A. Purpose.
1. To provide landscaping requirements and standards that reflect the character and enhance the image of the community.
2. To minimize the potential adverse impacts associated with adjacent or abutting land uses of varying intensities.
3. To provide the landowner, developer, or designer with flexibility while protecting the public interest.
B. Intent and objectives.
1. To visually soften and unify the appearance of commercial and industrial developments.
2. To define major entryways, vehicular and pedestrian circulation, and parking patterns.
3. To buffer less intensive adjacent land uses.
4. To integrate the rugged and colorful landscape character of the Sonoran desert into the town's commercial and industrial developments.
5. Conserve groundwater resources in conformance with the Arizona groundwater code, A.R.S. title 45, chapter 2, by:
a. Specifying the use of xeriscape design principles and standards;
b. Using water harvesting techniques to help control and utilize stormwater runoff;
c. Specifying xeriscape plant materials from approved lists; and
d. Encouraging the use of reclaimed water.
6. Protect the general public health, safety, and welfare by incorporating design guidelines that:
a. Minimize noise, air, water, dust and visual pollution;
b. Screen and buffer incompatible land uses;
c. Preserve property values and the character of neighborhoods;
d. Reduce the heat and glare absorbed and radiated by development;
e. Conserve energy resources;
f. Control soil erosion;
g. Control growth of noxious, invasive plants; and
h. Increase traffic safety.
7. Reduce the negative impacts between potentially incompatible uses and zones by buffering or screening.
8. Encourage preservation-in-place of healthy native plants through sensitive design.
C. Landscape plan requirement.
1. An approved landscape plan, including a planting plan and irrigation plan, is required for all of the following:
a. Prior to approval of the development plan, preliminary plat and final plat or issuance of building permits.
b. Additions to buildings which increase the gross building area by 25% or more.
c. All off-street parking areas and landscape buffers.
2. All landscape plans shall be sealed by a registered landscape architect.
D. Exceptions. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any of the following:
1. Individually owned residential lots.
2. Additions of less than 25% of total floor area of non-residential buildings.
3. Any preliminary plat or development plan submitted prior to the effective date of this section.
E. Landscape plan content, standards, form, submission and filing fee. Refer to the landscape plan application checklist for additional requirements.
1. General.
a. Plant materials shall be graphically delineated on the plan with written information in list format on the plan, that includes genus and species name, common name, size and quantity;
b. Proposed location of all new and salvaged plant materials.
c. All inorganic materials such as crushed rock or decomposed granite groundcovers, paving materials, boulders, benches, fountains, water features, sculpture, and trash receptacles shall be shown graphically and include information regarding size, quantity, color, and location.
d. Water harvesting, detention/retention basins, and berms used for water collection shall be graphically shown on the plan and shall include a written explanation of their purpose and anticipated runoff collection.
e. Irrigation plans shall show size and location of all equipment needed to irrigate the site to industry standards.
2. Landscaping plans in specific plan areas.
a. When proposed development falls within a specific plan the landscape guidelines for that plan shall be adhered to.
b. If the plan does not provide guidelines for any standard as defined in this code, this code shall override the specific plan.
c. If the specific plan landscape design guidelines are less restrictive than related guidelines in this code, the more restrictive of the two shall be adhered to.
3. Plants must conform to the town's official regulatory plant list. If a designer wishes to use a plant not found on the list a written request must be made. The request shall state the plant's characteristics which make it compatible with the regulations.
4. The landscape design shall be consistent with the environmental context of the development site. Preservation of native on-site vegetation shall be a primary objective of site planning and development. Specimen plants shall be given particular consideration for retention on site.
5. Any part of a development site which has been disturbed and is not required for buildings, structures, private residential yards, loading and vehicular access ways, streets, paved parking and utility areas, pedestrian walks and hard-surfaced activity areas shall be landscaped.
6. Natural undisturbed desert is an acceptable form of landscaping. Wherever the undisturbed natural desert landscape cannot be preserved, landscape design and construction shall promote the use of transplanted on-site desert plants, container-grown native plants, seeded desert plants and inorganic groundcover.
7. Xeriscape design principles and plant selection based on function, water requirement and most suitable environmental exposure of the plant materials shall be included in all proposals.
8. Turf applications for parks, recreational facilities, golf courses, school grounds, institutions and cemeteries are regulated by the Arizona department of water resources and are not covered in this chapter. All other building uses are covered in subsection 17-11-7 B.
9. Landscape designs shall be in harmony with the environmental context of the development site.
a. Plants shall be selected from the town's official regulatory plant list.
b. Trees and shrubs.
i. Trees shall be at least fifteen-gallon size at planting time.
ii. Shrubs shall be at least one-gallon size at planting time.
iii. Trees and shrubs shall be planted so that at maturity they do not interfere with overhead or underground service lines, traffic sight lines and the property rights of adjacent property owners.
iv. Trees with invasive roots which are planted near public sidewalks or curbs shall be installed with suitable root diverters to minimize heaving of those improvements.
v. Plants shall be grouped, clustered or unevenly spaced to prevent an unnatural landscape appearance.
vi. Multi-stemmed plants shall be included in the planting matrix to provide a natural looking landscape.
c. Groundcover.
i. Inorganic groundcover shall be used in combination with trees and shrubs and shall not exceed two-thirds of the total landscaped area, devoted to groundcover.
ii. All unpaved landscape areas shall be planted with shrubs, accents or vines, or covered with appropriate organic or inorganic groundcover.
d. Irrigation and water features.
i. All water use for landscape irrigation and enhancement shall conform to the Arizona groundwater code, A.R.S. title 45, chapter 2.
ii. Irrigation plans shall indicate how each introduced planting is served by a water-conserving, underground irrigation system. Water harvesting and drip irrigation are recommended methods. Irrigation shall be designed to avoid watering hardscape areas and built structures.
iii. Reclaimed water irrigation shall be encouraged for all landscaped and turf areas.
iv. Landscape designs shall be integrated with hydrology, grading and earthwork plans for the site and shall make maximum use of site stormwater run-off for irrigation purposes.
v. Water design features, such as ponds and fountains, shall be at a scale and design compatible with the desert environment.
e. Natural and built features.
i. Earth berms shall be designed with a reverse curve at the
base to allow a natural transition to existing grades. They shall not exceed a slope of 3:1 and shall be adequately covered with plant material, groundcover or rip-rap to control erosion. Planted berms shall be designed to retain irrigation water.
ii. Walls, fences, signs, landscaping and other potential obstructions shall be located to minimize sight line or view limitations.
iii. If boulders are used one third of the approximate volume shall be buried to provide a natural appearance.
f. Oasis exception.
i. An oasis area is a zone of planting where non-drought tolerant plant materials and turf are allowed. Turf use shall not exceed 20% of the total landscaped area. This area must be located near an area of high pedestrian use such as an entry, a recreation area, break area, clubhouse, courtyard, seating or dining area. Consideration will be made for areas developed as special focal points. There are two methods of determining the allowed oasis area. The calculation must be shown on the plans.
a) Multifamily uses: Multiply net site area by 5%.
b) All other uses: Multiply net site area by 2.5%.
ii. If a site is being phased, only that phase or area presented for development will be considered a part of the net site area.
F. Landscape buffer standards.
1. Purpose.
a. Landscape buffers provide the following four distinct functions:
i. Serve as landscape screens to mitigate visual impacts;
ii. Provide a landscape setback to reduce noise;
iii. Physically separate incompatible adjacent land uses; and
iv. Provide an aesthetic transition between adjacent compatible land uses.
b. In addition, landscape buffers function to eliminate or minimize potential nuisances such as dirt, litter, noise, glare of lights, and signs. They also visually soften and screen unsightly buildings or parking areas. Landscape buffers are also designed to ensure a desired character along public streets and roads.
2. A landscape buffer may be used for passive recreation. It may contain pedestrian, bike and equestrian trails. Where appropriate, linkages shall be encouraged within or along a landscape buffer as long as the total width of the buffer is maintained, and all other regulations of the code are met. Swimming pools, tennis courts, sports fields, golf courses, parking lots, or other uses requiring structures or removal of vegetation shall not be permitted within a landscape buffer.
3. Landscape buffers shall be located on the outer perimeter of a lot or parcel, extending to the property or boundary lines and shall be determined in accordance with the landscape buffers matrices set forth in subparagraph 5 below.
4. Landscape buffer plant requirements shall be determined by application of the landscape buffers matrices set forth in subparagraph 5 below.
5. Landscape buffers matrices. The numbers in table 1 (Landscape buffers matrix - between zoning districts) and table 2 (Landscape buffers matrix - street frontage) refer to the codes in table 3 (Landscape buffers matrix codes).
Table 1. Landscape buffers matrix - between zoning districts | |||||||||
Subject zone or zoning group | Adjacent zone or zoning group | ||||||||
AG | RA | ER | NR | GR | MR | RR | C | I | |
Table 1. Landscape buffers matrix - between zoning districts | |||||||||
Subject zone or zoning group | Adjacent zone or zoning group | ||||||||
AG | RA | ER | NR | GR | MR | RR | C | I | |
AG | n/a | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
RA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
ER | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
NR | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
GR | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1* | 1  |
MR | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1* | 1 |
RR | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1* | 1 |
C (NC or VC) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | n/a | 2 |
I (LI or HI) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | n/a |
* Use code 2 if adjacent parcel was developed prior to adoption of these landscape buffer requirements.
Use code 3 if adjacent parcel was developed prior to adoption of these landscape buffer requirements.Table 2. Landscape buffers matrix - street frontage | ||
Subject zone or zoning group | Street frontage | |
Front | Side or Rear | |
Table 2. Landscape buffers matrix - street frontage | ||
Subject zone or zoning group | Street frontage | |
Front | Side or Rear | |
AG | 5 | 3 |
RA | 5 | 3 |
ER | 5 | 3 |
NR | 5 | 3 |
GR | 5 | 3 |
MR | 5 | 3 |
RR | 5 | 3 |
C (NC or VC) | 5 | 3 |
I (LI or HI) | 4 | 4 |
Table 3. Landscape buffers matrix codes | ||
Code | Depth of buffer | Plant count |
1 | 6' minimum | 1.5 per 100 sq. ft. |
2 | 10' minimum | 1.5 per 100 sq. ft. |
3 | 15' minimum | 2.0 per 100 sq. ft. |
4 | 25' minimum | 1.5 per 100 sq. ft. |
5 | 10' minimum | 1.0 per 100 sq. ft. |
a. For every three shrubs planted, one 15 gallon tree shall be planted. Example: using code 1: a 1000 square foot landscape buffer area would need 15 plants: 12 one gallon shrubs and four 15 gallon trees. Earth berms of a minimum size of two cubic yards (approximately 8'W x 4.5'L x 1.5'H) may be used in lieu of three shrubs not to exceed 25% of shrubs.
b. Ground cover plants are required in addition to above plants. Ground cover equal to 20% of the total number of trees and shrubs will be located in the landscape buffer area.
G. Additional landscape buffer options.
1. Landscape buffer agreements. With the approval of the planning manager, property owners may enter into agreements to use abutting land to provide some or all of a required landscape buffer.
2. Reduction of landscape buffer requirements. The landscape buffer requirement may be reduced if a six foot high decorative masonry wall is constructed and the wall requirement is noted on the approved subdivision plat and landscape plan. If a wall is used as part of the landscape buffer requirement, the calculations for plant materials shall be reduced by one-third.
3. All landscape buffers are required to be landscaped. The landscape buffers shall contain the following minimum planting materials; six - 15 gallon trees, 15 - one gallon shrubs and ten -one gallon ground cover / accent plants per 1500 square feet of area. Existing natural desert may be utilized to meet or exceed these planting requirements. Where the number of existing natural desert plants do not meet the minimum landscape buffer planting requirement of this section, the natural desert plants shall be supplemented with additional native plants transplanted from on-site or from nursery plants. The applicant is encouraged to utilize on-site native plants within the landscape buffers where possible.
4. Natural drainage ways and existing natural vegetation. Natural drainage ways and existing natural vegetation may be used for screening if approved, in writing by the planning manager, provided such uses are consistent with the regulations contained in chapter 17-15 (floodplain and erosion hazard management code). Natural drainage ways and existing vegetation used for this purpose shall be a minimum of 20 feet wide.
H. General.
1. All trees and plants shall meet Arizona nursery association minimum guidelines as to caliper and height and the town's official regulatory plant list.
2. Low-water plants found on the town's regulatory plant list shall be used.
3. All landscaped areas shall be irrigated using an underground drip irrigation system. All landscaping shall be irrigated from a secondary, non-potable water source where available.
4. Trees within landscaped areas should be sited and spaced to avoid conflicts with overhead light fixtures.
5. Landscape plans shall be coordinated with above-and below-ground utilities to avoid irresolvable conflicts at the time of installation.
Ordinance 2022.006 amended Section 17-11-7 F.3-5