A. Front Yard: Front yard landscaping is measured from the front property line(s) after any required street dedication. This standard shall apply to all street frontages.
1. All Commercial, Office, Multi-Family, And Industrial Districts: In all commercial and industrial zones, a minimum of fifteen feet (15') of front yard landscaping shall be required.
2. Berming: The use of berms (random sculptured mounds), twelve (12) to eighteen inches (18") high above the curb level, are required in all front landscape areas where found to be practical by the director.
3. Street Trees: Two inch (2") minimum caliper street trees shall be planted in the front park strip area (centered between the sidewalk and the curb to minimize tree conflicts and to maximize tree root zone) where the park strip is a minimum of five feet (5') in width, according to the varieties and spacing specified in applicable standards. Where the sidewalk has been placed against the curb, street trees shall be planted four feet (4') behind the sidewalk.
4. Front Landscape: Front landscape areas shall include a combination of trees, rocks, gravel, and plant materials. Plant materials shall cover a minimum of twenty-five percent (25%) of the landscaped area.
B. Side And Rear Yards:
1. There shall be a minimum of five feet (5') of landscaping between parking areas and side or rear property lines (except between commercial uses where said landscaping is not visible from areas of public access) and a minimum of five feet (5') of landscaping between an access driveway and a side or rear property line unless said driveway is to be used for common access by an adjacent lot.
2. Areas not visible from the street shall have one landscape area in the amount of one hundred (100) square feet for every seventy five (75) linear feet of property line not visible from the public right of way.
C. Landscaping Within Parking Areas:
1. Landscaping within all parking and driveway areas shall comprise a minimum five percent (5%) of the total square footage of those areas. In addition, the required front, side, and rear landscaping (parking area shall be defined to include all asphalt areas with parking spaces and driveways). The placement of this landscaping shall be within parking areas to break up the mass of asphalt as well as adjacent to the building for foundation landscaping. Such landscaping shall not contain lawn and shall be composed of natural elements including ground cover, shrubs, trees (evergreen and deciduous), and combinations of mulch.
2. All traffic islands shall be landscaped and be considered as a portion of the required five percent (5%) parking lot landscaping and shall be a minimum of five feet (5') in width.
3. Landscape planters and/or raised barrier sidewalks shall be installed along buildings (except where not visible from public access areas or loading areas) and any paved areas where visible from the street to provide safety to pedestrians, to protect the structure, and to provide foundation landscaping to soften a structure's appearance.
4. All landscaped areas abutting any paved area shall include a six inch (6") high concrete curb. Concrete bumper stops are not acceptable.
5. At intersections of streets, driveways, sidewalks, etc., landscaping shall be limited to a height of not more than three feet (3') above street level within the area required for minimum sight distances for local roads and streets.
D. Undeveloped Areas:
1. All undeveloped areas shall be maintained free of weeds and trash.
2. All expansion areas or pad sites shall be maintained with native seed mix, mulch, or other materials as approved by the director until such time as construction is started on that building pad.
E. Adjacent To Residential Districts: A minimum ten foot (10') width of landscaping shall be provided on an applicant's property, including a combination of trees and shrubs (evergreen and deciduous) shall be provided to create a buffer for the adjacent residential district.
F. Installation:
1. It shall be the responsibility of the developer to grade, place topsoil, seed or sod, install automatic sprinkler irrigation systems, and properly plant trees, shrubs, and other approved plant materials.
2. All trees planted on site less than two inch (2") caliper shall be double staked.
3. All landscaping shall be completed in accordance with the plans submitted and approved by staff.
a. All landscape work must be installed prior to a certificate of occupancy of the building being issued or as otherwise approved by the director as seasonal conditions may dictate.
b. The developer shall bond for such landscape improvements as part of the private improvement bond to ensure that installations are completed as submitted and approved.
G. Maintenance:
1. It shall be the responsibility of the property owner to properly maintain landscaped areas in accordance with the approved site plan and landscape plan which includes watering, mowing, proper pruning, fertilizing, the removal and replacement of dead plant materials in a timely manner, and the maintenance of the irrigation systems to eliminate waste of water.
2. All pruning shall be accomplished according to good horticultural standards. Trees shall be pruned to promote healthy trees and to accommodate street maintenance and garbage collection (minimum height over street 131/2 feet and over sidewalks 7 feet) and as necessary to promote healthy growth.
3. Unless approval is otherwise provided by the director, trees shall be allowed to attain their normal size and shall not be severely pruned up from the ground or "hat racked" in order to permanently maintain growth at a reduced height. Pruning trees solely for the purpose of exposure is prohibited.
4. Pruning trees for traffic safety reasons shall be reviewed and approved by the city engineer.
H. Vegetation Removal:
1. Once the required landscaping has been installed, it shall not be removed without the approval of the community development department.
2. Removed vegetation shall be replaced with equal or better quality plant materials. Trees that are necessarily removed shall be replaced with trees with comparable total caliper. Street trees that are necessarily removed shall be replaced with comparable original landscape plan caliper in compliance with the city street tree guide unless otherwise approved by the director.
3. When utility connections or other disturbances are made to existing landscaped areas, the existing landscaping must be replaced to its previous condition. Other modifications of landscaped areas shall require approval by the director.
I. Minimum Tree Size: The minimum size of all trees planted on a development site shall be as follows:
1. Street Trees: Two inch (2") caliper minimum as measured eighteen inches (18") above grade.
2. All Other Trees: All other trees on site, one and one-half inch (11/2") caliper minimum as measured eighteen inches (18") above grade.
3. Evergreen Trees: Six foot (6') minimum height above grade.
J. Tree Mix: There shall be a mix of evergreen and deciduous trees on all development sites to allow for a green winterscape. A minimum of forty percent (40%) of all trees on the proposed site shall be evergreens where found to be practical by the director.
K. Existing Trees:
1. The retention of existing healthy, desirable tree species on site is strongly encouraged. Buildings and parking areas should be designed around existing trees, wherever possible.
2. A tree survey on an existing site may be required as determined by the director.
L. Minimum Number Of Trees: A minimum ratio of one tree per every five hundred (500) square feet of on site landscaping shall be provided on the overall site plan.
M. Documentation To Be Submitted For Plan Approval: A landscape plan documentation package shall be submitted to and approved by the director prior to the issuance of any permit. A copy of the approved landscape plan documentation package shall be provided to the property owner or site manager and to the local retail water purveyor. The landscape plan documentation package shall be prepared by a registered landscape architect or a landscape designer. The irrigation plan shall be prepared by an irrigation designer or a landscape architect. The landscape plan documentation package shall consist of the following items:
1. Project Data Sheet: The project data sheet shall contain the following:
a. Project name and address;
b. Applicant or applicant's agent's name, address, phone, e-mail, and fax number;
c. Landscape designer/landscape architect's name, address, phone, e-mail, and fax number; and Landscape contractor's name, address, phone, e-mail and fax number.
2. Planting Plan: A detailed planting plan shall be drawn at a scale that clearly identifies the following:
a. Location of all plant materials, a legend with botanical and common names, and size of plant materials; Property lines and street names;
b. Existing and proposed buildings, walls, fences, light poles, utilities, paved areas, and other site improvements; Existing trees and plant materials to be removed or retained; and
c. Designation of hydrozones.
3. Irrigation Plan: A detailed irrigation plan shall be drawn at the same scale as the planting plan and shall contain the layout of the irrigation system and a legend summarizing the type and size of all components of the system, including manufacturer name and model numbers.
(Ord. 12-15, 7-11-2012; amd. Ord. 23-08, 6-21-2023)