(A) Purpose.
(1) Landscaping shall be provided as part of site plan and subdivision design. It shall be conceived in a total pattern throughout the site, integrating the various elements of site design, preserving and enhancing the particular identity of the site, and creating a pleasing site character.
(2) Landscaping may include plant materials such as trees, shrubs, ground covers, perennials and annuals, and other materials such as rocks, water, sculpture, art, walls, fences, paving materials and street furniture. The use of native plant materials is strongly encouraged. The Planning Commission reserves the right to prohibit inappropriate plantings.
(3) The plan shall identify existing and proposed trees, shrubs and ground covers; natural features such as rock outcroppings; and other landscaping elements. The plan shall show where they are or will be located and planting and/or construction details. Where existing plantings are to be retained, the applicant shall include in the plans proposed methods of protecting them during construction.
(B) Site protection and general planting requirements.
(1) Topsoil preservation. Topsoil moved during the course of construction shall be redistributed on all regraded surfaces so as to provide an even cover to all disturbed areas of the development and shall be stabilized by seeding or planting.
(2) Removal of debris. All stumps and other tree parts, litter, brush, weeds, excess or scrap building materials or other debris shall be removed from the site and disposed of in accordance with the law. No tree stumps, or portions of tree trunks or limbs shall be buried anywhere in the development. All dead or dying trees, standing or fallen, shall be removed from the site. If trees and limbs are reduced to chips, they may be used as mulch in landscaped areas, subject to approval by the Municipal Engineer.
(3) Protection of existing plantings. Maximum effort should be made to save significant trees.
(4) Slope plantings. Landscaping of all cuts and fills and/or terraces shall be sufficient to prevent erosion, and all roadway slopes steeper than one foot vertically to three feet horizontally shall be planted with ground cover appropriate for the purpose and for soil conditions, water availability and environment.
(5) Plant specifications. Deciduous trees shall have at least a two-inch caliper at planting. Size of evergreens and shrubs shall be allowed to vary depending on setting and type of shrub. Only nursery-grown plant materials shall be acceptable, and all trees, shrubs and ground covers shall be planted according to accepted horticultural standards. Dead and dying plants shall be replaced by the developer during the following planting season.
(6) Plant species. The plant species selected should be hardy for the central Kentucky area and appropriate in terms of function and size. Native plant species are strongly encouraged.
(C) Buffering.
(1) Function and materials. Buffering shall provide a year-round visual screen in order to minimize adverse impacts between varying land uses and zones. It may consist of fencing, evergreens, berms, rocks, boulders, mounds or combinations thereof to achieve the same objectives
(2) When required. Every development shall provide sufficient buffering when topographical or other barriers do not provide reasonable screening and when the Planning Commission determines that there is a need: to shield neighboring properties from any adverse external effects of a development; or to shield the development from negative impacts of adjacent uses such as streets or railroads. Single family residential developments are not typically required to provide buffering; however, higher density residential, commercial, industrial and recreational/resort development shall be required to buffer. In these types of developments, when building design and siting do not provide privacy, the Planning Commission shall require landscaping, fences or walls to screen dwelling units for privacy. Buffers shall be measured from side and rear property lines, excluding driveways.
(3) Amount required.
(a) Where more intensive land uses abut less-intensive uses, a buffer strip 15 feet in width shall be required. Any proposed or required vegetative buffer shall be a minimum of 15 feet in width.
(b) Parking lots, garbage collection and utility areas, and loading and unloading areas should be screened around their perimeters by a buffer strip a minimum of five feet wide.
(4) Design. Arrangement of plantings in buffers shall provide maximum protection to adjacent properties and avoid damage to existing plant material.
(5) Planting specifications. Plant materials shall be sufficiently large and planted in such a fashion that a year-round screen at least eight feet in height shall be produced within three growing seasons. All plantings shall be installed according to accepted horticultural standards.
(6) Maintenance. Plantings shall be watered regularly and in a manner appropriate for the specific plant species through the first growing season, and dead and dying plants shall be replaced by the applicant during the next planting season. No buildings, structures, storage of materials, or parking shall be permitted within the buffer area; buffer areas shall be maintained and kept free of all trash, debris, weeds and tall grass.
(D) Parking lot landscaping.
(1) Amount required. In parking lots, at least 5% of the interior parking area shall be landscaped with plantings, and one tree for each ten spaces shall be installed. Parking lot street frontage screening and perimeter screening shall be a minimum of five feet wide. Planting required within the parking lot is exclusive of other planting requirements, such as for shade trees planted along the street
(2) Location. The landscaping should be located in protected areas, such as along walkways, in center islands, at the ends of bays, or between parking stalls. All landscaping in parking areas and on the street frontage shall be placed so that it will not obstruct sight distance.
(3) Plant type.
(a) A mixture of hardy flowering and/or decorative evergreen and deciduous trees shall be planted. Native plant species are strongly encouraged.
(b) Evergreens should be used along the perimeter of the lot for screening, and deciduous trees for shade within the lot. The area between trees shall be mulched, planted with shrubs or ground cover, or covered with paving material. Any area that will be under the overhang of vehicles shall be mulched or covered with paving material.
(E) Walls and fences.
(1) Walls and fences shall be erected where required for privacy, screening, separation, security, erosion control or to serve other necessary and reasonable functions.
(2) The design and materials used shall be functional and compatible with existing and proposed site architecture.
(3) No fence or wall shall be so constructed or installed as to constitute a hazard to traffic or safety.
(Ord. passed 4-1-2003) Penalty, see § 153.99