A. Certain terms used in this chapter shall be defined as follows:
1. Amenity landscaping. Any landscaping that is required to mitigate for the negative environmental affects to a site caused by paving and impervious structures;
2. Bufferyard. Landscaping elements, screening devices, and landforms used for reduction of the potentially adverse impacts of adjoining, dissimilar land uses as depicted in the Landscape Design Manual;
3. Effluent. Reclaimed wastewater;
4. Environmental zone design principle. The landscape management and design principle of identifying planting areas throughout the site that have, or will be designed to have, similar maintenance, irrigation and exposure requirements. Zones may range from arid to wet. The plant palette for each zone should clearly reflect the function and design objective of the zone. Application of this principle promotes rational site planning and efficient, attractive, cost-effective landscaping;
5. Gross parking area. The total square footage of the development site minus the first floor square footage of all buildings and storage yards, bufferyards and drainage structures;
6. Landscaping. The combination of landscape elements in a designed, specific application that meets the purposes of this chapter. Landscape elements may include vegetation, such as trees, cacti, shrubs and groundcovers and other elements such as walls, earth berms, planters, and other architectural or structural elements;
7. Mini-oasis design concept. The landscape design technique of allocating a generous portion of a site's landscape water where it will return maximum benefit in terms of cooling, aesthetic pleasure and exposure to people;
8. Plant size.
a. Gallons, in regard to plant size is the container size generally accepted by trade professionals to denote or specify plant materials size;
b. Caliper shall refer to tree trunk size measured as follows:
i. For 15 gallon and 24 inch box containers, measure the trunk at the widest point within the first four to six inches above ground.
ii. For 36 inch box and larger containers, measure the trunk at the widest point six to twelve inches above ground.
iii. For multiple stem trees, measure the second largest stem within the first six inches above the origination point, or six inches above ground if all stems originate from the soil. The caliper for multiple stem trees shall be determined by averaging no more than the diameter of three of the largest stems.
iv. Trees with all branches above twelve inches from the ground are classified as single stem trees.
9. Screening element. Any landscaping or structure used to conceal or reduce the negative visual and audio impacts of certain land uses or activities from streets or adjacent development. The height of a screening device is measured from the highest finished grade abutting the element to be screened;
10. Walls or fences. Any structure intended for confinement, prevention of intrusion, boundary identification or screening of an activity or land use.
11. Decorative masonry wall. Masonry wall that is stuccoed and painted, has a textured, colored surface, or contains other elements that improve the aesthetic appearance of gray slump block walls, as approved by the planning director.
12. Natural Desert Bufferyard. A bufferyard that is composed of undisturbed areas in which disturbance is prohibited except to enhance small areas by planting the same plant material and density as undisturbed areas endemic to the site area.
(Ord. 2006-97 § 1 (part), 2006; Ord. 1985-171 § 1 (part), 1985)