All parking areas, greater than fifteen (15) spaces, shall adhere to the following landscaping requirements. Parking areas of fifteen (15) spaces or less shall be exempt from the requirements of this section.
(a) All parking areas shall contain landscape areas that equal at least five percent (5%) of the internal parking and vehicular circulation area. Each landscape area shall contain a mixture of shrubs and trees. Access drives that go through or lead to the development shall not be counted as internal parking areas.
(b) Trees shall be provided at a rate of on tree per ten (10) parking spaces. Any fractional number shall be rounded up to the next whole number.
(c) Shrubs shall be provided at a rate of six (6) shrubs per each ten (10) parking spaces.
(d) Landscape areas shall be distributed throughout the parking area. Rows of parking spaces shall be interrupted, at a minimum, every fifteen (15) spaces by a planter island that is a minimum of eight (8) feet wide and eighteen (18) feet in length.
(e) All parking spaces shall be within 125 feet of a landscaped island or area.
(f) No landscaping shall obscure visibility at a vehicular intersection within the parking area or other areas where clear visibility is necessary to assure safe circulation. Where safe visibility is impaired, canopy trees shall have branches removed from the trunk at least eight (8) feet above the ground. Shrubs and groundcover shall not exceed three (3) feet in height. Evergreen trees and understory trees that would impair visibility for safe circulation shall not be planted in these areas.
(g) Landscaping around the perimeter of the parking area shall conform to Table 1107.04-1: Buffering Requirements.
(Ord. 2022-34. Passed 1-9-23.)