A. Requirement. Street lawns shall be provided along any frontage abutting a public right-of-way to improve the appearance of Business Districts in the community. Except for necessary driveways, frontage roads, service drives or walkways, a street lawn shall extend the full length of the lot line.
B. Street Lawn Standards.
1. Depth. The minimum depth of the street lawn shall be as follows:
a. B-1 Local Business District: 10 feet
b. B-2 Office/Service District: 20 feet
c. B-3 General Business District: 20 feet
d. B-4 Mixed-use Business District (single use): 20 feet or depth of building setback, whichever is less
e. B-4 Mixed-use Business District (multiple uses): entire depth of building setback
2. Plant Materials.
a. At a minimum, a required street lawn along a road shall be landscaped in accordance with the following:
i. One (1) canopy tree plus one (1) additional canopy or ornamental tree for each 75 feet, or fraction thereof, of road frontage; and
ii. Six (6) shrubs per each 50 feet, or fraction thereof, of road frontage.
b. Existing trees located within the required street lawn that are of a species provided in Appendix A shall be counted toward meeting the minimum requirements of this section provided that they are in a healthy condition as determined by the City. Other existing trees within the required street lawn may be counted toward the minimum requirements of this section if approved by the reviewing authority.
c. Healthy and viable existing trees within a proposed street lawn shall be preserved unless their removal is shown, to the satisfaction of the reviewing authority, to be infeasible due to existing site characteristics, necessary grading, location of future site improvements, the species of tree (see list of prohibited species in Appendix A) or other similar conditions that make their preservation unreasonable or undesirable. Financial hardship or development expediency shall not be considered valid rationale for such tree removal.
d. If berms are appropriately incorporated into the street lawn, the reviewing authority may reduce the required quantities of plant material by up to one-third (1/3).
e. If existing conditions are such that a lot cannot accommodate the street lawn standards above, the reviewing authority may modify the landscape requirements where it is determined that the purpose of the street lawn will still be achieved.
3. Street Lawn Design.
a. Street lawn landscaping need not be evenly spaced. Clustering of trees and planting beds is encouraged to provide a more aesthetic and natural appearance.
b. Landscaping shall be located so it does not obstruct the vision of drivers entering or exiting a site.
c. Storm water management facilities may only be located within a required street lawn if the reviewing authority determines that such areas will enhance the appearance of the street lawn and will not jeopardize either the survival of plant material or public safety.
(Ord. 2017-32. Passed 5-2-17.)
(Ord. 2017-32. Passed 5-2-17.)