(a) This section describes the minimum landscape requirements that shall be met in regard to perimeter landscaping for noncompatible land use areas, landscaping or service areas, and interior landscaping for businesses, buildings, structures, or other new developments of the land. For the purposes of this section, the following shall be considered "noncompatible":
(1) The location of a residential land use area adjacent or contiguous to a business, commercial, or industrial land use area;
(2) The location of a business or commercial land use area adjacent or contiguous to a residential or industrial land use area; or
(3) The location of an industrial land use area adjacent or contiguous to a residential, business, or commercial land use area;
(4) The location of a multi-family residential land use area adjacent or contiguous to a single family residential land use area.
(b) Perimeter Landscaping Requirements. Unless otherwise provided, landscape materials, fences, or walls used to meet this requirement shall be installed to provide one hundred percent (100%) year round opacity within four years after installation. Landscape materials must be an evergreen species. The required landscaping shall be provided either in easements in certain zones or adjacent to vehicular use areas.
(1) Property perimeter requirements. Refer to Table 1.
(2) Vehicular use area perimeter requirements. Refer to Table 2.
Table 1. Property Perimeter Requirements
Key to Chart Below:
(1) Six feet shall be the least dimension for any commercial or industrial zone, with three feet as the least dimension for any other zone.
(2) Grass or ground cover shall be planted on all portions of the easements not occupied by other landscape material.
(4) "OFT" means "or fraction thereof". Trees do not have to be equally spaced, but may be grouped.
A. When the following: | B. Adjoins the following, or vice versa, | C. The minimum landscape, within a buffer zone of this average width (with 3 ft. as the least dimensions), is required (1) | D. Which will contain this material(2), to achieve opacity required |
1. Any residential zone | Any office zone | 6 ft. adjacent to all common boundaries except street frontage | 1 large (3) or medium tree per 40 ft. of lineal boundary OFT (4), plus a continuous 6 ft. high planting hedge, fence, wall or earth mound |
2. Any residential zone | Any business zone | 10 ft. located as above - 1C | Same as in 1D |
3. Any residential zone | Any industrial zone | 15 ft. located as above - 1C | Same as in 1D, except use only large trees |
4. Any zone except rural zone | A freeway or arterial street prohibiting driveways | 20 ft. for residential zones and 10 ft. for all other zones adjacent to freeway or arterial | 1 large or medium tree per 30 ft. of lineal boundary OFT, plus a continuous 6 ft. high planting, hedge, fence, wall or earth mound |
5. Any zone except agricultural and industrial zones | Railroads (except spur tracks) | Same as 5C, adjacent to railroad boundaries | Same as in 5D |
6. Any property boundary, including street rights-of-way | Utility substation, communications tower, sewage plants or similar uses | 15 ft. adjacent to all boundaries | Same as in 5D |
7. Any single or two-family residential zone | Multi-family residential zone with more than 8 units | 15 ft. located as above - 1C | Same as in 1D |
Table 2. Vehicular Use Area Perimeter Requirements
Key to Chart Below:
(1) Grass or ground cover shall be planted on all portions of the easements not occupied by other landscape material.
(2) "Vehicular Use Area" is defined in Section 1187.09.
(3) Tree sizes are as defined in Section 1187.09.
(4) "OFT" means "or fraction thereof"
(5) The intent of these requirements is to improve the appearance of vehicular use areas and property abutting areas. The vehicular use area perimeter requirement for vehicular sales facilities allows creation of "picture frame(s)" along streets for vehicular sales display. The following formula shall be used to determine the display area allowed per street frontage: Linear distance of street frontage (from lot line to lot line or lot line to corner in feet) x .25 = display area (in feet). Vehicles in the display area shall be located behind the 12 inch planting and all vehicles shall be parked at grade. Screening requirements for the remaining vehicular use areas that adjoin a street frontage shall be similar to those for other uses with two exceptions. The size of trees at installation is increased and the spacing between trees is reduced. These requirements will help to mitigate the glare from artificial lights.
A. When the following: | B. Adjoins the following, or vice versa | C. The minimum landscape easement of this width is required | D. Which will contain this material (1) to achieve opacity required |
1. Any property in any zone except B3 | Any vehicular use area (2) on any adjacent property | 4 ft. minimum to all trees from edge of paving where vehicles overhang, and 3 ft. strip that prohibits any vehicular overhang for other areas, adjacent to portion of vehicular use area that faces building on adjacent property | 1 large (3), medium or small tree per 40 ft. of lineal boundary of vehicular use area OFT (4), plus a 3 ft. average height continuous planting, hedge, fence, wall or earth mound |
2. Any public or private street right of way or access road or service road, except freeways | Any vehicular use area, outside of B3 (except vehicular sales facilities) in any zone | Same as 1C above, except applies to vehicular use area portion facing public or private street | 1 large or medium tree per 40 ft. of lineal boundary OFT, plus a 3 ft. average height continuous planting, hedge, fence, wall or earth mound |
3. Same as 2A | Any vehicular use area in a vehicular sales facility(5) | Same as 2C above | 1 large or medium tree per 30 ft. of lineal boundary OFT, with at least a 3 inch caliper along the entire street frontage, plus a 3 ft. average height continuous planting, hedge, fence, wall, or earth mound along at least 75 percent (75%) of the street frontage. The remaining street frontage, not to exceed twenty-five percent (25%) shall include a 12 inch height vegetative planting |
4. Same as 2A | Any vehicular use area (except loading and unloading areas) in B3 zones | 3 ft. strip adjacent to portion of vehicular area that faces a public or private street right of way | 3 ft. average height continuous planting, hedge, fence or wall |
(3) Landscape buffer zone. The landscape buffer zone and material required adjacent to any street under this chapter shall be provided by the property owner adjoining street, unless the authority building the street has fully met all requirements on the street right of way. When adjacent to other common boundaries, the landscape buffer zone and materials:
A. May be placed on either adjoining parcel, or astride the boundary, if both are owned and being processed by the same owner; or
B. Generally shall be placed on the activity listed under column B in Table 1 or Table 2 of this chapter, when adjoining parcels have different owners; or
C. May be placed astride the boundary of adjoining parcels having different owners if a written agreement, signed by both owners, is filed with the Zoning Inspector, as a public record; or
D. Shall be placed on the activity or parcel being processed when adjoining property is already developed, with the exception of lines 5 and 6 in Table 1 of this chapter; or
E. Shall not be required along the common boundary if the requirements of this chapter have been fully complied with on the adjoining property, in fulfillment of the requirements of this chapter.
(4) Requirements conflict. Whenever a parcel or activity falls under two or more of the categories listed in Table 1 or Table 2 of this chapter, only one category, that with the most stringent requirements shall be enforced.
(5) Landscape buffer zone conflicts. The required landscape buffer zone may be combined with a utility or other easement as long as all of the landscape requirements can be provided in addition to, and separate from, any other easement. Cars or other objects shall not overhang or otherwise intrude upon the required landscape buffer zone more than two and one-half feet, and wheel stops or curbs shall be required.
(6) Existing landscape material. Existing landscape material shall be shown on the required plan, and any material in satisfactory condition may be used to satisfy these requirements in whole or in part when, in the opinion of the Planning and Zoning Commission, such material meets the requirements and meets the objectives of this chapter.
(c) Interior Landscaping for Vehicular Use Areas. Any open vehicular use area, excluding loading, unloading, and storage areas in an industrial zone or business zone, containing more than 6,000 square feet of area, or twenty or more vehicular parking spaces, shall provide interior landscaping in addition to the previously required perimeter landscaping. Interior landscaping may be peninsular or island types.
(1) Landscape area. For each 100 square feet or fraction thereof, of vehicular use area, a minimum total of five square feet of landscaped area shall be provided.
A. Minimum area. The minimum landscape area permitted shall be sixty-four square feet with a four-foot minimum dimension to all trees from the edge of pavement where vehicles overhang.
B. Maximum contiguous area. In order to encourage the required landscape areas to be properly dispersed, no individual landscape area shall be larger than 350 square feet in size, and no individual area shall be larger than 1,500 square feet in vehicular use areas over 30,000 square feet. In both cases, the least dimension of any required area shall be four feet minimum dimension to all trees from the edge of pavement where vehicles overhang. Individual landscape areas larger than the above are permitted as long as the additional area is in excess of the required minimum total.
(2) Minimum trees. The following minimums are required, based upon total ground coverage of structures and vehicular use areas:
A. Up to 20,000 square feet: A minimum of one tree per 5,000 square feet of ground coverage, and a total tree planting equal to one inch in tree trunk size for every 2,000 square feet of ground coverage.
B. Between 20,000 and 50,000 square feet: A minimum of one tree for every 5,000 square feet of ground coverage, and a total tree planting equal to ten inches plus one-half inch in tree trunk size for every 2,000 square feet over 20,000 square feet in ground coverage.
C. Over 50,000 square feet: A minimum of one tree for every 5,000 square feet of ground coverage, and a total tree planting equal to twenty-five inches plus one-half inch in tree trunk size for every 4,000 square feet over 50,000 square feet in ground coverage.
D. Trees shall have a clear trunk of at least five feet above the ground, and the remaining area shall be landscaped with shrubs, or ground cover, not to exceed two feet in height.
(3) Vehicle overhang. Parked vehicles may hang over the interior landscaped area no more than two and one-half feet, as long as concrete or other wheel stops are provided to ensure no greater overhang of the landscaped area. See the illustration in Appendix B.
(d) Landscaping for Service Structures. Service structures shall be screened in all zoning districts. For the purposes of this section, service structures shall include, but not be limited to, loading docks, propane tanks, dumpsters, electrical transformers, utility vaults which extend above the surface, and other equipment or elements providing service to a building or site. Structures may be grouped together; however, screening height shall be based upon the tallest of the structures.
(1) Location of screening. Screening shall have a one hundred percent opacity and consist of a continuous planting, hedge, fence, or wall of earth. Screening shall enclose the service structure on all sides, unless the service structure must be frequently moved, in which case screening on all but one side is required. The average height of the screening material shall be one foot more than the height of the enclosed structure, but shall not be required to exceed seven feet in height. Whenever a service structure is located next to a building wall, perimeter landscaping material, or vehicular use area landscaping material, such walls or screening material may fulfill the screening requirement for that side of the service structure, if that wall or screening material is of an average height sufficient to meet the height requirement set out in this section. Whenever service structures are screened by plant material, such material may count toward the fulfillment of the required interior or perimeter landscaping. No interior landscaping shall be required within an area screened for service structures.
(2) Curbs to protect screening material. Whenever screening material is placed around any trash disposal unit or waste collection unit which is emptied or removed mechanically on a regularly occurring basis, a curb to contain the placement of the container shall be provided within the screening material on those sides where there is such material. The curbing shall be at least one foot from the material and shall be designed to prevent possible damage to the screening when the container is moved or emptied.
(e) Interior Landscaping for All New Developments. All new developments, regardless of the type, and all alterations or expansions to existing developments shall provide interior landscaping in addition to the previously required perimeter landscaping. Interior landscaping shall consist primarily of new tree planting or the preservation of existing trees or hedges within the development site, consistent with the requirements of Chapter 1189.
A. For all new developments, the following landscape requirements shall apply:
New Development Landscape Requirements:
Use | Requirements |
All Residential Districts except Single-Family | There shall be tree plantings equal to one-half inch in tree trunk size for every 150 square feet in ground coverage by structures. Such plantings shall be required within the property lot lines of each structure. |
Business and Community Shopping Uses per lot | In addition to the requirements of subsection (c) hereof for vehicular use areas, the following shall apply: there shall be landscaped areas equal to 20 square feet for every 1,000 square feet of building ground coverage area, or fraction thereof. Such landscaped areas shall contain trees, planting beds, hedges, fences, walls, earth mounds, benches, or other materials designed and located in a manner complimentary to the overall architecture of the surrounding buildings. |
Office-Institutional Uses | In addition to the requirements of subsection (c) hereof for vehicular use areas, the following shall apply: there shall be tree plantings equal to one inch in tree size for every 1,500 square feet of building ground coverage area, or fraction thereof. |
Industrial Uses | In addition to the requirements of subsection (c) hereof for vehicular use areas, the following shall apply: there shall be tree plantings equal to one inch in tree size for every 2,000 square feet of building ground coverage area, or fraction thereof. |
B. Parking Lots. See subsection (c) hereof.
C. No new tree plantings shall be required if the existing trees and the aggregate trunk sizes of such trees meet or exceed the requirements as set forth in this chapter, and providing that such trees are evenly distributed throughout the developed area and not confined to either out-of-the way dense clusters or to the perimeter of the developed area. The minimum tree size for such tree plantings shall be no less than one and one-half inch in trunk diameter.
D. For new development or construction, if new tree plantings are required for conformance to the landscaping requirements of this chapter, the applicant or owner shall indicate on the landscape plan the location and size of such tree plantings. If such landscape plan is approved, the applicant or owner shall plant such trees as may be required within one year or the next planting season after issuance of a zoning permit. Failure to comply with the landscaping requirements shall be in violation of this section and be subject to such penalties as provided in Section 1135.99
.
(Ord. 05-08. Passed 2-25-08.)