In reviewing the landscape requirements for proposed construction in the primary and secondary tier Overlay Zone, factors to be considered by the Plan Commission shall include but are not limited to the following:
(A) Landscape plan. The applicant shall submit a landscape plan to the Zoning Administrator as part of the development plan application, per § 155.174. Table 1: Table of Recommended Shrubs and Table 2: Table of Recommended Trees, set forth in Ordinance 14-23 and incorporated herein by reference, lists the plant materials recommended for use in the landscaping of a property in the Overlay District.
(B) Areas to be landscaped.
(1) Green space area. The 60-foot green space area in the primary tier shall be composed of grass and landscape areas. The incorporation of walkways and bikeways into the design is encouraged; however, no parking areas, through roads, buildings, accessory structures, etc. shall be established within this area. Landscaping shall not be placed in the 30-foot wide utility easement, as shown in Figure 3: Green Space Area, set forth in Ordinance 14-23 and incorporated herein by reference.
(2) Foundation. Foundation plantings shall be included along the front and any side of buildings visible from the public right-of-way and/or have primary pedestrian access.
(C) Protection of existing trees. Sites with existing trees in the primary tier should make reasonable efforts to protect and incorporate them into the overall site design. To encourage tree preservation, each tree preserved greater than nine-inch caliper shall convert as credits for required landscaping. Credits for each preserved nine-inch caliper tree shall be:
(1) Two required shade trees; or
(2) Four ornamental trees.
(3) Screening areas. All air conditioning units, HVAC systems, exhaust pipes or stacks, overhead doors, legally non-conforming outside storage areas, and satellite dishes shall be integrated into the overall building design or screened from the State Road 28 right-of-way and adjoining residential zones or uses, by means of walls, fencing, parapets, penthouse screens, landscaping, camouflage or other approved method.
(D) Landscaping standards. All plant material proposed to be used in accordance with any landscape plan shall meet the following specifications:
(1) Shade trees: A minimum of two and one-half inch caliper with a mixture of sizes at initial installation;
(2) Ornamental trees: A minimum of one and one-half inch caliper with a mixture of sizes at initial installation;
(3) Evergreen trees: A minimum height of four feet with a mixture of sizes at initial installation;
(4) Deciduous shrubs: A minimum height of 18 inches;
(5) Evergreen shrubs: A minimum height of 18 inches.
(E) Green space area. The following standards in this division shall apply to all lots located within the primary tier and have frontage on State Road 28. The primary landscaping materials used in the 60-foot green space area, including the 30-foot easement for utilities, shall be shade trees, ornamental trees, shrubs, ground cover and grass.
(1) A minimum of three shade trees, two ornamental trees and ten shrubs shall be provided per 100 linear feet of green space area.
(2) The submitted landscape plan for the green space area parallel to the State Road 28 right-of-way may show the trees in either a lineal or a clustered design.
(3) All green space areas shall have an earthen mound that is located in the 30-foot green space planting easement, if feasible. The mound shall be covered with grass and shall parallel State Road 28. The mound shall be varied in height, but no section may be lower than three feet above surrounding grade and it must have rounded flanks.
(F) Foundation plantings.
(1) The primary landscaping materials used adjacent to buildings shall be shrubs, ground cover and ornamental grasses. Ornamental trees and perennials are also encouraged.
(2) The minimum width of the planting area shall be five feet, except when adjoining a parking area that is located in the front yard along State Road 28, where the minimum width shall be ten feet.
(3) In this foundation planting area, there shall be ten shrubs per 100 lineal feet of planting strip. Shrubs can be placed linearly or clustered.
(G) Parking lots.
(1) Parking lot interior planting. Where commercial, office, and industrial parking lots are located within the primary tier, are located in the front or side yards of the building, and are visible from State Road 28 the following shall apply:
(a) A minimum of one shade tree and four shrubs shall be planted within each parking lot for every seven spaces provided, or not less than ten trees per acre of parking.
(2) Parking lot perimeter planting. Where parking areas, for both tiers, are located in the front yard and front directly on a roadway, a six-foot wide perimeter planting area shall be provided along the front and sides of those areas, as shown in Figures 7: Perimeter Parking Lot Planting and 8: Perimeter Parking Lot Planting, set forth in Ordinance 14-23 and incorporated herein by reference.
(a) The required planting unit for this area shall include three shade trees, two ornamental trees, and ten shrubs per 100 linear feet.
(b) The perimeter planting area shall be provided in addition to the green space area.
(H) Landscaping installation and maintenance.
(1) Installation. All landscaping approved as part of the landscape plan portion of the development plan approval shall be installed prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy by the Zoning Administrator. If it is not possible to install the required landscaping because of weather conditions, the property owner shall post a bond prior to the issuance of the certificate of occupancy for an amount equal to 125% of the total installed cost of the required landscaping.
(2) Maintenance.
(a) It shall be the responsibility of the owners and their agents to ensure proper maintenance of all trees, shrubs and other landscaping materials required by this subchapter as part of the review of the development plan in accordance with the standards set by this subchapter. This is to include, but is not limited to, replacing dead plantings with identical varieties or a suitable substitute approved by the Executive Director, irrigation and mulching of planting areas, and keeping the area free of refuse, debris, and weeds.
(b) All dead plant material shall be replaced within one year, by the next planting season of their death, or upon written notice of condition.
(3) Changes after approval. No landscaping which has been approved by the Zoning Administrator may later be materially altered, eliminated or sacrificed, without first obtaining further approval by the Zoning Administrator.
(4) Inspection.
(Ord. 08-04, passed 7-14-08; Am. Ord. 14-23, passed 1-26-15)