(a) Small parking areas. All new parking areas for commercial buildings and planned unit developments which contain more than five spaces, but less than 40 spaces, shall be provided with one or more landscape areas. Such landscape areas shall be not less than ten percent of the total parking area, and shall be located, wherever possible, so as to safely contain preexisting significant trees and stands of native shrubbery and their root protection zones. The total parking area includes parking spaces, loading areas, access aisles, and that portion of driveway entrances not located in public rights-of-way. Landscape areas shall be located either adjacent to the parking area or within the parking area, but may not be located within any public right-of-way. The forest coverage standard (Appendix B to this chapter) shall be maintained within parking areas by planting additional trees in these green spaces or, if there is not sufficient room, elsewhere on the subject property.
(b) Large parking areas. All new parking areas for commercial buildings and planned unit developments which contain 40 or more parking spaces shall be provided with one or more landscape areas. Such landscape areas shall amount to not less than ten percent of the total parking area and shall be located, wherever possible, so as to safely contain preexisting significant trees and stands of native shrubbery and their root protection zones. The total parking area includes parking spaces, loading areas, access aisles, and that portion of driveway entrances not located in public rights-of-way. These landscape areas shall be located totally within the parking area and may not be located within the public right-of-way. The forest coverage and/or significant tree standard, as per Appendix B to this chapter, shall be maintained within parking areas by planting additional trees in these green spaces or, if there is not sufficient room, elsewhere on the subject property.
(c) Buffer strip. In addition to the landscape areas described in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, all new parking areas for planned unit developments and commercial developments which contain 40 or more parking spaces shall be provided with a buffer strip five feet in width between the parking area and any adjoining right-of- way. Any buffer strip 20 feet in length must contain at least one tree for every 20 feet of the buffer strip.
(d) Plant type. All specified landscape areas shall be adequately covered with trees, shrubs, or a combination of both; provided, however, that any landscape area exceeding 100 square feet in area must contain at least one tree. At least 75 percent of the tree, shrub, or plant species proposed shall be desirable species native to the Southern Mountains as per the Lake Lure Tree Management Handbook.
(Code 1989, § 92.059; Ord. of 11-15-2005; Ord. of 6-12-2007; Ord. No. 21-05-11, 5-11-2021)