A. Landscape Area Design Guidelines:
1. Evergreens: Evergreens should be incorporated into the landscape treatment of a site, particularly in those areas where screening and buffer is required.
2. Planting Beds: Planting beds should be mulched with bark chips, feather rocks, or similar materials. Mulch shall not be used as a substitute for plant materials.
3. Domestic Turf Grasses: Domestic turf grasses should be used in areas with little or no slope to prevent the runoff of irrigation water.
4. Deciduous trees should be placed on the south and west sides of buildings to provide shade from the summer sun.
5. Evergreens and other plant materials should be concentrated on the north and west sides of buildings to dissipate the effect of winter winds.
B. Site Design Guidelines:
1. Scale and Nature of Landscaping Material: The scale and nature of landscaping materials shall be appropriate to the size of the structures. Large scaled buildings, for example, should generally be complemented by larger scaled plants.
2. Softening Of Walls And Fences: Plant material should be placed intermittently against long expanses of building walls, fences, and other barriers to create a softening effect.
3. Detention/Retention Basins And Ponds:
a. Detention/retention basins and ponds shall be designed and landscaped in accordance with Article 5 of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Technical Guidance Manual and Waste Water Management Ordinance.
b. Such landscaping should include shade and ornamental trees, evergreens, shrubbery, hedges, turf, ground cover and/or other plant materials as required by other government agencies.
4. Water Conservation: Landscape design pursuant to the requirements of this chapter must recognize the need for water conservation. While sprinkler irrigation systems are required for certain landscape areas, and may be desirable for other applications, all irrigation systems shall be designed to minimize the use of water.
5. Energy Conservation: Plant material placement should be designed to reduce the energy consumption needs of the development.
6. Preservation of Existing Plant Material: Existing plant material should be incorporated into the landscape treatment of a site. Effort should be made to preserve and protect existing trees with trunk diameters in excess of twelve inches. Construction equipment and personnel should be kept away from such trees and their root systems by the installation of fencing materials at the tree’s drip line.
7. Berming: Earthen berms and existing topographic features should be incorporated into the landscape treatment of a site whenever determined practical by the zoning administrator, particularly when combined with plant material to facilitate screening. (Ord. Z-8-20, 2-18-2020)