Waukegan, IL Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

04 (Street Trees) governs planting in the parkway strip between the curb and the sidewalk for any new development going through site plan review or planned unit development approval. Where an unpaved parkway exists in the right-of-way, the applicant must install street trees at a minimum rate of one large shade tree per 40 linear feet of street frontage; the City Engineer may waive this in part or whole where the parkway is unsuitable due to limited planting space, visibility conflicts, utilities, or other hazards that cannot reasonably be fixed.

04-1 sets minimum spacing from other streetscape elements: four feet from sidewalks and curbs, ten feet from driveways and fire hydrants, 15 feet from overhead utility poles, and 40 feet from intersections. Trees must be sized appropriately for the parkway width as the City Forester determines, spaced on-center or matched to the existing planting pattern on adjacent parkways, whichever produces denser plantings, and any spacing adjustment needs the City Engineer's prior written approval. Where sidewalks run from the back of curb to the lot line with no parkway present, tree wells are required instead, built as a continuous trench at least three feet deep for root growth and positioned to keep the sidewalk ADA-compliant; the City Engineer may waive this too under the same hazard-based conditions.

Tree well materials need approval from both the Zoning Administrator and City Forester. If a county or state agency controls the right-of-way and blocks the required street tree count, or the lot line runs to the back of curb, the trees must instead go in the front yards of the adjacent lots within the development, on top of whatever other landscape requirements already apply to that site.