§ 17.8.545 LANDSCAPING AND SCREENING OF PARKING AND LOADING AREAS.
   A.   Purpose. The purpose of this section is to improve the appearance of off- parking and open sales and service areas in Forest Grove and to protect and preserve the appearance, character and value of the surrounding neighborhoods. It is also the purpose of this section to allow for increased seepage by providing openings in ; increased safety by breaking up large expanses of pavement; and increased shading to reduce overheating of car interiors, and reduce glare and radiation from large number of vehicles.
   B.   Applicability. This section is applicable to all areas used for the display or parking of any and all types of vehicles, boats or heavy construction equipment, whether such vehicles, boats or equipment are self-propelled or not, and all land upon which vehicles traverse the property as a function of the primary , hereinafter referred to as “other vehicular uses,” including but not limited to activities of a drive-in nature such as, but not limited to, filling stations, grocery and dairy stores, banks, restaurants and the like. Screening and landscaping of parking and is required, with the of parking areas serving and , and parking areas that are under or within . The interior landscaping requirements do not apply to parking areas for industrial uses in the industrial zones.
   C.   Required landscaping for parking lots adjacent to public rights-of-way. A minimum five-foot landscaped strip is required between the abutting right-of-way and the off- parking area or vehicle area.
   D.    parking lot landscaping. When the off- parking area or other vehicular area is not visually screened from an abutting property by an intervening or , a minimum five-foot landscaped strip shall be installed between the common property line and the off- parking area or other vehicular area that is visually exposed.
   E.   Interior parking lot landscaping. Landscaped areas shall be appropriately distributed to break up large expanses of pavement, improve the appearance and climate of the , improve safety and delineate and traffic lanes. For the purpose of this section, interior parking lot area is defined as the hard surface parking area (parking stalls and ). Such area does not include loading and unloading zones or landscaping around the .
      1.   At least 8% of the interior parking lot area shall be landscaped. Landscaped areas should include water quality features such as or , , grass, shrubs and other material when possible so as to cover the landscape area.
      2.   A required landscaped area shall have a minimum interior dimension of six feet and be no less than 48 square feet in area. Landscaping shall be protected from vehicular damage by some form of wheel guard or curb.
      3.   One shall be required for every 1,600 square feet of interior parking lot area. shall have a minimum two-inch and six-foot branch height at the time of planting.
      4.   Interior parking area landscaping and must be dispersed throughout the parking area. Some may be grouped, but the groups must be dispersed.
      5.    landscaping may not substitute for interior landscaping. However, interior landscaping may join landscaping as long as it extends four feet or more into the parking area from the landscape line.
   F.   Landscaping within . All landscaping of parking lots within shall provide unobstructed cross-visibility at a level between three to ten feet above the curb line. With the of grass or groundcover, no landscaping shall be located closer than three feet from the edge of any accessway pavement.
(Ord. 2009-01, passed 3-9-2009; Ord. 2013-3, passed 5-22-2013)