A. Landscaping requirement: It is the intent of this section that all new construction in the city shall be so designed that landscaping is included as an integral part of the environment to provide a quality of life and amenities which are complementary to the natural physical surroundings of the city. Requirements for single-family homes and duplexes are provided for in (D) of this section. All multi-family) commercial) industrial, institutional, and public uses shall be landscaped with trees, ornamental shrubs, and green areas according to the following standards.
B. Required Area Standards:
1. A minimum of five percent (5%) of the total land area of the lot shall be landscaped. At least seventy five percent (75%) of this landscaped lot area shall be in the front or side yards and shall be visible from a public street providing access to the property. Inner courts not visible from a public street shall not be calculated for purposes of meeting this requirement.
2. The property owner in all zoning districts shall be responsible for landscaping the right of way area between his property line and the curb. The use of rock, chat, or gravel shall not satisfy this requirement. In addition, this area shall not be:
a. Hard surfaced, other than a permitted driveway or sidewalk.
b. Used for parking.
c. Used for the location of any permanent or temporary accessory or nonaccessory signs.
C. Landscape Materials And Plan Standards:
1. Application for a building permit shall be accompanied by a detailed landscaping plan for both the required lot area and the area within the public right of way between the property line and the curb. The plan shall conform to the following requirements:
a. The location and types of all plants shall be designated.
b. There shall be a live tree, having a minimum height of five feet (5') at planting, for every five hundred feet (500') of area to be landscaped, exclusive of the right of way area. However, additional trees are permitted and encouraged to be planted in the right of way area, subject to safety considerations described below.
c. Artificial grass or any form of synthetic plant shall not be permitted as part of the requirements for landscaping materials.
d. Rock gardens or sculpture may be approved upon review by the planning commission, but use of rock, chat, or gravel as ground cover shall not be considered as meeting the requirements for landscaping.
2. Public safety considerations:
a. The landscaping plan shall respect requirements for sight triangles at intersections and all other elements relating to traffic control.
b. Consideration should be given to the location of trees so that when they reach mature height they do not interfere with utility wires.
c. Property owners shall keep vegetation trimmed so that it does not obstruct the free, convenient, and safe travel over and along the streets.
3. The landscaping plan shall be reviewed and approved as a part of the building permit review process.
4. A certificate of occupancy for a structure shall not be issued until the landscaping has been installed in accordance with the plan; provided, however, that if a structure and all its site improvements are complete except for the landscaping requirements and the season of the year will not permit planting, temporary occupancy may be permitted until a date certain in the growing season. In this case an inspection date in the growing season shall be set by the building official to determine if the landscaping has been installed.
5. All landscaping shall be maintained in a live and healthy condition. Failure to install or maintain landscaping as required and approved shall constitute a violation of this code. To ensure successful compliance with this requirement, all required landscaping shall be irrigated by one of the following methods:
a. An underground sprinkling system.
b. A hose attachment within two hundred feet (200') of all landscaping.
c. A drip irrigation system.
(D) Landscaping for single-family homes and duplexes: All new single- family homes on interior lots shall have two (2) trees installed in the front yard prior to securing a certificate of occupancy. A new single-family home on a corner lot shall have three (3) trees installed (2 front yard, 1- side front yard) prior to securing a certificate of occupancy, New duplexes shall have one (1) tree installed in the front yard of each side of the duplex prior to securing a certificate of occupancy. A new duplex on a corner lot shall have two (2) trees installed (1-side from yard) prior to securing a certificate of occupancy. The trees required under (D) shall have a minimum caliper of 2.5 inches measured twelve (12) inches above the root ball.
E. Parking Lots With Thirty (30) or More Spaces: In addition to the landscape requirements of five percent (5%) of the lot to be landscaped as provided for in Section 12-356.1, for developments containing more than thirty (30) parking spaces. There must be one (1) tree for every ten (10) parking spaces and no parking space shall be more than one hundred (100') feet from a landscaped/open space area. Trees must be a minimum of five (5') feet at the time of planting. The landscaped/open space for small trees (mature height thirty (30') feet or less) shall be no less than five (5') to six (6') feet wide and deep with no less than ten (10') foot spacing. The landscaped/open space area for medium trees (mature height thirty-one (31) to forty (40) feet) shall be no less than seven (7') to ten (10') feet wide and deep with no less than twenty (20') feet spacing between trees. The landscaped/open space area for large trees (mature height forty-one (41) for or more) shall be no less than eleven (11') feet wide and deep with no less than thirty (30') foot spacing between trees.
1. In measuring these requirements the following shall apply:
a. measuring thru a building shall not be permitted
b. landscaped/open areas or islands on adjacent propertied that are not part of the development shall not be used in calculating the one hundred (100') foot distance requirement
c. each development must be responsible to meet the distance requirements solely on its own property
d. right-of-way may not be used to meet the one hundred (100') foot distance requirement
2. Where landscaped islands are used to meet the one hundred (100') foot distance requirement, they shall be designed and build with an eight (8") inch crown. Islands shall be defined as a median or an outer separation. The primary functions of islands are:
a. to control & direct traffic movement
b. to divide opposing or same direction traffic streams
c. to provide for refugee for pedestrians
d. to separate driving aisles from parking areas; and
e. to separate between parking spaces
3. Landscaped islands or areas of outer separation shall be irrigated with an underground pop-up sprinkler or drip irrigation system. These areas shall be kept free of hard-surfacing and besides the installation of trees they shall be used for the installation of grass, decorative rock, or wood chips, shrubs, and other means to provide open spaces and landscaped areas within the development. (Ord. 1995-4, 1-19-1995; amd. Ord. 2022-22, 9-29-2022; Ord. 2023-4, 6-15-2023)