A. General Requirements.
1. Minimum width of landscaped areas. Landscaped areas that may be counted toward required landscaping shall have a minimum width of three feet, exclusive of the curb, wall, and footing below. In addition, the landscaped tree planters shall have a minimum width of four feet in compliance with § 17.310.025.B.1.d. below.
2. Live Plant Material. All required landscape areas per § 17.310.020 (Landscape Area Requirements) and § 17.210.030.A. (Open Space Requirements for Multiple-Family Residential) shall be planted with a minimum 75% live plant material. The remaining 25% of required landscape areas or setbacks may consist of crushed rock, redwood chips, pebbles, stone, and similar natural non-living material.
3. Concrete curb required. When in or adjacent to a parking area or drive aisle, planted areas shall be protected with a minimum six-inch high concrete curb above the surrounding pavement or ground level.
4. Maintenance required. Landscaping shall be continuously maintained free of weeds, debris, litter, or temporary signage. This is intended to include proper pruning of trees and shrubs, mowing of lawns, weeding, removal of litter, fertilizing, replacement of plants when necessary, and the regular water of all plants.
5. Irrigation required. All planted areas shall be provided with a permanent automatic irrigation system. This watering system shall consist of piped water lines terminating in an appropriate number of sprinklers, bubblers, drip emitters, or hose bibs, to insure a sufficient amount of water for plants within the planted area.
B. Planting Material.
1. Trees.
a. Trees shall be planted a minimum of three feet from any structure or wall.
b. Newly planted trees shall be staked in compliance with City standards. Stakes and ties on trees shall be checked regularly for correct functions. Stakes and ties shall be adjusted to avoid creating abrasions or girdling on trunks or branches, and removed after trees are well-established.
c. The minimum width of planters containing trees shall be four feet clear, interior dimensions, exclusive of curbs, walls, and footing below.
d. Trees in landscape planters less than ten feet in width, or located closer than five feet from pavement, curbs, or a permanent structure, shall be provided with root barriers.
e. Number of trees.
ii. Front/Street Side setbacks: One per 40 linear feet of frontage when the required setback is ten feet or greater in depth.
iii. Balance of site: One per 500 square feet of landscaped area. See also landscaping requirements for common open space in § 17.210.030.A. (Open Space Requirements for Multiple-Family Residential).
iv. Street trees: One per 25 to 40 foot length of street frontage, depending on the tree species and canopy width at maturity, as per the Culver City Urban Forest Master Plan or Washington National Transit Oriented Development District Streetscape Plan.
f. Minimum tree container sizes for all trees on a site shall be specified as follows:
i. At least 20% of the trees shall be 36-inch box size or larger.
ii. At least 30% of the trees shall be 24-inch box size or larger.
iii. The remaining 50% shall be 15-gallon size or larger. The Director may accept certain species of on-site trees at less than 15-gallon size, if it is determined that the survival/establishment chances are enhanced when planted at a smaller size.
iv. The Director may reduce the minimum tree container sizes required based on site conditions.
g. Street trees shall be 24-inch box size or larger.
2. Ground cover and shrubs.
a. All planted areas should emphasize drought-tolerant plant materials wherever possible.
b. Artificial shrubs, ground cover, or turf shall not be allowed.
c. All shrubs shall be planted from a minimum five-gallon-size containers. One-gallon-size containers may be allowed for shrubs that are not commonly available in five-gallon-size containers, subject to approval by the Director.
C. Plant selection and grouping.
1. Plants having similar water use shall be grouped together in separate high, medium, and low hydrozones.
2. Plants shall be selected appropriately, based upon their adaptability to the climatic, geological, and topographical conditions of the site. The use of drought-tolerant plant materials and locally appropriate California Native Plants is encouraged wherever possible.
D. Irrigation.
1. Runoff and overspray.
a. Soil types and infiltration rate shall be considered when designing irrigation systems.
b. Irrigation systems shall be designed to eliminate runoff, overspray, or other similar conditions where any water flows onto adjacent property, non-irrigated areas, walks, roadways, or structures.
c. To eliminate runoff, proper irrigation equipment and schedules, including repeat cycles, shall be used to closely match water application rates to soil infiltration rates.
2. Equipment.
a. A separate landscape water meter shall be installed for all projects, except for any project with a landscaped area of less than 5,000 square feet.
b. Automatic control systems, including an automatic rain shut-off device, shall be required for all irrigation systems.
c. Plants that require different amounts of water shall be irrigated by separate valves. If one valve is used for a given area, only plants with similar water requirements shall be used in that area.
d. Anti-drain (check) valves shall be installed at strategic points on all slopes to prevent low-head drainage.
e. Irrigation heads and emitters shall have matched precipitation rates within each control valve circuit. Sprinkler heads shall be selected for proper area coverage, application rate, operating pressure, adjustment capability, and ease of maintenance.
E. Maintenance.
1. Irrigation equipment shall be continuously maintained in good working condition to assure water conservation, eliminate overspray and runoff.
2. Litter and weeds shall be removed from all landscaped areas on a regular basis.
3. Turf areas shall be mowed and fertilized on a regular basis, and kept green. Accumulations of leaves, twigs, bark, and other similar materials shall be removed on a regular basis.
4. Landscaping shall be maintained in a manner consistent with a project's approved final landscape plan. Maintenance of the approved planted areas shall consist of regular watering, pruning, fertilizing, and mulching under a schedule approved as part of the landscape plan.
5. Landscaping maintenance shall include the removal of dead, decayed, diseased, or hazardous trees, weeds, and debris constituting unsightly appearance, dangerous to public safety and welfare, or detrimental to neighboring properties or property values. Compliance shall be by removal, replacement, or maintenance as determined by the Director.
6. All plant materials that, due to lack of maintenance, accident, damage, disease, or other cause, fail to show a healthy appearance and growth shall be replaced. Replacement plants shall conform to all standards that govern the original planting installation, approved landscaping plan, or as approved by the Director.
7. Before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued, a landscape maintenance agreement ensuring continued maintenance of the planted areas shall be filed with the Division and approved by the Director.
(Ord. No. 2005-007 § 1 (part); Ord. No. 2024-006)