Area maintained in its natural condition or covered by a material that
permits infiltration or percolation of water into the ground.
Pharmacy: A service business which dispenses, under the supervision of a pharmacist
licensed by the State of Idaho, prescriptive and non-prescriptive medicines and drugs,
orthopedic appliances, or medical supplies for the treatment of human illness, disease, or injury,
excluding the sale of goods or commodities for general hygiene, diet, cosmetic, or other
general health purposes.
Planned Residential Development (P.R.D.): A Planned Unit Development that excludes all
uses other than residential.
Planned Unit Development (P.U.D.): Residential, commercial and/or industrial use, or
combination thereof, planned for a tract of land to be developed as a unit under single
ownership or control. A Planned Unit Development is created for the purpose of selling,
leasing, or renting lots or estates, whether fronting on private or dedicated streets and may
include two or more principal buildings as governed by the Development Code. (See section
4.10.)
Plant Nursery: Any land used to raise trees, shrubs, flowers, and other plants for sale or
transplanting.
Plat: A map of a subdivision including supporting data, indicating a proposed subdivision
development, prepared in accordance with this ordinance and the Idaho Code. (See chapter
10.)
A.Recorded Plat: A Plat bearing all of the certificates of approval required in this
ordinance and duly recorded in the Madison County Recorder’s Office.
B.Short Plat: A platting process for small subdivisions, five (5) lots or less, that allows
for a shortened, quicker process for subdividing land that is approved by City staff
only. The Zoning Administrator and the City Engineer can consider other simple plats
on a case-by-case basis.
Plat Approval: Approval of the requested action as evidenced by appropriate certifications on
the Plat; such approval constitutes authorization to record a plat.
Pre-existing Antennas and Pre-existing Towers: Any tower or antenna for which a building
permit or special use permit has been properly issued prior to the effective date of this
ordinance, including permitted towers or antennas that have not yet been constructed so long
as such approval is current and not expired.
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Principal Building: A structure, where the context so indicates, or a group of structures in
which the principal use of the lot is conducted.
Principal Use: The main use of the land or structures as distinguished from a secondary or
accessory use.
Private Road: A road within a subdivision plat that is not dedicated to the public and not a
part of a public highway system.
Projections, Building: Structures that extend outward from the face of a building. (See
subsection 3.02.090.c.)
Public Land Survey Corner: Any land survey corner actually established and monumental
in an original survey or resurvey used as a basis of legal description for issuing a patent for the
land to a private person from the United States government.
Public Works Director: the person appointed by the Council to oversee all public work
functions for the city.
SECTION 3: AMENDMENT “SA-SIGN” of the Rexburg Development
Code is hereby amended as follows:
A M E N D M E N T
SA-SIGN
Sanitary Restriction: The requirement that no building or shelter which will require a water
supply facility or a sewage disposal facility for people using the premises where such building
or shelter is located shall be erected until written approval is first obtained from the state
Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ) by its administrator or his delegate approving plans
and specifications either for public water and/or sewage facilities, or individual parcel water
and/or sewage facilities. Satellite Dish Antenna: A device incorporating a reflective surface
that is solid, open mesh, or bar configured and is in the shape of a shallow dish, cone, horn, or
cornucopia. Such devices shall be used to transmit and/or receive radio or electromagnetic
waves between terrestrially and/or orbital based uses. A ground-mounted dish shall be
regulated as an accessory building. School: A facility that provides a curriculum of elementary
and secondary academic instruction, including kindergartens, elementary schools, junior high
schools, and high schools. Screening: A method of visually shielding or obscuring an abutting
or nearby use or structure from another by berms, vegetation, walls or fencing.
Self-Service Station: An establishment where liquids used as motor fuels are stored and
dispersed into the fuel tanks of motor vehicles by persons other than the service station
attendant and may include facilities available for the sale of other retail products.
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Self-Service Storage Facility: A building or group of buildings consisting of individual, small,
self-contained units that are leased or owned for the storage of business and household goods
or contractor supplies. Service Building: A structure containing lavatories, water closets,
showers and/or bathtubs, and laundry facilities for the use of manufactured/mobile home
community occupants. Service Station: Any premises where gasoline and other petroleum
products are sold and/or light maintenance activities such as engine tune-ups, lubrication minor
repairs, and carburetor cleaning are conducted.
A.Service stations shall not include premises where heavy automobile maintenance
activities such as engine overhauls, automobile painting, and body fender work are
conducted.
Setback: The minimum horizontal distance between a property line of a lot and the nearest
wall line of the building (providing eaves are equal or less than two (2’) feet in depth),
including any projection thereof, excluding uncovered steps.
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Shopping Centers: A grouping of three (3) or more retail businesses or service uses on a
single site of more than five (5) acres but less than ten (10) acres with common parking
facilities. Short-Term Rental: Any rental of a dwelling unit that is for a time period less than
thirty (30) days. Requires that there will be an owner, manager or owner’s agent available in
Madison County, Idaho. (Includes Bed and Breakfast and Boarding House as categories of
short term rentals.) (See subsection 3.02.160.)
Sight Triangle: The sight triangle applies to corner lots on intersecting streets. The triangle of
land formed on any corner lot by drawing a line between points on the lot lines which are
thirty (30’) feet from the intersection of such lot lines shall be free from any sight obscuring
structure or obstruction except as permitted. The sight triangle for private driveways and alleys
is fifteen (15') feet from property line. Trees in such triangles shall be trimmed to at least ten
feet (10’) above the center-line grades of the intersection streets. Shrubs, fences, and walls shall
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not be higher than three (3’) feet above the center-line grades of the intersecting streets. The
purpose of the sight triangle is to insure visibility and safety in the zones which require
buildings to be set back from the property line.
SECTION 4: AMENDMENT “3.02.90 Screening And Landscaping” of the
Rexburg Development Code is hereby amended as follows:
A M E N D M E N T
3.02.90 Screening And Landscaping
The following are minimum standards. Additional landscaping elements may be allowed by
the Zoning Administrator or Designee. Screening, landscaping, and fences within the City
shall be constructed and maintained in conformance with the following standards:
A.Landscaping. Landscaping and all applicable irrigation systems shall be maintained
by the property owner, or in cases of a right-of-way the adjacent property owner, as in
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their original design and purpose.
B.Landscape Strip. In all zones, the area between the curb and gutter and the sidewalk
is to be landscaped with a pervious surface, by the adjacent property owner.
1.Sight Triangle. The sight triangle must be clear of obstructions. See Sight
Triangle.
2.Columnar and Evergreen trees are not allowed in the landscape strip.
3.Overhead Powerlines. In the event of overhead powerlines, alternative
landscaping may be approved by the Zoning Administrator.
4.Projects within Medium Density Residential (MDR1 & MDR2), High
Density Residential (HDR1 & HDR2), Mixed Use (MU), Community
Business Center (CBC), Regional Business Center (RBC), University District
(UD) or Industrial (LI & HI) zones shall include in the landscape strip trees
and shrubs that meet the following criteria:
a.Tree and Shrub Requirements.
(1)Deciduous trees with a minimum caliper of two (2") inches
and a maximum spacing of thirty (30') feet.
(2)As trees mature, they shall be trimmed to at least ten (10’) feet
above the curb.
(3)A minimum of five (5), five (5) gallon containers of shrubs
within every thirty (30’) foot section.
C.Parking Areas. (See subsection 3.04.060.A.)
D.Projects within Medium Density Residential (MDR1 & MDR2), High Density
Residential (HDR1 & HDR2), Mixed Use (MU), Community Business Center
(CBC), Regional Business Center (RBC), University District (UD) or Industrial (LI &
HI) zones that are adjacent to a lower density residential zone, shall have a ten (10’)
feet wide landscaped buffer on the abutting property line, where the buffer is planted
with a combination of trees, low shrubs, and ground cover and/or a suitable fence of
sufficient height and density to buffer the two parcels. At a minimum, two (2”) inch
caliper trees with a maximum spacing of thirty (30’) feet and five (5), five (5) gallon
containers of shrubs between trees are required within the buffer.
E.
F.Highway 20 Corridor. All development adjacent to the Highway 20 right-of-way
must submit a Landscape Plan to the Zoning Administrator or designee to be approved
for design prior to obtaining a building permit.
1.Commercial/Industrial Standards. Buildings adjacent to the Highway 20
right-of-way shall provide a buffer at least ten (10') feet in width consisting of
two (2”) inch caliper trees with an average spacing of fifty (50’) feet and eight
(8), five (5) gallon containers of shrubs.
a.YardbetweenFront Yard Display.Displaytrees Commercial uses
with a display facing the Highway 20 right-of-way may use alternate
landscaping with the approval of the Zoning Administrator.
2.Setback. A minimum setback of twenty-five (25’) feet is required from any
building to the Highway 20 right-of-way or a one-to-one setback to height
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requirement, whichever is greater.
G.Open Storage Area. Open storage area in commercial and industrial zones shall be
screened from view of the streets by structures or by a landscaped buffer at least ten
(10') feet in width and planted with a combination of trees, low shrubs, and ground
cover and/or a suitable fence of sufficient height and density to obstruct the view of the
storage area.
1.No front yard storage. Open storage shall not be located within a required
front yard.
2.Front Yard Display. Commercial uses with a front yard display may use
alternate landscaping with the approval of the Zoning Administrator.
H.Utility yards. Utility yards in zones other than Industrial or adjacent to any residential
zone or commercial zone are required to be screened with a seven (7') foot tall
decorative masonry wall or privacy fence as approved by the Zoning Administrator.
1.Setbacks.
a.Front Setback. The wall or fence must be set back at least ten (10’)
feet from the front property line. The area between the right-of-way
and the wall or fence shall consist of pervious landscaping and be
planted with one two (2”) inch caliper deciduous tree and five (5),
five (5) gallon containers of shrubs within every thirty (30’) foot
section.
b.Side and Rear Setbacks. The fence may be on the side and/or rear
property line.
2.Water Tanks. Water tanks are not required to be screened.
a.Pumps and other equipment associated with water tanks will be in
below-grade vaults, in buildings or shall be screened as utility yards.
SECTION 5: AMENDMENT “3.04.060 Parking Area Screening And
Safety” of the Rexburg Development Code is hereby amended as follows:
A M E N D M E N T
3.04.060 Parking Area Screening And Safety
A.Screening for Parking Areas. Parking must be screened from public or private right-
of-way, other residential uses, and from the adjoining streets to minimize the visual
impact of off-street parking. Fences, hedges, berms and landscaping can be used to
screen parking areas..
1.Front Yard Buffer. Parking lots in front yard setbacks shall have a ten (10')
feet wide landscaped buffer, where the buffer is planted with a combination of
trees, low shrubs, and ground cover and/or a suitable fence of sufficient height
and density to buffer the parking lot.
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2.Side and Rear Yard Buffer. Side and rear buffers for parking areas shall
consist of a minimum five (5’) feet wide landscape buffer which shall consist
of pervious landscaping and be planted with , one (1) two (2") inch caliper
deciduous tree and five (5), five (5) gallon containers of shrubs within every
thirty (30’) foot section.
a.A six (6') tall vinyl or masonry fence may be substituted for the
landscape buffer, but not in front yards or front setbacks.
b.Property owners may receive an easement in-lieu of this buffer. This
easement will need to provide connectivity between parking lots and,
depending on size, may require landscape islands to be placed.
3.Landscaping and Snow Storage. Parking areas of four (4) or more vehicles
shall dedicate ten (10%) percent of the parking area to landscaping and snow
storage.
4.Large Parking Lots. When large parking lots are necessary, increase the
landscaping to screen the lot and divide the lot into smaller components.
Significant landscape islands must be provided in the interior of large lots
(over fifty (50) parking spaces). These may double as snow storage areas in
winter months.
B.Safety. Parking spaces along the outer boundary of a parking lot shall be contained by
high-back curbing or a bumper rail so placed to prevent a vehicle from extending over
an adjacent property.
1.Wheel Stops. Wheel stops should be a minimum of four (4”) inches in height
and width and six (6’) feet in length, and should be firmly attached to the
ground. Placement should be a minimum of eighteen (18”) inches from
property line.
C.Lighting. All lighting for parking areas shall be directed and, when necessary,
shielded so as not to produce direct glare on adjacent properties, and shall comply with
the city’s 3.6 Lighting Standards.
D.Parking Area Rules per Zone:
1.Parking in Residential Zones. (See subsection 4.00.060.)
2.Connectivity: MU, CBC, RBC, LI, PF, RBD. When possible, connectivity
through parking lots of adjacent properties is required.
3.(RBD) – RESIDENTIAL BUSINESS DISTRICT
a.Parking areas within the RBD zone are to be used by occupants of the
property and customers of the property, and are not to be used by
employees or customers of businesses that may be located in nearby
business or commercial areas.
b.RBD corner lots shall be allowed to petition for parking in side yards
provided any such parking shall be buffered visually and for sound
from public rights-of-way.
4.(UD) UNIVERSITY DISTRICT
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AYE NAY ABSENT ABSTAIN
Councilmember Robert Chambers
Councilmember Colin Erickson
Councilmember Mikel Walker
Councilmember Bryanna Johnson
Councilmember Eric Erickson
Councilmember David Reeser
a.Permissible Lot Coverage. In a UD zone, all buildings and
structures, inclusive of parking lots, shall not cover more than sixty
(60%) percent of the lot or parcel of land upon which they are placed.
PASSED AND ADOPTED BY THE CITY OF REXBURG COUNCIL
_______________________________.
Presiding Officer Attest
Jerry L Merrill, Rexburg Mayor, City
of Rexburg
Deborah Lovejoy, Rexburg City
Clerk, City of Rexburg