(a) All portions of the site not devoted to buildings and pavement shall be landscaped and screening shall be provided in order to: remove, reduce, lessen or absorb the impact between one use or zone and another; reduce the impact of parking areas; and obscure the view of waste receptacles, parking areas and loading areas.
(b) Required Open Space. A minimum of 50% of the site shall be devoted to open space and shall be landscaped according to the requirements of this section.
(1) Landscaped areas having a width of ten feet or more, including but not limited to areas devoted to required setbacks and interior parking lot landscaping, shall be included as satisfying the open space requirement.
(2) Landscaped areas having a width of less than ten feet, but not less than five feet, which are located adjacent to buildings may be included as meeting the open space requirement when the Planning Commission determines that the area is of sufficient size and shape to provide for a suitable landscaped area.
(3) Landscaped areas having a width of less than five feet shall not be included as satisfying the open space requirement.
(c) Landscaping Along Street Frontage. All areas within the required building and parking setback, excluding driveway openings, shall be landscaped. The following minimum plant materials shall be provided and maintained:
(1) One major shade tree, for every 50 linear feet of the lot frontage or fraction thereof, not including drive entrances. Each tree, at the time of installation, shall have a clear trunk height of at least six feet and a minimum caliper of two inches.
(2) One shrub for every ten linear feet of lot frontage or fraction thereof, not including drive entrances.
(3) Grass, ground covers or other live landscape treatment, excluding paving or gravel.
(d) Screening of Parking Lots Along Public Streets. Whenever parking areas consisting of five spaces or more are located such that the parked cars will be visible from a public street, screening shall be provided and maintained between the parking area and the street right-of-way. To the extent that the provisions of Section 1274.03(b) have not satisfied the provisions of this section, additional screening shall have a minimum height of three feet and shall be placed along the perimeter of the parking area to effectively obscure a minimum of 50% of the view of the parking area.
(e) Landscaping on the Interior of Parking Lots. For any parking area that is designed to accommodate 40 or more vehicles, a minimum of 10% of the parking lot area shall be planted as landscaped island areas, developed and reasonably distributed throughout the parking lot so as to provide visual and climatic relief from broad expanses of pavement.
(1) Each landscaped island shall be a minimum of ten feet in any horizontal dimension.
(2) Within the landscaped islands, there shall be provided one major shade tree for every ten parking spaces. Each tree, at the time of installation, shall have a clear trunk height of at least six feet and a minimum caliper of two inches.
(3) Landscaped areas adjacent to the perimeter of the parking area shall not be counted as interior parking lot landscaped areas.
(f) Screening Adjacent to Residential Districts. Screening shall be provided within the required setback areas adjacent to residential districts in compliance with the following:
(1) Screening shall consist of one or a combination of the following:
A. A dense vegetative planting incorporating trees and/or shrubs of a variety which shall be equally effective in winter and summer.
B. A solid non-living opaque structure such as a masonry wall or a solid fence constructed of materials approved by the Architectural Review Board.
C. A fence with openings through which light and air may pass together with a landscaped area at least 20 feet wide.
D. A landscaped mound or bean at least 20 feet wide with a maximum height of three feet.
(2) The height of screening shall be in accordance with the following:
A. Visual screening walls, fences, or mounds and fences in combination shall be a minimum of six feet high measured from the natural grade.
B. Vegetation at the time of installation shall be a minimum of six feet high measured from the natural grade.
(g) Screening of Waste Receptacles. Waste receptacles shall be screened from view on all sides by building walls and by supplemental opaque fences, walls, or landscaping having a minimum height of six feet.
(h) Screening of Loading Areas. Loading areas shall be screened from view from public streets, parking areas, and adjacent lots by a wall or dense vegetative planting incorporating trees and/or shrubs of a variety which shall be equally effective in winter and summer, having a minimum height of eight feet.
(i) Flexibility in the Arrangement and Placement of Landscaping and Screening. The standards and criteria in divisions "(a)" through "(f)" establish the City's objectives and levels of landscaping intensity expected. However, in applying these standards, the Planning Commission may exercise discretion and flexibility with respect to the placement and arrangement of the required elements to assure that the objectives of this district and the proposed development or redevelopment are best satisfied.
(1982 Code, § 1124.03) (Ord. 99-45. Passed 12-20-1999.)