As used in this chapter:
(a) "Architectural planter" means a container within which plantings may be placed to meet the requirements of this chapter.
(b) "Crown spread" means the distance measured across the greatest diameter of a plant.
(c) "Decorative walls and fences" means barriers constructed of wood, masonry or other appropriate material.
(d) "Developed area" means that portion of a plot or parcel of land upon which a building, structure, pavement, landscape material or other improvement, excluding public rights of way, has been placed.
(e) "Drip line" means the outer perimeter of the crown of a plant.
(f) "Encroachment" means any protrusion of a vehicle outside of a parking space, display area, storage area, accessway or access aisle into a landscaped area.
(g) "Ground cover" means natural mulch or low growing plants other than deciduous varieties installed in such a manner so as to form a continuous cover over the ground.
(h) "Landscape" means the placement of landscape material in the planting area in accordance with the requirements of this chapter.
(i) "Landscape material" means landscaping consisting of material such as, but not limited to, living trees; shrubs; vines; lawn grass; ground cover; landscape water features; and nonliving durable material commonly used in landscaping, including, but not limited to, rocks, pebbles, sand, decorative walls and fences, brick pavers and earthen mounds, but excluding pavements for vehicular use.
(j) "Planting area" means any area designed for landscape material installation having a minimum area of sixty-four square feet.
(k) "Shrub" means a woody perennial plant differing from a perennial herb by its persistent and woody stems and from a tree by its low stature and habit of branching from the base.
(l) "Tree" means any self-supporting, woody plant of a species which normally grows to an overall height of at least fifteen feet and normally develops an average mature crown spread greater than fifteen feet in southwestern Ohio.
(m) "Tree standard" means, unless otherwise provided, a tree planted to the dimensions of at least a two-inch caliber and fifteen feet in height.
(n) "Vehicular use area" means any paved ground surface area, except public rights of way, used by any type of vehicle, whether moving or at rest, for the following purposes, among other possible purposes: driving, parking, loading, unloading, storage or display. Such areas include, but are not limited to, new and used car lots, activities of a drive-in nature in connection with banks, restaurants, filling stations and grocery and dairy stores and other open lot uses, except areas used for parking or other vehicular uses under, on or within buildings.
(o) "Visual screen" means a barrier, at least eighty percent opaque, of living or nonliving landscape material put in place for the purpose of separating and obscuring from view those areas so screened.
(p) "Reconstruction" means rehabilitation or replacement of a structure on property which either has been damaged, altered or removed to an extent exceeding sixty percent of the assessed valuation of such structure as shown on the most recent tax roll of the County.
(Ord. 78-27. Passed 4-25-78.)