HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020 12 09 B19-110 Gibson Guitar-Landscape Response Letter
MONTANA | WASHINGTON | IDAHO | NORTH DAKOTA | PENNSYLVANIA
406.761.3010
tdhengineering.com
1800 River Drive North
Great Falls, MT 59401
December 8, 2020
RE: GIBSON GUITAR CITY COMMENT RESPONSE -
LANDSCAPE
TD&H ENGINEERING JOB NO. B19-110
2. Grading and Drainage – BMC 38.410.080.H - Stormwater retention/detention facilities in
landscaped areas must be designed as landscape amenities. They must be an organic feature with
a natural, curvilinear shape. The facilities must have 75 percent of surface area covered with live
vegetation appropriate for the depth and design of the retention/detention facility, and be lined with
native grasses, indigenous plants, wet root tolerant plant types and groupings of boulders to create
a functional, yet natural site feature. A cross section and landscape detail of each facility must be
submitted with the final landscape plan for review and approval. Facilities with a slope up to and
including ten percent grade may be grassed and irrigated to blend into the adjacent landscaped
area. Update the landscaping plans, and provide a landscape plan cross section of all stormwater
ponds demonstrating compliance with this section.
RESPONSE: Shrubs, trees and boulders added around stormwater facilities, typical pond
section provided on sheet L1.1.
3. (a) Building Placement – Staff supports the departure to place the building 8-feet closer to the
property line and provide a 12-foot setback. The planting plan to mitigate blank walls, and covered
entries provide an effective transition between the structure and the sidewalk. However, please
provide further detail on the landscaping plan showing which plantings are being used to mitigate
blank walls. Additionally, the elevations show planters along the south elevation between the
sidewalk and the building and staff does not see those planters on the landscaping plan.
RESPONSE: Notes added to Sheet L1.2 describing proposed plantings and heights of
plantings along southern face of building.
3. (e) Parking Location – A 10-foot wide buffer of landscaping is required to screen parking and
circulation areas. The trees along the west side of the west two lots do not meet this requirement,
also see landscaping comments below. Feather reed grass along the north side of the south parking
area does not meet that requirement where fronting on the street. Ensure that landscaping buffer
along new east customer parking areas is meeting the 10-foot requirement.
RESPONSE: Landscape buffer adjusted along employee parking lot (southwest side of site),
delivery yard (west side of site) and visitor parking lot (east side of site). For the employee
parking lot and delivery yard, openings between plantings was provided to for allow for snow
storage access, these areas are screened further to the west with evergreen trees. Screening
at stormwater ponds provided through shrubs along west side of pond. See landscape plans.
10. Landscaping – Section 38.550.050.C.2.a(2-4) - (2) All parking lots located between a
principal structure and a public street, must be screened from the public street, this applies to the
west frontage along 19 th Ave., where applicable along Orville Way, and along Simmental Way; (3)
The screening required under this subsection must be continuous and not less than four feet in
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width unless a different width is specified in 38.510.030 ; and(4) Screening must be maintained at a
height of four to six feet except as otherwise restricted by fence and hedge height limits within
required front setbacks and street vision triangles.
RESPONSE: Provided see response to 3 (e) Parking Location and landscape plans.
11. Landscaping – Section 38.550.050.C.2.e(1-2) - (1) The interior parking lot landscaping
must be designed to facilitate, control and denote proper vehicular circulation patterns; (2) Internal
parking lot landscaping provided must be proportionately dispersed so as to define aisles and limit
unbroken rows of parking to a maximum of 100 feet, with landscaped areas provided in an
appropriate scale to the size of the parking lot. Provide parking lot landscaping at the southwest
corner of the employee parking area to define the end of the aisle and denote proper vehicle
circulation.
RESPONSE: Parking lot landscaping provided in southwest corner of employee parking area
at end of aisle, see sheet L1.3.
J:\2019\B19-110 Gibson Guitar Expansion\DOCUMENTS\03_Site Plan Resubmittal\B19-110 GIBSON
GUITAR-LANDSCAPE RESPONSE LETTER.DOC