A. General Location for Landscape Improvements. Landscaping shall be provided in the following locations for all types of development as listed below, unless the designated approving authority determines that the required landscape is not necessary to fulfill the purposes of this chapter. Nothing in this chapter is intended to discourage landscape areas outside and beyond the minimum requirements listed herein.
1. Setbacks. All setback areas required by this code shall be landscaped in compliance with this chapter except where a required setback is occupied by a sidewalk or driveway, or is enclosed and screened from abutting public rights-of-way.
2. Unused areas. All areas of a project site not intended for a specific use or purpose in conjunction with a current application, including pad sites being held for future development, shall be landscaped in compliance with this chapter.
3. Parking areas. Within parking lots, landscaping shall be used for shade and climate control, to enhance project design, and to screen the visual impact of vehicles and large expanses of pavement consistent with the requirements of this chapter.
B. Landscape Design. Landscaping shall be designed as an integral part of the overall site plan with the purpose of enhancing building design and public views and spaces, and providing buffers, transitions, and screening. At a minimum, the following landscape design requirements shall apply:
1. Planting design shall have focal points at project entries, plaza areas, and other areas of interest using distinct planting and/or landscape features.
2. As appropriate, building and site design shall include the use of pots, vases, wall planters, and/or raised planters, as well as flowering vines, both on walls and on arbors.
3. Landscaping shall be designed with pedestrian paths throughout the landscape areas connecting designated on-site pedestrian circulation.
4. Light-colored, high-albedo materials or vegetation shall be installed for at least fifty percent (50%) of all sidewalks, patios, and driveways. Acceptable strategies include white or grey concrete, open pavers, or any material with a solar reflectance index of at least twenty-nine (29).
5. Amenities such as seating areas shall be incorporated. Entry plazas, bicycle parking, and transit shelters are allowed within landscape areas.
C. Plant Type. Landscape planting shall emphasize drought-tolerant and native species (especially along natural, open space areas), shall complement the architectural design of structures on the site, and shall be suitable for the soil and climatic conditions specific to the site.
1. Planting layout and plant diversity. Plant selection shall vary in type and planting pattern. Informal planting patterns are preferred over uniform and entirely symmetrical planting patterns. Use of deciduous flowering trees and shrubs and colorful plantings is encouraged in conjunction with evergreen species. Groupings of shrubs shall contain multiple plant types, interspersed with varying heights and blooming seasons for year-round interest.
2. Street and parking lot trees. Street and parking lot trees shall be selected from the city's adopted master list of street trees and parking lot trees. A minimum of thirty percent (30%) of the street trees and parking lot trees, respectively, shall be an evergreen species.
3. Trees planted within ten (10) feet of a street, sidewalk, paved trail, or walkway shall be a deep-rooted species or shall be separated from hardscapes by a root barrier to prevent physical damage to public improvements.
4. Turf limitations for residential uses. High water use turf grasses and other similar plantings shall only be utilized in high-use areas with high visibility or functional needs. When only drought-tolerant turf grasses are used, the turf area shall be limited to twenty-five percent (25%) of all irrigated, landscaped areas. The designated approving authority may grant an exception to this limitation when only drought-tolerant turf grasses are used. The use of drought-tolerant turf grasses is highly encouraged. When non-drought-tolerant turf grasses or a combination of non-drought-tolerant and drought-tolerant turf grasses is used, the turf area shall be limited to fifteen percent (15%) of all irrigated, landscaped areas.
5. Turf limitations for commercial, industrial, and mixed-uses. The use of drought-tolerant turf grass shall be required for all proposed turf areas and shall be limited to a maximum of ten percent (10%) of all irrigated, landscaped areas.
D. Planting Size, Spacing, and Planter Widths. In order to achieve an immediate effect of a landscape installation and to allow sustained growth of planting materials, minimum plant material sizes, plant spacing, and minimum planter widths (inside measurements) are as follows:
1. Trees. The minimum planting size for trees shall be fifteen (15) gallon, with twenty-five percent (25%) of all trees on a project site planted at a minimum twenty-four (24)-inch box size. For commercial, office, community/civic and industrial development, tree spacing within perimeter planters along streets and abutting residential property shall be planted no farther apart on center than the mature diameter of the proposed species. Minimum planter widths for trees shall be between five (5) and ten (10) feet, consistent with the city's adopted master list of street trees and parking lot trees.
2. Shrubs. Shrub planting shall be a minimum five (5)-gallon size, with a fifteen (15)-gallon minimum size required where an immediate landscape screen is conditioned by the designated approving authority (e.g., screening of headlights from drive-through aisles). The minimum planter width for shrubs is four (4) feet.
3. Ground cover. Plants used for mass planting may be grown in flats of up to sixty-four (64) plants or in individual one (1)-gallon containers. Rooted cuttings from flats shall be planted no farther apart than twelve (12) inches on center, and containerized woody, shrub ground cover plantings shall be planted no farther apart than three (3) feet on center in order to achieve full coverage within one (1) year. Minimum planter width for ground cover is two (2) feet, with the exception of sod, which requires a minimum planter width of six (6) feet. (Ord. 2010-02 § 1 (part), 2010)