(a) Landscaping and Maintenance of Yards. Except as provided in this section, required yards and treelawns shall not be obstructed by any structure and such areas, together with all other portions of the zoning lot not covered by permitted structures, shall be landscaped (including covering such areas with trees, shrubbery and grass or other appropriate ground cover or landscaping material) so as to assure absorption of rainfall, and prevent erosion and rapid run-off of surface water, and such landscaping shall be maintained.
(b) Screening When Lot Abuts Residential District. When a lot in a B-1, B-2 or B-3 District abuts any residential district, screening or buffering of parking and storage areas shall be provided in accordance with the following regulations, and shall be approved as part of the development plan required by Section 1161.11.
(1) Screening shall consist of one or a combination of the following:
A. A dense vegetative planting incorporating trees and/or shrubs of a variety which shall be equally effective in winter and summer.
B. A nonliving opaque structure such as a solid masonry wall, solidly constructed decorative fence, or louvered fence.
C. A landscaped mound or berm.
(2) The height of screening shall be in accordance with the following:
A. Visual screening walls, fences, or mounds and fences in combination shall have a minimum height of five feet in order to accomplish the desired screening effect.
B. Vegetation shall be planted with such minimum height to assure that the required five feet screening shall be achieved not later than twelve months after the initial installation.
(3) All screening shall be free of advertising or other signs, except for directional signs and other signs for the efficient flow of vehicles.
(4) The required landscaping shall be maintained in healthy condition by the current owner and replace when necessary. Replacement material shall conform to the original intent of the landscape plan.
(c) Required Parking Lot Landscaping. For parking areas or portions of parking areas designed to accommodate thirty or more vehicles, a minimum of five percent (5%) of the land area within the parking area shall be appropriately designed with landscaped areas and planted islands, developed and distributed throughout the parking area as to interrupt the expanse of the paved area. Such planted islands and landscaped areas shall be a minimum of ten feet in any dimension. Shrub plantings adjacent to a building and areas that are part of a required yard shall not be counted as interior landscaping.
(Ord. 1996-017. Passed 2-12-96.)