(a) All required setbacks in commercial and industrial districts shall be landscaped in accordance with a plan approved by the Administrator. The 2010 Downtown Painesville Transportation and Streetscape Plan shall serve as a guide for development of such plans and shall encourage:
(1) Creation of a well defined edge between parking lots and sidewalks that enhances the aesthetics of the street by incorporating decorative fencing, trees and base plantings.
(2) Incorporation of seating areas, public art and other streetscape amenities to enhance and encourage pedestrian circulation.
(3) Use of planters, trellises, or public art to minimize the appearance of blank walls that abut parking areas.
(b) Off street parking which abuts a residential district shall be screened at a minimum by, fencing, earth berm, landscaped strip or a combination thereof.
(1) Any wall, solid fencing, earth berm shall be a minimum height of four feet and a maximum of six feet. The area between the wall or fence and the residential property shall be maintained in grass, evergreen shrubs or trees.
(2) Landscaped buffers shall be opaque as a result of a combination of evergreen shrubs and trees. Evergreen trees shall not be less than four feet in height when planted and may be supplemented with compact evergreen plants to provide an opaque screen.
(3) The Administrator may waive or modify the above requirements for screening and buffering plans in the B-3 and DD Districts which fulfill the recommendations of the 2010 Downtown Painesville Transportation and Streetscape Plan.
(c) Screening and buffering plans shall be submitted with the site plan for review and approval by the Administrator.
(d) All landscaping, screening and buffering shall be maintained in good condition. All walls or fencing shall be repaired as needed and plant material shall be maintained in good growing condition and whenever necessary replaced with new material to ensure continued compliance with this section.
(Ord. 16-19. Passed 9-16-19.)