Where required, a landscape plan must conform to the following requirements:
a. A landscape plan is required for each lot within a proposed development. The landscape plan should be prepared by a landscape architect, nurseryman, or other professional experienced in landscape design and the installation and care of plant materials.
b. All landscape plans submitted for approval as a component of a required site plan must show the entire zoning lot to scale, on twenty-four (24") inch by thirty-six (36") inch sheets and contain the following information:
1. The location and dimensions of all existing and proposed structures, parking lots and drives, roadways and rights-of-way, sidewalks, bicycle paths, ground signs, refuse disposal areas, bicycle parking areas, freestanding electrical equipment, recreation facilities, utility lines and easements, freestanding structural features, and other landscape improvements, such as earth berms, walls fences, screens, sculptures, fountains, street furniture, lights, and courts or paved areas;
2. The name and address of the owner, developer, and plan preparer, the date the plan was prepared, scale, and north arrow;
3. The location, quantity, size, and name, both botanical and common, of all proposed planting materials;
4. The locations, size, and common name of existing trees and individual shrubs, areas of dense trees or shrubs, and other natural features, indicating which are to be preserved and which are to be removed;
5. The approximate location and generic identification of existing structures and plant materials within the yard of adjoining properties;
6. Existing and proposed grading of the site, including proposed berming, indicating contours at not more than two (2')-foot intervals;
7. Specifications of the type and boundaries of all proposed vegetative ground cover to Design of fences and other significant accessory structures;
8. The location of barriers to be placed at or beyond the drip line of any trees to be preserved, and the type of material to be used for the barrier;
9. Planting and installation details as necessary to ensure conformance with all required standards;
10. Details indicating specific grading measures or other protective devices where trees are to be preserved in areas of cut and fill; and
11. A tabulation clearly displaying the relevant statistical information necessary for the Plan Commission to evaluate compliance with the provisions of this ordinance.
c. Any existing vegetation not of the species and type included in Appendix D of Ord. 2021-30, that is retained, and that otherwise meets the species and location requirements of this ordinance, may be counted one and one-half (1.5) times towards fulfilling the minimum landscaping requirements, subject to the approval of the Plan Commission or its designee. No construction activity of any kind may occur within the area defined by the drip-line of any vegetation that is to be retained and counted as fulfilling these requirements. Any retained existing vegetation may be replaced only with a species and type outlined in Appendices A, B, or C of Ord. 2021-30 if the retained vegetation dies.
d. All new trees required to be planted by this ordinance are measured as follows:
1. All deciduous and ornamental trees must be at least two and one-half (2½") inches in diameter at the time of planting, measured at six (6") inches above the root ball.
2. All evergreen trees must be a minimum of five (5') feet in height at the time of planting, measured from the top of the root ball.
3. All shrubs must be a minimum of eighteen (18") inches in height at the time of planting, measured from the top of the root ball.
4. Earth mounds and berms are physical barriers that block or screen the view similar to a hedge, fence or wall. Mounds must be constructed with proper and adequate plant material to prevent erosion. A difference in elevation between areas requiring screening does not constitute an existing earth mound and does not fulfill any screening requirement. Where mounds are to be mowed, the maximum permitted slope is 3:1 (run:rise).
5. Grass must be planted in species normally grown as permanent lawns in northern Indiana. In swales or other areas subject to erosion, solid sod, an erosion reducing net or suitable must be used.
(Ord. No. 2021-30, § 1, 11-10-21)