(a) Landscaping on the Interior of Parking Lots. Interior landscaping of parking lots shall be provided in accordance with the following requirements.
(1) For any parking area designed to accommodate twenty or more vehicles when there are three or more parking aisles, a minimum of five percent of the parking lot shall be planted as landscaped island areas, developed and reasonably distributed throughout the parking lot to define major circulation aisles and driving lanes and provide visual and climatic relief from broad expanses of pavement.
(2) Interior landscaped areas shall be dispersed so as to define aisles and break up the expanse of paving and limit unbroken rows of parking to a maximum of one-hundred feet. Each interior landscaped area shall be no less than 100 square feet. The minimum width for each area shall be ten feet;
(3) Within the landscaped islands, there shall be provided one shade tree for every ten parking spaces. Each landscape island shall have at least one shade tree.
(4) Shrubs or low spreading plant materials shall be planted within the required landscaped islands in such a way that there is no impairment to the visibility of motorists or pedestrians.
(5) If the specific application of the interior landscape requirements will seriously limit functions of the building site, the Planning Commission shall have authority to permit consolidation and relocation of these landscaped areas on the building site.
(6) Landscaped areas along the perimeter of the parking area, or in any part of a setback or yard, shall not be counted as interior parking lot landscaped areas; except perimeter plantings may be used to satisfy the requirements in this section when parking facilities are less than forty-two feet in width and accommodate twenty or fewer vehicles.
(7) For the purpose of this section, the area of a parking lot shall be the total vehicular surface area within the perimeter of the parking lot, including the landscaped islands, parking spaces and all circulation aisles except those with no parking spaces or landscaped islands located on either side. See Figure 1, Parking Lot Interior Calculation.
(b) Perimeter Landscaping Requirements. In addition to the requirements of subsections 1298.05(a) and 1298.05(c) hereof, perimeter landscaping shall be required along any side of a parking lot that abuts adjoining property that is not a right-of-way. A landscaped strip at least ten feet in width shall be located between the parking area and the abutting property lines. One large deciduous or two small deciduous trees for each forty lineal feet shall be planted in the landscaping strip. However, this does not mean that shade trees must be located forty feet on center or be spaced forty feet apart. This ten foot wide strip shall be landscaped open space free of any wall, fence, embankment and/or walkway. Such wall, fence, etc. may exist or be constructed on the edge of such landscape strip. The requirements of this section shall not apply where planting is required for screening pursuant to Section 1298.06, Buffering and Screening Between Districts and Uses.
(c) Street Frontage Planting Requirements. In addition to the requirements of subsections 1298.05(a) and 1298.05(b) hereof, when a parking lot is located adjacent to a public right-of-way, screening shall be provided to reduce the visual impact of the parking lot utilizing one of the following methods. The requirements of this subsection shall not apply where planting is required for screening pursuant to subsection 1298.06(c)(4).
(1) Landscaped setbacks. Provide at least a twenty-foot wide landscaped area exclusive of that required for sidewalks or utility easements, as specified in the Zoning Code, between the right-of-way and the parking lot, to be planted with one large deciduous or two small deciduous trees for each forty lineal feet of frontage. This landscaped strip shall contain at least a three-foot high evergreen hedge, masonry wall or ornamental fence, such wall, fence, etc. shall be constructed on the edge of such landscape strip closest to the parking lot.
(2) Grade changes. In cases where substantial grading is necessary that results in a parking lot lower in elevation than the surrounding or adjacent right-of-way, the resulting embankment should be planted with low shrubs and shade or ornamental trees. A minimum of ten feet of landscaping should be provided between the right-of-way and the parking lot.
(3) Landscape berms. Create at least a two-foot high berm, measured from the natural grade, with slopes not to exceed twenty-five percent for lawn areas. Berms planted with ground cover and shrubs can be steeper; however, no slope should exceed forty percent.
(4) Woodland preservation. In cases where quality woodland exists, preserve existing trees between the parking lot and the right-of-way. Provide additional evergreen shrubs if needed to achieve an effective visual buffer. The vegetation should be saved.
(d) Landscaping Design Criteria.
(1) The primary landscaping materials used in parking lots shall be trees that provide shade or are capable of providing shade at maturity. Shrubbery, hedges, and other live planting material may be used to complement the tree planting scheme or landscape design but shall not be the sole components of the landscaping. Avoid tall shrubs or low branching trees that will restrict visibility. Effective use of earth berms and existing topography is also encouraged as a component of the landscape plan.
(2) In large parking lots, separate pedestrian walkways should be provided to allow safe movement within the lots. These walkways should generally be oriented perpendicular to and between parking bays. Adjacent to the walks, trees should be planted. These plantings will aid in the identification of walkway locations within the lot and also aid in providing shade for the pedestrian. The following guidelines apply to the development of walkways within large parking lots.
A. One walkway can serve as a collector for up to four bays of parked cars.
B. The walkways shall be a minimum of four feet wide, allowing an additional thirty inches on each side for overhanging of automobiles.
C. All walkways shall be raised to a standard sidewalk height and shall be constructed of different paving material than the parking lot.
(e) Accessways. Necessary accessways shall be permitted to traverse the required landscaping area. The width of such accessways shall not be subtracted from the linear dimensions used to determine the minimum number of trees required in this section.
(f) Vehicular Encroachment. A vehicle shall not encroach upon any landscaped area.
(g) Vehicular Use Areas. Vehicular use areas, other than parking spaces or parking lots, for all land uses require two square feet of landscaped area for each 100 square feet of pavement or fraction thereof.
(Ord. 2009-17. Passed 9-15-2009.)