The following standards apply to new off-street parking areas larger than a half-acre in size. They are required in addition to other landscaping requirements, though trees planted for other landscaping requirements may count toward this requirement too. The standards are broken into two sets of options: Climate mitigation and tree canopy. You can choose how you want to accomplish each set of options. Visit Salem Revised Code section 806.035(n) for complete development standards.

Options for Climate Mitigation Requirement

Options for Tree Canopy Requirement

Tree Standards

The trees that are planted as part of these requirements must meet specific standards to help ensure their health and long-term viability. The standards are listed below.

To ensure these requirements are met, the City will review plans for climate mitigation and tree canopy during the Site Plan Review process. To facilitate this, the City now requires the following additional documentation to be submitted with Class 2 and Class 3 Site Plan Review applications.

Tree Plan

You must provide a tree plan showing:

1. The total site area, dimensions, and orientation relative to north;
2. The location of all existing trees, indicating their species, DBH, critical root zone, and whether they will be preserved or removed;
3. The location of all new trees proposed to be planted on the development site, indicating their species and caliper at the time of planting;
4. The perimeter and soil depth of all proposed tree planting areas;
5. The location of all existing and proposed primary and accessory structures;
6. The location of all existing and proposed parking and vehicle use areas; and
7. For developments that include more than one-half acre of new off-street surface parking, the tree plan shall include the expected tree canopy area after 15 years for all trees not removed by the proposed development, and the caliper of all proposed new trees at the time of planting in addition to the other requirements of the tree planting plan.

Example:

Electric Utility Coordination

You must provide proof that you coordinated with the local electric utility to ensure the compatibility of tree canopy and root systems with planned and existing utility infrastructure.

• How do you measure a new parking lot to determine if it is more than a half-acre in size?
  
  To determine whether a proposed parking lot meets the one-half acre threshold to trigger climate mitigation, all areas within the perimeter of the off-street parking area, including parking spaces, aisles, planting islands, corner areas, and curbed areas are counted. Interior driveways and off-street loading areas are not counted.
  
  
• Do these requirements apply to vehicle storage areas?
  
  No, vehicle storage areas are not considered parking lots, so these requirements do not apply.
  
  
• Do these requirements apply to vehicle loading areas?

No, vehicle loading areas are not considered a part of the parking lot, so these requirements do not apply.

• Is there a way to reduce or avoid the climate mitigation requirements?

You cannot apply for an adjustment or variance to change the requirements for climate mitigation. You can avoid the requirements by building a parking lot (or lots) less than a half-acre in size.

• What if multiple small parking lots are proposed on a single property?

If multiple new off-street surface parking lots are proposed as part of the same development, the area of all new lots is combined to determine if they total more than a half-acre in size and thus trigger these requirements.

• Can a combination of options be used to meet the climate mitigation requirement?

Yes, you can choose to utilize a combination of the climate mitigation methods to meet this requirement. The following formulas can be used to calculate how much of the total requirement is met via each method based on proposed development: Note: You cannot mix and match the tree canopy requirement; you must choose to either provide trees along driveways or provide trees that meet the 30 percent tree canopy coverage option.

• What are the ANSI A300 standards?

The ANSI A300 standards are a set of nationally-approved standards for tree planting, care, and management that must be followed during site development and ongoing maintenance. They aim to ensure that tree canopies on a given development site meet the expected canopy projected during permitting.

• What if I want to plant tree species that are not included in the list of approved trees?

Additional tree species are allowed to be planted with approval by the Planning Administrator, so long as they are native and drought tolerant. Such trees will be categorized as either large or small by the Planning Administrator and counted as such on tree plans.

 40% Tree Canopy Coverage

The photograph below shows a 1.75-acre parking lot in Riverfront Park with 40% tree canopy coverage. Although some trees may not meet all of the planting standards, this parking lot demonstrates one way a development could meet the new requirements.

Solar Panels

The photograph below shows a 0.58-acre parking lot at 1300 Broadway Street NE. The development has rooftop solar panels that provide at least 0.5 kilowatts of generating capacity per parking space. This site also has trees along its driveways, demonstrating one way a development could meet the new requirements.

Parking Minimums and Maximums

Salem in Motion

Salem in Motion is a project to update the Salem Transportation Systems Plan (TSP), which guides future investments in transportation infrastructure and sets policies for decisions related to transportation in Salem. This project will build on the goals and policies adopted through the Our Salem project and the transportation actions included in the Climate Action Plan. This project also addresses new State requirements for transportation and land use planning that resulted from the State’s CFEC rulemaking effort.

Walkable Mixed Use Areas

As part of Salem in Motion, the City is in the process of designating walkable, mixed-use areas. Future growth in these areas will allow a mix of uses in dense, walkable development patterns that reduce the need to drive to meet the daily needs of residents. These areas are proposed to be in Salem’s downtown and areas close to downtown that currently have mixed-use zoning.

The CFEC rulemaking process responded to an executive order issued by Governor Kate Brown in 2020 requiring State agencies to take actions to reduce and regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The requirements for climate mitigation for large new parking lots are one part of the broader set of CFEC requirements that was developed by the State over a two-year process that included extensive community engagement. The CFEC rules were adopted by the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission in 2022.