§ 17.8.420 LANDSCAPING REQUIREMENTS BY ZONE.
   A.   Landscaping required in the Neighborhood Commercial Zone. All required (exclusive of accessways and other permitted intrusions) adjacent to a public or private shall be landscaped.
   B.   Landscaping required in the Community Commercial Zones. A landscaped strip at least ten feet in width shall be provided abutting any property line facing a . The landscape strip shall be appropriately landscaped with ground cover, planted , shrubbery and/or .
   C.   Landscaping required in the Town Center Zones. All new commercial and residential in the Town Center Transition Zone shall landscape no less than 5% of the using appropriate native plant materials and/or architectural features such as benches, planters and water fountains which are suitable and supportive of the downtown commercial environment. Jointly improved landscaped areas are encouraged to facilitate continuity of landscape design within the Town Center. The may choose to waive this requirement for that provide streetscape within the public right-of-way. New in the Town Center Core zone is exempt from the minimum landscaping requirement.
   D.   Landscaping required in the Institutional Zone. Landscaping shall be in context with the and surrounding zones. For institutional uses that consist of primarily , such as a park or playground, the landscaped area shall be defined by the and include a landscaped strip at least ten feet in width abutting any property line facing a . For institutional uses in which the is primarily devoted to non-, the landscaping requirements shall match the zone district immediately adjacent to the . Where there are no landscaping requirements for the adjoining zone, the landscaping requirements shall meet the requirements of subsection B., Community Commercial above.
   E.   Seventy-five percent coverage. Except in the Town Center Core Zone, at least 75% of the required landscaped area shall be planted with any suitable combination of specified time as follows:
      1.    – within five years from the date of final inspection by the ;
      2.   Shrubs – within two years from the date of final inspection by the ; and
      3.   Ground covers – at the time of final inspection by the .
      F.   Twenty-five percent architectural features. Except in the Town Center Core Zone, landscaped areas as required by this article may include architectural features or artificial ground covers such as sculptures, benches, masonry or stone walls, , rock groupings, decorative hard paving and gravel areas, interspersed with planting areas. The exposed area developed with such features shall not exceed 25% of the required landscaped area. Artificial plants are prohibited in any required landscaped area.
(Ord. 2009-01, passed 3-9-2009; Ord. 2013-3, passed 5-22-2013)