(a) Plan Required. Landscaping shall be included with all non-residential (commercial, office, and industrial), multiple family (three or more units) developments, and manufactured housing park development plan applications reviewed by the Municipality. A separate landscaping plan shall be submitted at a minimum scale of one (1) inch equals fifty (50) feet. The landscape plan shall clearly describe the location, type, size, and spacing of all plant materials. It shall also include planting details and specifications, clearly describing planting technique, material installation, planting mixtures, mulch, material depth, seed blends, and other necessary information.
(b) Installation and Inspection.
(1) Wherever this Ordinance requires landscaping or plant materials, it shall be planted within six (6) months from the date of issuance of a certificate of occupancy and shall thereafter be reasonably maintained with permanent plant materials which may be supplemented with other plantings. The Commission may require a performance guarantee in a form acceptable to the Municipality, to cover the costs of landscaping prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy.
(2) Landscaping shall be installed in a sound manner according to generally accepted planting procedures with the quality of plant materials as hereinafter described and shall be protected from vehicular encroachment and snow removal operations.
(3) In the event a performance guarantee is being held, the Zoning Inspector will within three (3) months of receiving written notification of installation, conduct an inspection to verify said installation and authorize release of the guarantee.
(c) Plant Material Standards. It is the intent of this Chapter that a diverse mixture of plantings be provided. Therefore, all required landscaping shall comply with the following minimum plant material standards, unless otherwise specified within this Chapter. These standards may be varied by the Commission where the established minimums, in the judgement of the Commission, will not serve the purpose and intent of this Chapter.
(1) Plant Quality. Plant materials permitted in required landscaped areas shall be hardy to the climate of the Municipality, long-lived, resistant to disease and insect attack, and shall have orderly growth characteristics.
(2) Plant Size Specifications.
A. Trees. Required trees shall be of the following sizes at the time of planting, unless otherwise stated in this Chapter.
1. Deciduous Trees. Two and a half (2 1/2) inch caliper minimum trunk measurement at four (4) feet off the ground, with a minimum eight (8) feet in height above grade when planted.
2. Evergreen Trees. Six (6) feet in height, with a minimum spread of three (3) feet and the size of the burlapped root ball shall be at least ten (10) times the caliper of the tree measured six (6) inches above the grade.
3. Deciduous Ornamental Trees. One (1) inch caliper minimum at three (3) feet off the ground, with a minimum height of six (6) feet above grade when planted.
B. Shrubs. Minimum twenty-four (24) inches in height above planting grade.
C. Hedges. Planted in such a manner as to form a continuous unbroken visual screen within two (2) years after planting.
D. Vines. Minimum of thirty (30) inches in length after one (1) growing season.
E. Ground Cover. Planted in such a manner as to present a finished appearance and reasonably complete coverage after one (1) complete growing season.
F. Grass. Planted in species normally grown as permanent lawns in the N.W. Ohio area. Grass may be plugged, sprigged, seeded, or sodded, except that rolled sod, erosion reducing net, or other suitable mulch shall be used in swales or other areas subject to erosion. Grass, sod, and seed shall be clean and free of weeds, noxious pests, and disease.
G. Mulch Material. Minimum of four (4) inches deep for planted trees, shrubs, and vines, and shall be installed in a manner as to present a finished appearance.
H. Non-living materials. No plant materials used to satisfy these standards shall be comprised of non-living materials, such as plastic plants.
I. Ground cover. Ground covers shall be planted in such a manner so as to present a finished appearance and reasonably complete coverage after one complete growing season, at a rate of at least three plants per square foot.
J. All plant materials shall be well-formed, sound, vigorous, healthy and free from disease, sun scald, wind burn, abrasion, and harmful insects at the time of planting.
K. The following plant materials are not permitted for planting (in a public right-of-way or as required by the minimum landscaping standards of this Ordinance) due to their tendency and susceptibility to storm damage, their roots are known to clog drains and sewers, they are known to be susceptible to disease or insect pests, or other undesirable characteristics: Silver Maple, Box Elder, Honey Locust (thorned), Ginko (female), Mulberry, Popular, Black Locust, Willow, American Elm, Siberian Elm, Slippery Elm (Red Elm), and Chinese Elm, Horse Chestnut, Poplar, Ailanthus, Catalpa, Osage orange, Cottonwood, and European Barberry.
(Ord. 1166. Passed 9-24-01.)