All projects that require a landscaping and irrigation plan pursuant to this chapter shall comply with the following development standards.
(A) General standards.
(1) All landscape development over 500 square feet (new) or 2,500 square feet (rehabilitated) that requires a permit, plan check or site plan review shall meet the water efficiency and site design requirements detailed in other sections of this chapter. The project applicant, and owner (if different) shall sign the Landscape Documentation Package as required in § 10.196.060(B)(1)(i).
(2) All exterior areas not devoted to parking, storage, driveways, walkways or loading areas shall be landscaped. A minimum of 5% of the gross lot area shall be landscaped, unless the district in which the project is located does not require yard areas in which case only street trees are required.
(3) Landscaping shall be used to screen storage areas, trash enclosures, parking, public utilities and other similar elements. The landscaping shall screen these elements within three years of installation.
(4) Planting and irrigation shall conform to the water use efficiency sections of this code in such a manner that the site-wide estimated total water use (ETWU) will be less than the maximum applied water allowance (MAWA). Landscape plans shall document compliance with the ordinance by submitting a Landscape Documentation Package and providing supporting documentation as required in the ordinance.
(5) All landscaping on city-owned property shall conform to city landscaping and irrigation standards including the City of Tulare Recreation, Parks and Library Department Improvements Standards; City of Tulare Parking Lot Tree Shading Design and Maintenance Guidelines; area specific plans and other applicable documents, as may be updated from time to time.
(6) Certain landscapes (see § 10.196.040) are exempt from the water efficiency documentation requirements of this section. These landscapes must still comply with the development standards in § 10.196.070 as much as is practical.
(B) Trees.
(1) Fifteen-gallon street trees shall be planted in the right-of-way along all public streets. The number of street trees required shall be determined by dividing the total street frontage measured at the property line by 30. Round up to whole trees. Actual spacing of trees can vary to accommodate driveways, buried and overhead utilities and other obstructions. Trees shall be spaced at reasonable mature canopy width.
(2) Street tree location can be in the landscape parkway between the curb and sidewalk, in tree wells if approved in the site plan, or on the property-side of the sidewalk as appropriate for the particular situation. The species selection shall respect the available root area in the planting zone.
(3) The front, rear and side setbacks facing public streets shall be planted with trees and shrubs to provide an attractive buffer between the building and/or parking and the adjacent roadways and shade for walks and parking lots.
(4) Trees in the setback area, yards and around the parking lot shall be 15 gallon or larger.
(5) Trees planted near sidewalks, curbs or other hardscape shall be appropriately sized for the root area of the trees and shall be irrigated on a dedicated irrigation valve. If the center of the trunk of the tree is within eight feet of a curb, sidewalk, building, trash enclosure or other hardscape improvement the tree shall be installed with an 18-inch by 10- foot root barrier installed in a linear fashion adjacent to the concrete improvement.
(6) Trees shall be planted in locations where they do not interfere with service lines, basic property rights of adjacent owners, or the right of solar access.
(C) Shrubs.
(1) Shrubs and living ground covers shall be used in the city right-of-way in lieu of turf. Spacing of shrubs shall not exceed 120% of the mature size stated for the shrubs in the current edition of the Sunset Western Garden Book.
(2) Front, side and rear setback areas that abut public streets shall be planted with a combination of shrubs, groundcovers and mulches in such a manner that the landscape meets the water efficiency requirements elsewhere in this section.
(3) Shrubs and ground covers in setbacks shall be spaced at no more than 120% of the mature size stated in the current edition of the Sunset Western Garden Book.
(4) Unplanted mulch areas may comprise no more than 30% of the planter area. Tree canopy over unplanted mulch areas is encouraged.
(5) Fifty of the shrubs and ground covers shall from be five-gallon containers or larger, the remainder shall be from one-gallon containers.
(6) Vines that self-cling shall be planted on all frontage masonry walls for graffiti control.
(D) Turf.
(1) Turf (as defined in § 10.196.030) is only allowable in cases where the water budget will demonstrate that adequate irrigation water is available.
(2) Concrete mow strips shall separate all turf areas from planter beds on city-owned property.
(3) Turf beds shall be a minimum of ten feet in width unless irrigated with subsurface irrigation; turf may not be used in storm drainage ponds with slopes steeper than 1:6 or on mounds or berms with slopes steeper than 1:8, except as provided for by the Recreation and Parks Department.
(4) Use of artificial turf on city-owned property may be used subject to approval by the Recreation and Parks Director.
(E) Irrigation.
(1) All components of the irrigation system and the irrigation design must meet the water efficiency requirements elsewhere in this section, including:
(a) Low-volume systems (drip, low volume sprays, or individual bubblers) shall be used whenever feasible. In city-owned shrub areas low-volume irrigation shall be installed using hard pipe underground with low volume sprays or bubblers above grade.
(b) Irrigation for sports turf and recreational turf may use overhead irrigation subject to the restrictions elsewhere in this chapter.
(c) All irrigation systems shall be equipped with an automatic Smart-controller with Et sensing, weather-sensing and with multiple cycle capabilities and a flexible calendar program.
(d) Plants shall be grouped into hydrozones of like water requirements.
(e) Sprinkler heads must have matched application rates within each control valve.
(f) Sprinkler head spacing shall be designed for head-to-head coverage and placed at a maximum of 50% of the diameter of throw for square spacing and 60% for triangular spacing.
(g) Overhead sprays shall not throw water onto hardscape, bare ground areas, or other non-planted areas, including sidewalks between landscaped areas. Irrigation water must stay in landscape areas and not drain off to storm drains or gutters.
(h) Pop-up sprinklers must have a six-inch pop-up height and must clear all plant material and obstacles in their throw zone.
(i) Automatic rain shut-off devices shall be required on all irrigation systems.
(j) One valve shall be dedicated to tree irrigation and shall be able to run independently of any other irrigation valve.
(F) Mulch.
(1) As required elsewhere in this chapter, a minimum of three inches of mulch is required in all non-turf planters.
(2) Mulch may be organic (such as bark, compost or straw) or mineral (such as cobble or decomposed granite).
(3) Mulch on city-owned property must be course ground cedar or redwood bark product. Dyed products are prohibited.
(4) Plastic or other non-porous sheeting is prohibited in city-owned and landscape and lighting District planters and discouraged elsewhere.
(G) Mounding.
(1) Mounds that contain turf or groundcover shall be no steeper than 1:8 and 1:5, respectively. Slopes steeper than 1:8 may contain shrubs if this material is irrigated with a drip or other low-volume system.
(2) Incorporate compost into the mounds prior to compaction per § 10.196.063(A)(3). Mounds shall be compacted prior to planting.
(H) Corner lots. Landscape and irrigations plans for any development involving corner lots at project entries shall include additional special design requirements, including but not limited to the following:
(1) Incorporate significant landscape or hardscape feature, including specimen trees; wall breaks, angled walls or walls with different material treatment; special signing or lighting or statue.
(2) Specimen trees.
(3) Corner landscape and irrigation plans shall be designed so that proper sight lines across the corner are maintained consistent with the Traffic Safety Sight Area as defined in § 10.212.030 (Definitions).
(I) Walls. Plans for development project walls facing public streets should include the following special design requirements, including but not limited to the following:
(1) Wall material should vary. Caps, pilasters or comer segments of the wall should vary in appearance from the primary portion of the wall.
(2) Masonry walls shall be planted with vines in order to soften the appearance of the wall and discourage graffiti.
(3) Non-masonry fences facing public streets or property shall be set back from the back of walk a minimum of three feet and planted with shrubs or other plant materials.
(J) Parking lots. Parking lot plans for nonresidential developments serving 20 parking stalls or greater should include the following design requirements. These requirements will promote an attractive visual environment, promote a transition between land uses, reduce energy consumption in buildings adjacent to parking lots, and decrease glare and high summer temperatures community-wide by reducing the amount of exposed pavement.
(1) A combination of landscaping and/or low walls and/or mounding shall be installed between the parking lot and the street to screen the parking lot from view from the public right-of-way.
(2) All parking lots with a capacity of 20 cars or more shall contain shade trees, which within ten years from installation, shall shade 50% of the parking lot. All surfacing on which a vehicle can drive is subject to shade calculation, including parking stalls, drive aisles, and all maneuvering areas. Guidelines for shade calculations and a list of approved parking lot trees are contained in the Parking Lot Tree Shading Design Manual.
(3) For each ten parking spaces, a minimum of one 15-gallon or larger shade tree shall be installed, but more may be required to meet the 50% shading requirement. Trees shall be contained in tree wells or planters with an outside measurement of not less than five feet by five feet that are enclosed with a concrete curb not less than six inches high. Continuous planting islands between rows of cars are encouraged to allow for multiple tree plantings and increased soil volume for tree roots.
(4) Shade trees planted within a parking lot should be evenly distributed throughout the lot.
(5) Shrubs and trees shall be planted in locations that do not conflict with the front of cars that extend into a planter area. If within eight feet of the curb, trees shall be located aligned with parking lot stripes and shall be provided with root barriers as in division (B)(5) above.
(1995 Code, § 10.196.070) (Ord. 18-01, passed 2-6-2018; Ord. 15-11, passed 12-15-2015; Ord. 14-05, passed 10-21-2014; Ord. 10-24, passed 12-21-2010; Ord. 08-11, passed 6-3-2008; Ord. 00-1854, passed - -2000)