In addition to the general requirements of Section 17.44.050 (General Landscape Development Requirements), the following requirements apply to the special types of landscaping as established below.
A. Residential Landscape. For single-family and two (2)-family residential Zoning districts, at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the lot area and no more than forty percent (40%) of the front yard area shall be non-pervious surface. Additionally, at least ninety percent (90%) of the plants selected in non-turf areas shall be well suited to the climate of the region and require minimal water once established. Up to ten percent (10%) of the plants may be of a non-drought-tolerant variety, provided they are grouped together and can be irrigated separately.
B. Project Entry Landscaping. Entries to multi-tenant projects (both residential and non-residential) shall be designed as a special statement reflective of the character and scale of the project to establish identity for tenants, visitors, and patrons. Flowering access plantings and specimen trees shall be used to reinforce the entry statement.
C. Screening of Drive-Through Aisles. To screen vehicles and associated headlights in a drive-through lane from view of abutting street rights-of-way, a five (5)-foot-wide planter shall include a minimum three (3)-foot-tall (maximum four (4)-foot-tall) landscape barrier planted with trees and other landscaping consistent with those in the parking area. At no time shall this landscape barrier be pruned in a manner that allows the vehicle headlights from the drive-through lane to be visible from abutting street rights-of-way. Plantings shall also be designed to discourage potential safety issues (e.g., persons lying in wait).
D. Service Stations. For service stations, a minimum of twenty (20%) of the lot area shall be landscaped. A minimum of seventy percent (70%) of the landscaped area shall be covered with live landscaping, such as lawn, ground cover, trees, or shrubs, and not more than thirty percent (30%) of the landscape area shall be covered with hard surfaces, such as gravel, landscaping rock, concrete, artificial materials, or other impervious materials.
E. Wireless Telecommunication Facilities. Where feasible, facilities shall be installed so as to maintain and enhance existing landscaping on the site, including trees, foliage, and shrubs, whether or not utilized for screening. Additional landscaping shall be planted around the tower and related equipment to buffer abutting residential zoning districts or uses, and to buffer public trails. Specifically, landscaping around the perimeter of the facility (leased area) shall include dense tree and shrub plantings with the necessary irrigation. Trees shall be fast-growing evergreen species, a minimum of twenty-four (24)-inch box in size. Shrubs shall be a minimum fifteen (15)-gallon size covering a minimum planter area depth of five (5) feet around the facility. Trees and shrubs shall be planted no farther apart on center than the mature diameter of the proposed species.
F. On-Site Pedestrian Pathways. Pedestrian pathway landscaping shall include shade trees placed so as to cover sixty percent (60%) of the total pathway area with tree canopies within fifteen (15) years of securing building permit.
G. Creeks. To the extent that landscaping or planting is required or provided along creeks, such landscaping shall be native plants.
H. Public Spaces. Pedestrian space landscaping shall include a combination of shade trees and pedestrian shading devices (e.g., canopies, awnings, and umbrellas) placed so as to cover sixty percent (60%) of the total space with a shade canopy within fifteen (15) years of securing building permit.
I. Signs. Landscaping shall be provided at the base of the supporting structure of freestanding signs equal to twice the area of one (1) face of the sign. For example, fifty (50) square feet of sign area requires one hundred (100) square feet of landscaped area. See Chapter 17.52 (Signs).
J. Buffering Between Uses. A landscape buffer shall be provided between residential and non-residential uses and between single-family uses and multi-family uses containing three (3) or more units. Buffer areas shall include a minimum ten (10)-foot-wide planter strip with shrubs and both deciduous and evergreen trees planted a maximum of thirty (30) feet on center.
K. Sound Walls/Masonry Walls. Where setback and open space areas are screened from public view by walls or similar approved structures, landscaping shall be provided such that fifty percent (50%) of the wall shall be covered by landscape material within five (5) years.
L. Parking Lot Landscape. Parking lot landscape includes perimeter planters, abutting parking lots and drive aisles, tree planting for parking lot shade, and a combination of continuous planting strips, planting fingers, and parking islands throughout the parking lot. Parking lot landscape requirements applicable to parking lots commercial, industrial, mixed-use, and multi-family parking lots with five (5) or more spaces are listed below:
1. Parking areas. All surface parking areas shall be screened from streets and adjoining properties, and the open space areas between the property line and public street right-of-way shall be landscaped with a combination of trees, shrubs, and ground cover. Screening between residential and nonresidential uses shall not be less than five (5) feet in height. Parking lot landscaping shall be located so that pedestrians are not required to cross unpaved areas to reach building entrances from parked cars.
2. Parking lot screening. Landscaping within the perimeter planter abutting any street right-of-way shall be designed and maintained for partial screening of vehicles to a minimum height of thirty (30) inches measured from the finished grade of the parking lot. Screening materials may include a combination of plant materials, earthen berms, solid masonry walls, raised planters, or other screening devices authorized by the designated approving authority which meet the intent of this screening requirement. Planting materials shall be designed to ensure that planting within the clear vision triangle at driveway and street intersections will not exceed thirty (30) inches in height at full maturity.
3. Parking Lot Shade. Parking lot landscaping shall include shade trees placed so as to cover at least fifty percent (50%) of the total parking area with tree canopies within fifteen (15) years of securing building permit and eighty-five percent (85%) coverage at full maturity. Shade tree selection shall be approved by the Community Development Director to ensure that shade canopy will be achieved. The percentage of the area required to be shaded shall be based on the number of above-ground and uncovered parking spaces provided. Tree coverage shall be determined by the approximate crown diameter of each tree at fifteen (15) years, as estimated on the approved tree list. Trees shall be a minimum fifteen (15)-gallon size at planting.
4. Existing Trees. Existing mature trees on the site in good health shall be preserved whenever possible. (Ord. 2010-02 § 1 (part), 2010)