(A) Interior landscaping standards.
(1) Applicability. Except for single-and two-family residential uses, the standards in this subsection shall apply to all surface parking lots with five or more parking spaces.
(2) General interior landscaping standards. All parking lots shall provide and maintain landscaped planting areas within the interior of the parking lot. These standards shall not apply to parking structures or vehicle display areas.
(3) Size. Each planting area shall contain minimum areas in accordance with § 166.02-05(4), Design, and in all instances, the planting area shall be adequate to accommodate the root growth of the plant material used. The size of the planting area and size of plant material at maturity shall allow for a two-and-one-half foot bumper overhang from the face of the curb.
(4) Design. Interior planting areas shall be designed within parking areas as:
(a) Islands located at the end of parking bays, with a minimum size of 135 square feet for single loaded parking rows, and a minimum size of 270 square feet for double loaded bays;
(b) Islands located mid-way in parking bays with 40 or more spaces such that no more than 15 spaces shall be located in a continuous row without being interrupted by a landscaped island with a minimum size of 135 square feet for single loaded bays and 270 square feet for double loaded bays.
(c) Islands located at least every four parallel rows of cars;
(d) Islands used to visually separate parking areas and accommodate required pedestrian pathways in surface parking lots with 500 or more parking spaces;
(e) Driveway medians shall have a minimum width of four feet for medians with shrubs, six feet for medians with shrubs and understory trees and nine feet for medians with canopy deciduous or evergreen trees.
(5) Planting rates. Each interior planting area shall contain trees and shrubs at the following rates:
(a) Trees shall be required at the minimum rate of two caliper inches of canopy tree for every 2,000 square feet, or portion thereof, of the total vehicular use area, except for location directly under overhead utilities, where understory trees may be substituted for canopy trees;
(b) Large shrubs shall be required at the minimum rate of one shrub per every 500 square feet, or portion thereof, of the total parking lot area;
(c) As a general guide, one tree island should be located at approximately 15 space intervals, in accordance with § 166.02-05(4), Design;
(d) No parking space shall be separated from the trunk of a shade or canopy tree by more than 60 feet (perimeter vehicular use area landscaping or other required landscaping may be used to meet this requirement); and
(e) All landscape planting areas shall be stabilized and maintained with ground covers, mulches, or other approved materials to prevent soil erosion and allow rainwater infiltration.
(6) Screened backfill. Soil utilized in parking lot islands, driveway medians, and other areas internal to a vehicular use area shall be screened prior to deposition in planting areas.
(7) Distribution. Landscaped planting areas shall be distributed throughout the parking area for the purpose of heat abatement.
(8) Protection of planting areas. All planting areas shall be protected from vehicle damage by the installation of curbing, wheel stops, or other comparable methods.
(B) Perimeter landscaping standards. In addition to the interior vehicular use area landscaping standards set forth in § 166.02-05(A), Interior Landscaping Standards, vehicular use areas shall be screened from view of public streets and adjacent residential uses. Where a vehicular use area abuts a street right-of-way, vacant land within a residential district, or existing residential development, the following standards shall apply:
(1) Continuous visual screen. Perimeter landscaping for vehicular use areas shall form a continuous visual screen, excluding required sight clearances at driveways.
(2) Minimum width.
(a) The minimum average width for any perimeter landscaping strip shall be ten feet measured at ten-foot intervals along the property lines, with the minimum width for any perimeter landscaping strip being five feet.
(b) The perimeter landscaping strip shall be protected from vehicular intrusion by the installation of curbing, wheel stops, extra width in the buffer yard, or other comparable methods approved by the Zoning Administrator.
(3) Location. Perimeter landscape strips for screening vehicular use areas shall be located on the lot, and shall be placed to assure visibility and safety of pedestrians on the public street, as well as those within the vehicular use area.
(4) Minimum height. Plant materials shall be maintained at a minimum height of four feet above the surface elevation of the adjacent vehicular use area, provided the installation meets all state and federal highway sight distance standards.
(5) Required materials.
(a) Evergreen shrubs shall be used to form the continuous visual screen in the perimeter landscaping strip.
(b) In addition to the evergreen shrub requirements, each perimeter landscaping strip shall include at least eight aggregate caliper inches (ACI) of canopy or understory trees per every 100 linear feet of landscaping strip.
(6) Adjacent to perimeter buffers. Perimeter landscape strips may be credited towards perimeter buffer (See § 166.02-06) standards provided that the minimum standards of this landscaping strip width requirements subsection are maintained.
(7) Adjacent to off-street surface parking on other lots. In cases where two or more off-street surface parking lots are located adjacent to one another, but upon different lots, no perimeter landscaping materials shall be required.
(Ord. 05-10, passed 3-23-10)