A minimum of 20% of the total land area within the development shall be landscaped. The area required to be landscaped shall be planted in a time frame as set forth in the developer’s agreement, and thereafter such landscaped area shall be maintained with permanent plants and materials in accordance with the approved landscaping plan. The Planning Commission may, at its discretion, lower the percentage of landscaping to no less than 15% if the landscaped areas are grouped to provide an open usable public area within the shopping center development consistent with the City’s Downtown Development Plan. In addition to the above landscaping requirement, any development at the intersection of Royalton and Broadview Roads shall contain a least one-half acre of usable public area (green space) placed directly at the corner of the two intersecting roads. Details of said “usable public area” shall be spelled out in the developer’s agreement. All landscaped areas shall be underground irrigation that is automatically operated. All such landscaping plans shall be reviewed and subject to final approval by the Planning Commission and Council and shall be consistent with the following regulations.
(A) Screening and Buffering Next to Residential Districts. All side and rear yards adjoining residential districts shall be provided with a year-round visual or barrier composed of evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs. Where deemed necessary, the Planning Commission may require other planting or earth mounds or fences to supplement natural elements required by this Code of Ordinances in order to achieve a sufficient screening effect.
(B) Landscaped Strip to Screen Front Parking.
(1) No parking may be situated in a required front yard. Where sufficient space exists to provide off-street parking between the front setback line and the main building, such commercial sites shall provide and maintain a 20-foot irrigated landscaped strip adjacent to the street right-of-way lines, except for required vehicular and pedestrian accessways.
(2) Exception: along Broadview Road.
(C) Utilities. All utilities serving the buildings and site of a shopping center development, including electric and telephone installations and all supporting equipment thereto, shall be placed underground or within main buildings on the site. Where such supporting equipment cannot be located within a main building, no such equipment shall be visible from any front, side or rear lot line. All pole lighting shall be of a Western Reserve style and design as determined by the Planning Commission.
(Ord. 69-00, passed 5-8-2000; Ord. 142-02, passed 10-7-2002; Ord. 137-12, passed 9-17-2012; Ord. 12-14, passed 4-21-2014)