(a) Points required for a building site. The minimum number of landscape design option points required for a building site are:
Lot Size | Points Required |
Lot Size | Points Required |
0 to 999 sf | 0 |
1,000 sf to 1,999 sf | 1 |
2,000 sf to 9,999 sf (One point for every 1000 sf) | 2-9 |
10,000 sf to 19,999 sf | 10 |
20,000 sf to 39,999 sf | 15 |
40,000 sf to 2.99 acres | 20 |
3 acres to 9.99 acres | 30 |
10 acres to 19.99 acres | 35 |
20 acres to 49.99 acres | 40 |
50 acres and greater | 50 |
(b) Design options. Points are obtained by meeting design option requirements in order to achieve the total number of points required for the property. Design options and possible points are listed in this subsection. Examples of the design options and their application are provided in the Landscape and Tree Manual.
(1) Plant material bonus. Points may be provided for plant materials added to the landscape design when the required amount of points for a standard design option is deficient by five points or less. All added plant materials must be provided in the front yard. The maximum number of points allowed per building site for the plant material bonus is five.
(A) Large or medium tree caliper increase: One point per additional caliper inch for each required tree (up to a maximum caliper of six inches.)
(B) Additional large shrub plant: 0.25 points.
(C) Additional small tree: 0.5 points.
(D) Additional large or medium tree: one point.
(2) Buffer zones enhancements. The maximum number of points allowed per building site for buffer zone enhancements is 20.
(A) Large enhanced buffer zone. Each required buffer zone depth may be increased by a minimum of five feet. This design option is not available if the buffer zone is reduced to no more than five percent of the lot area. Five points.
(B) Small enhanced buffer zone. A required buffer zone depth may be increased by a minimum of two feet. This design option is not available if the buffer zone is reduced to no more than five percent of the lot area. Two points.
(3) Application of engineered solutions for soil volume. Points may be obtained when using engineered solutions for soil volume when required trees are planted in impervious environments and meet the minimum requirement for soil volume for a maximum total of 10 points. A minimum of 75 percent of required street buffer trees must meet the soil volume minimum for credits to apply.
(A) Minimum required soil volume: five points.
(B) Increase in soil volume 10 percent above minimum requirement: six points.
(C) Increase in soil volume 15 percent above minimum requirement: seven points.
(D) Increase in soil volume 20 percent above minimum requirement: eight points.
(E) Increase in soil volume 25 percent above minimum requirement: nine points.
(F) Increase in soil volume 30 percent or greater above minimum requirement: 10 points.
(4) Screening. An applicant may provide screening from all adjacent public streets for all surface parking lots on a building site or artificial lot that meets the following requirements.
(A) The screening may not be required screening.
(B) The screening must extend along the entire street frontage of the parking lot, excluding:
(i) driveways and accessways at points of ingress and egress to and from the lot; and
(ii) visibility triangles.
(C) Underground parking and enclosed garage parking structures are not considered to be surface parking lots for purposes of this subsection.
(D) The screening may be designed with the following options for a maximum total of 20 points:
(i) Option 1. Standard design is provided with screening materials in accordance with Section 51A-4.602 and shrubs with a minimum height of two feet at time of installation and a single row of material. Five points for complete frontage.
(ii) Option 2. Enhanced design is provided by a landscape architect and must include a minimum of two plant species in order to provide the full screening effect. 10 points for complete frontage.
(iii) Option 3. Grouped beds may be added to Option 1 or Option 2 to complement the screening row with planting beds placed at intervals of a minimum of one per 50 feet of frontage. Five points for complete frontage.
(iv) Option 4. A minimum three-foot-tall screening wall may be provided along with the screening plant materials of Option 1 or Option 2. Five points for complete frontage.
(v) Option 5. A minimum three-foot-tall berm with groundcover may complement standard screening materials or be used to replace Option 1 or Option 2. Five points for complete frontage.
(5) Building facade. Facade planting areas on a building site or artificial lot adjacent to public streets or private driveways may be designed with the following options for a maximum total of 15 points:
(A) Option 1. Design is provided along the foundation of the structure. The planting area for the shrubs must be a minimum of three feet in depth and extend along at least 50 percent of the portion of the foundation that faces a street. The shrubs must be spaced no more than six feet apart measured from trunk to trunk. Five points.
(B) Option 2. An enhanced design may be provided as designed by a landscape architect. The design may vary from the standard foundation row to create depth and layering of landscaping for visual enhancement contiguous to and extending 15 feet or more from the building facade to complement and soften the foundation of the building. The planting area must be a minimum of five feet in depth. A minimum of two perennial plant species and water conservation irrigation method are required. The landscape area must extend for a minimum of 50 percent of the street-facing facade or a combination of the street-facing facade and the building facade facing a surface parking lot. 10 points.
(C) Option 3. An additional grouping of medium or small trees may be added to Option 2 to provide an improved pedestrian environment a maximum of 25 feet from the facade of the structure. A minimum of one tree per 50 feet of front or side yard building facade is required. Five points.
(D) Option 4. One small tree or two large shrubs per 30 feet of front facade located a maximum of 15 feet from the facade. Five points.
(6) Pedestrian uses. An applicant may provide private or publicly accessible pedestrian amenities. These amenities must occupy a minimum of five percent of the lot area. The amenities may be designed for the following options for a maximum total of 25 points.
(A) Option 1. Urban streetscape. A minimum of two of the following types of pedestrian amenities must be provided along street frontages. This option may only be used in an urban streetscape within the street buffer zone. 10 points.
(i) Benches located at one per 60 feet of street frontage (minimum of two).
(ii) Pedestrian street lamps (free-standing or wall mounted) at one per 50 feet of street frontage.
(iii) Enhanced sidewalk with stamped concrete or brick pavers for pedestrian uses for the full width of the sidewalk, along the entire frontage. Pavement cannot be used to meet the enhanced pavement option in Paragraph (7).
(iv) Minimum unobstructed sidewalk width of eight feet.
(v) Water feature.
(B) Option 2. Special amenities. An applicant may provide private or publicly accessible special amenities to the building site including plazas, covered walkways, fountains, lakes and ponds, seating areas, and outdoor recreation facilities. The credited facilities must occupy at least five percent of the lot area provided in no more than two locations on the lot. The special amenities area must be fully identified on a landscape plan. Private or interior courtyards are excluded. Five points for private amenities and 10 points for publicly accessible amenities.
(C) Option 3. Adjacency to habitat restoration areas. Amenities built contiguous to habitat preservation and restoration areas will be credited for their location in or around the habitat when constructed according to a design supporting or enhancing habitat protection. 10 points for private amenities and 15 points for publicly accessible amenities.
(D) Option 4. Athletic fields. Open spaces maintained for athletic fields that are a minimum of five percent of the lot. 10 points. For athletic fields on lots greater than 10 acres. 20 points.
(7) Pavements. An applicant may provide enhanced pavement. The same pavement cannot satisfy multiple categories. (Note: All vehicular pavement must comply with the construction and maintenance provisions for off-street parking in this chapter.) Maximum total of 15 points.
(A) Option 1: Enhanced vehicular pavement. Pavement must be a minimum of 25 percent of all outdoor vehicular pavement on the lot.
(i) Enhanced texture. Stamped concrete, sand-blasted, rock-salt finished, pavers on concrete base, stone, etc.: Three points.
(ii) Enhanced color. Color is integrated into textured pavement: Three points.
(B) Option 2: Permeable vehicular pavement. Pavement must be a minimum of 25 percent of all outdoor vehicular pavement on the lot. Five points.
(C) Option 3: Enhanced pedestrian walkways. Enhanced pedestrian walkways must consist of enhanced pavement intended for pedestrian use and occupy at least five percent of the lot.
(i) Enhanced texture. Stamped concrete, sand-blasted, rock-salt finished, pavers on concrete base, stone, etc.: Three points.
(ii) Enhanced color. Color is integrated into textured pavement: Three points.
(8) Conservation. The applicant may create a conservation area on the property. The conservation area must occupy at least five percent of the lot area. Maximum of 25 points.
(A) Option 1: Tree preservation in the development impact area. Large or medium trees maintained in the development impact area may be used to meet design option requirements and to meet the requirements for site tree credit in Section 51A-10.125. The trees must be protected and maintained in areas required by this article. Two points for each tree up to a maximum of 10 points. Significant trees may attain five points.
(B) Option 2: Habitat preservation. The applicant must preserve existing healthy native and mixed species grassland or woodland areas. Five points.
(C) Option 3: Habitat preservation and restoration using an active management plan. The applicant may create or restore natural habitat conditions if designed and implemented by a qualified professional. Site maintenance must be continual for the purpose of sustaining the vegetated area. The option may be combined with low impact development design for the drainage functions of the property. 10 points.
(D) Option 4: Habitat preservation and restoration - adjacent to primary natural areas. The applicant may preserve and restore land areas adjacent to wetlands, creeks, floodplain, and slopes which help protect creeks, habitat, slopes, and woodland in primary natural areas from the site construction. This option may be combined with pedestrian amenities. The area must be at least five percent of building site area. 15 points.
(9) Low impact development (LID). The applicant may improve the property with low impact development design to manage stormwater flow and provide surface heat abatement. The improvements may be combined for a maximum of 20 points.
(A) Rain garden. Maximum six points.
(i) 1 to 5,000 square feet: three points; and
(ii) each additional 1,000 square feet: one point.
(B) Bioswale. Maximum 10 points per bioswale.
(i) 50 to 100 feet long: three points; and
(ii) each additional 50 feet: one point.
(C) Water-wise plant materials and planting beds. The applicant may provide landscaping that uses water conservation techniques including water-wise plants, mulch, and efficient irrigation. Maximum 10 points.
(i) In a minimum of 50 percent of landscape areas: three points.
(ii) In a minimum of 80 percent of landscape areas: five points.
(iii) Low-water consumption grasses for 80 percent of turf surfaces: three points.
(iv) Low-water consumption grasses for all turf surfaces: five points.
(10) Parking lots. The applicant may improve the surface parking and vehicle outside display and storage areas in an interior zone on the property to provide wider landscape areas and an improved shade tree environment. The improvements may be combined for a maximum of 30 points for development impact areas 10 acres or larger and 20 points for development impact areas less than 10 acres.
(A) Option 1: Pedestrian pathways. Provide a protected pedestrian pathway, between three feet and 15 feet in width, through a parking lot to a building from a public or private street in an expanded landscape area median with trees and a walkway. A minimum of one large or medium tree is required for each 40 linear feet of pedestrian pathway or landscape area median. Five points.
(B) Option 2: Reduce distance between parking lot landscape islands. Provide no more than 10 parking spaces between landscape areas. Five points.
(C) Option 3: Increase size of parking lot landscape islands. Increase the landscape area to a minimum of 200 square feet for each large or medium tree.
(i) Increase landscape area of 50 percent of the required parking lot landscape islands. Five points.
(ii) Increase landscape area of 75 percent of the required parking lot landscape islands. 10 points.
(D) Option 4: Increase landscape area of parking lot landscape islands. Increase the landscape area a minimum of 300 square feet for each large or medium tree.
(i) Increase landscape area of 50 percent of the required parking lot landscape islands. Seven points.
(ii) Increase landscape area of 75 percent of the required parking lot landscape islands. 12 points.
(E) Option 5: Additional parking lot landscape islands. Each additional parking lot landscape island provided - Three points.
(F) Option 6: Landscape medians. Provide a minimum 10-foot-wide landscape median with large or medium trees extending the length of a minimum 12-space parking row. Five points for each full median for a maximum of 20 points on the Property.
(G) Option 7: Landscape medians. Provide a 12-foot-wide landscape median with large or medium trees extending the length of a minimum 12-space parking row. Seven points for each full median for a maximum of 28 points on the Property.
(H) Option 8: Landscape medians. Provide a 16-foot-wide landscape median with large or medium trees extending the length of a minimum 12-space parking row. 10 points for each full median for a maximum of 30 points on the Property.
(I) Option 9: Large legacy tree. Provide a large legacy tree in a minimum 500 square foot dedicated open soil area. Two points per tree for a maximum of 20 points.
(J) Option 10: Pocket park. Provide a minimum of 2,500 square feet of contiguous open soil landscape area. 20 points.
(11) General. The applicant may provide documentation and demonstrate ability to achieve certain conditions.
(A) Option 1. Provide Sustainable SITES Initiative documentation and demonstrate ability to attain SITES certified level or greater. 10 points.
(B) Option 2. Provide and implement a landscape maintenance plan for a minimum three year period. Three points. (Ord. Nos. 19455; 20496; 22053; 30929)