(A) Intent. The landscape standards outlined in this section are designed to meet the following set of goals.
(1) To provide for healthy, long-lived street trees within all public ways to improve the appearance of streets and create a buffer between pedestrian and vehicular travel lanes.
(2) To increase the compatibility of adjacent uses and minimize the adverse impacts created by adjoining or neighboring uses.
(3) To promote the prudent use of water and energy resources by achieving and maintaining sustainable, functional landscapes.
(4) To shade large expanses of pavement and reduce the urban heat island effect.
(B) Applicability. Landscaping, trees, and buffers shall be installed with all new development or redevelopment as required and detailed in this section.
(1) General compliance. Application of this section to existing uses shall occur with the following developments.
(a) Any development of new or significant improvements to existing parking lots, loading facilities, and driveways. Significant improvements include new driveways, new spaces, new medians, new loading facilities, or complete reorganization of the parking and aisles.
(b) Alteration to an existing principal or accessory structure that results in a change of 60% or more in the structure's gross floor area.
(c) When compliance is triggered for existing parking lots, landscape improvements shall take precedence over parking requirements.
(d) Single family homes are exempt from all requirements.
(2) Buffers. Landscape buffers are required according to the provisions in this section with the following exceptions.
(a) Shared driveways. Buffers shall not be required along a property line where a curb cut or aisle is shared between two adjoining lots.
(b) Points of access. Buffering is not required at driveways or other points of access to a lot.
(3) Temporary uses. These provisions do not apply to temporary uses, unless determined otherwise by the Director.
(C) Timing of planting. In any circumstances where the landscape cannot be planted, whether due to adverse weather conditions or for other just cause, funds shall be deposited by the Village Treasurer to cover installation costs.
(1) Amount of funds shall be determined by the village and shall be sufficient to cover the costs of purchase and planting of such trees in compliance of this chapter, in addition to any fees required by the current fee schedule.
(2) Funds shall be placed in escrow for each applicable lot.
(3) If the landscape has not been installed within one year of completion of all of other construction, the village may notify the lot owner or developer of the amount in escrow. If the lot owner or developer causes the landscape to be planted, the village may reimburse such lot owner from the escrow up to the available amount for that lot.
(4) If after one year after the deposit of the funds into the escrow, the landscape has not been installed by either the developer or lot owner, then the village shall notify both the developer and the owner of the lot that if the landscape is not planted within 30 days, the escrow will be forfeited to the village. The village may then, at its election, use the funds to either install the landscape on the lot or reserve the funds for other future landscape.
(Ord. 2014-O-9, passed 5-20-14)