(A) Parking.
(1) All off-street parking areas shall be screened in accordance with the applicable provisions of the city zoning regulations.
(2) Where a parking lot is located along a street, it shall be well landscaped and screened with a combination of fencing or wall plantings along the street edge.
(3) Parking areas of more than 30 spaces shall include planting islands equivalent to 15% of the total area. No parking area planting island shall have any dimension (length or width) of less than ten feet.
(4) Existing parking areas not in conformance with this regulation shall be brought into compliance with the screening requirements in conjunction with any permit or other activity which is subject to these standards.
(B) Access and communication. All projects shall be required to demonstrate convenient connections to the adjoining pedestrian and bicycle circulation system, whether private or public. Commercial developments shall incorporate bicycle parking spaces, whenever appropriate, in a convenient, visible and preferably sheltered location.
(C) Walkway and driving surface construction.
(1) Downtown district sidewalks shall be not less than ten feet in width and be "zoned" to provide for landscaping and street trees, street and sidewalk lighting, areas for seating, a pedestrian walking path and an area designated for other street furniture and commercial opportunities, including newspaper boxes and trash receptacles. Where narrower sidewalks exist, zone closest to shops may be eliminated.
(2) No private or public furniture or other obstructions shall restrict the width of public sidewalks to less than a five-foot wide walkway.
(3) Asphalt shall not be permitted as a material for paving of private sidewalks or other pedestrian ways. Brick, textured and colored concrete and natural stone shall be permitted. Other materials may be permitted by the city.
(4) Pedestrian ways other than sidewalks adjacent to public streets shall be developed to a minimum walking zone width of five feet.
(5) Sidewalks adjacent to public streets shall encompass the full width of the area between the curb and the front property line, with the exception of public planting and street furniture areas which meet the setback distances described above.
(D) Lighting. A lighting plan which reflects the pedestrian scale of the city and provides full lighting of private property shall be prepared as a part of any development or redevelopment plan subject to these standards. All lighting shall conform to the provisions of the zoning regulations and include full cut-off fixtures to reduce unnecessary glare. Street lights on the public right-of-way and site lighting shall be replaced at the time of redevelopment so as to match or complement fixtures in conformances with city standards.
(E) Site plantings. All trees that are removed in the public right-of-way as a result of development or redevelopment shall be replaced according to city standards with appropriate use of tree guards and grates. All tree and plant species shall be indigenous to the appropriate hardiness zone and physical characteristics of the site. Suitable tree and plant species shall be consistent with those identified as acceptable within the zoning chapter.
(F) Other site improvements.
(1) All exterior trash storage areas shall be fully screened with materials compatible to those used in the principal building(s), in accordance with zoning chapter and as approved by the city.
(2) Where a site includes mechanical equipment on the ground, the equipment should be screened from view with materials compatible to those used in the principal building(s), in accordance with the zoning chapter as approved by the city.
(3) Utility lines shall be placed underground by the developer wherever feasible with any new development or redevelopment.
(4) Exterior stairways, porches, decks and railings shall be designed and constructed of materials appropriate to the architecture of the building.
(Prior Code, § 11-76-7) (Ord. 258, passed 5-4-2006)