(a) Installation.
(1) Installation Period. Whenever planting is required by this Code, it must be planted prior to the issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy. If the weather does not permit the planting, the required planting must take place within six (6) months from the date of issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy.
(2) Installation Method. All landscaping must be installed in a manner consistent with generally accepted and published nursery and landscape standards, the approved landscaping plan, and the following:
A. High Quality and Healthy Plant Material. Plant material must be freshly dug. Plant material must be of sound health, vigorous and uniform in appearance with a well-developed root system and free from disease, insects, pests, eggs, or larvae. Trees must have straight trunks with leaders intact, undamaged and uncut.
B. Mulching. Trees, shrubs, hedges, vines, perennials, and live groundcovers (except turf grasses) must be generously mulched at the time of planting with hardwood bark mulch or similar natural material. Because stone, rocks, and pebbles trap heat and do not retain moisture, these materials must not be permitted as a ground cover or mulch.
C. Screened Topsoil. A minimum of four (4) inches of screened topsoil must be provided for all lawn areas, ground covers, berms, and planting beds.
D. Plant Material Required in All Portions of Landscaped Areas. All portions of the landscaped areas must be planted with grass, groundcover, shrubbery, or other suitable plant material, except that paved patios, terraces, sidewalks, and similar site features may be incorporated with Planning Commission approval.
E. Protection of Existing Vegetation. Existing vegetation to be preserved must be protected during construction through the use of temporary fencing around the drip line.
(b) Maintenance.
(1) The owner of the property is responsible for the regular maintenance of all plants and must replenish mulch, control weeds, fertilize plants and prune plants as necessary beginning upon the completion of the installation of all landscaping. All diseased, dead, or damaged plants must be replaced within 30 days, unless the season is not appropriate for planting, in which case such plant material must be replaced at the beginning of the next planting season.
(2) The code encourages the use of environmentally friendly fertilizers and pesticides.
(3) The approved landscape plan must be considered a permanent record and integral part of site plan approval. Unless otherwise approved in accordance with the procedures for amending a site plan, any revisions to or removal of plant materials that are not replaced is in violation of this Code and is subject to a civil offense in accordance with Kent Codified Ordinance (KCO) 501.13, as amended
(c) Snow Storage. Landscape areas may be used for snow storage, provided the landscape areas are designed to accommodate large volumes of snow, contain landscape material that can survive in those conditions (e.g., salt tolerant), and are maintained in accordance with this Chapter. (Ord. 2021-057. Passed 6-16-21.)