This section describes the minimum requirements that shall be met in regard to perimeter buffer landscaping for different land uses, perimeter landscaping for vehicular use areas, interior landscaping and shading of parking lots, landscaping for service areas, and additional site landscaping for businesses, buildings, structures or other new developments.
(a) Perimeter Buffer Landscaping Requirements.
(1) Purpose. It is the purpose of this section to require buffering between different land uses and along certain public rights-of-way (property perimeter requirements). See Section 1151.10, Table 23 for specific requirements.
(2) Opacity requirements. Landscape materials, earth mounding, fences, and walls used to fulfill perimeter buffering requirements shall be installed to provide 100 percent year round opacity. Plant material used to fulfill the requirements of this section must be evergreen and meet height and opacity requirements within four years after installation.
(3) Perimeter buffer landscape zone. The perimeter buffer landscape zone shall be provided by the property under development.
(b) Parking Screening Strip (Edge of Parking Area).
(1) Purpose. Parking Screening Strip requirements provide buffering of area used by vehicles such as parking lots and driveways from adjacent property or public rights-of-way. See Section 1151.11, Table 24 for specific requirements.
(2) Berming. For optimum screening effectiveness and improved landscape design, parking screening strips in front of corner side yards of uses providing over 120 open off-street parking spaces shall be bermed so as to largely conceal parked cars from view of the street except where in the judgment of the Board of Zoning Appeals the size, configuration or existing or proposed topography of the lot makes this infeasible or unnecessary or where erosion, drainage or maintenance problems might result. Berms shall be a minimum of two feet high at all points.
(3) Requirements conflicts. Whenever a parcel or activity falls under two or more of the categories listed in Section 1151.11, Table 24, only the category with the most stringent requirements shall be required.
(4) Perimeter buffer landscape zone conflicts. The required perimeter buffer landscape zone may be combined with a utility or other easement as long as all of the landscape requirements can be provided in addition to, and separate from, any other easement. Cars or other objects shall not overhang or otherwise intrude upon the required perimeter buffer landscape zone more than two and one-half feet, and wheel stops or curbs shall be required.
(5) Existing landscape material. Existing landscape material shall be shown on the required plan, and any material in satisfactory condition may be used to satisfy these requirements in whole or in part when, in the opinion of the public service authority, such material meets the requirements and achieves the objectives of this chapter.
(6) Landscaping at driveway and street intersections. To ensure that landscape materials do not constitute a driving hazard, a sight triangle shall be observed at all street intersections or intersections of driveways and streets. Within this sight triangle, no landscape material or parked vehicles, except for required grass or ground cover, shall be permitted. Trees shall be permitted within the sight triangle, as long as only the tree trunk is visible between the ground and a height of eight (8) feet above the ground, except during early growth stages, or as long as the tree otherwise dos not present a traffic visibility hazard.
A. Driveway intersection sight triangle. At intersections of driveways with streets, the sight triangle shall be established by locating the intersection of the street curb with the driveway edge, and by measuring from this point to a distance of ten (10) feet along the driveway to a point and a distance of thirty (30) feet along the street curb to a point and connecting these points.
B. Street intersection sight triangle. At street intersections, the sight triangle shall be formed by measuring 30 feet along each curb line from the intersection point of the two streets and connecting the end points.
(c) Parking Island Strip (In Interior of Parking Area).
(1) Purpose. It is the purpose of this section to break up large areas of impervious surfaces in order to provide shade and heat abatement, and enhance the appearance of the community.
(2) Applicability. Any open vehicular use area, excluding loading, unloading and storage areas in an industrial zone or business zone, containing more than 6,000 square feet of area, or twenty (20) or more vehicular parking spaces, shall provide interior landscaping in addition to the previously required perimeter landscaping. Interior landscaping for vehicular use areas may be peninsular or island types, and must include at least one deciduous shade tree per peninsula or island in order to be counted towards the required landscape area.
(3) Landscape Area. For each 100 square feet or fraction thereof, of vehicular use area, a minimum total of five (5) square feet of landscaped area shall be provided.
A. Minimum Area. The minimum landscape area permitted shall be 112 square feet with a minimum inside dimension width of seven (7) feet, and a four (4)-foot minimum dimension to all trees from edge of pavement where vehicles overhang.
B. Maximum contiguous area. In order to encourage the required landscape areas to be properly dispersed
1. For vehicular use areas of less than 30,000 square feet, no individual landscape area shall be larger than 350 square feet in size.
2. For vehicular use areas over 30,000 square feet, no individual landscape area shall be larger than 1,500 square feet in size.
3. In both cases, the least dimension of any required area shall be four feet minimum dimension to all trees from edge to pavement where vehicles overhang.
4. Individual landscape areas larger than above are permitted as long as the additional area is in excess of the required minimum total.
(4) Tree Planting Requirement. The following number and size of trees are required within the interior landscaped area. This requirement is based upon total ground coverage of structures and vehicular areas:
A. There shall be a minimum of one tree for every 5,000 square feet of ground coverage. Trees must be at least two and one-half inches in caliper at installation.
B. Small trees shall not be used to fulfill this requirement, but are allowed as part of the overall planting design. See Section 1151.12, Table 25 for definition of Small trees.
C. Trees shall have a clear trunk from the ground to at least five (5) feet above the ground, and the remaining landscaped area shall be covered with hardwood mulch or planted with shrubs or ground cover, with no element to exceed two (2) feet in height.
(5) Vehicle over-hang. Parked vehicles may hang over the interior landscaped area no more than two and one-half (2 ½) feet, as long as concrete or other wheel stops are provided to ensure no greater overhang or penetration of the landscaped area.
(d) Screen (Around Other Open Uses).
(1) Purpose. It is the purpose of this section to screen Service Structures from public view.
(2) Applicability. Service structures shall be screened in all zoning districts. For the purposes of this section, service structures shall include but not limited to loading docks, storage tanks, dumpsters, electrical transformers, HVAC units, utility vaults which extend above the surface, cooling towers, roof top units and other equipment or elements providing service to a building or site. Structures may be grouped together; however, screening height shall be based upon the tallest of the structures. Roof top mechanical units must be screened to the full height of the unit.
(3) Screening requirements. A continuous (having 100% opacity) hedge, vertical planting, fence wall or mound of earth is required to enclose any service structures on all sides, unless such structure must be frequently moved or serviced, in which case screening on all but one side is required. The height of the screening material shall be one foot more than the height of the enclosed structure, but shall not be required to exceed twelve (12) feet in height. Whenever a service structure is located next to a building wall, perimeter landscaping material or vehicular use area landscaping material, such walls or screening material may fulfill the screening requirement for that side of the service structure if that wall or screening material is of sufficient height to meet the height requirement set out in this section. Plant material used to screen a service structure shall be an evergreen species which retains its needles throughout the year. Deciduous plant material cannot be used to fulfill this screening requirement. The height of the evergreen plant material at installation must be equal to, or greater than, two-thirds (2/3) of the height of the service structure(s), and meet the height and opacity requirements within four (4) years. No interior landscaping shall be required within an area screened for service structures.
(4) Curbs to protect screening material. Whenever screening material is placed around any trash disposal unit or waste collection unit which is emptied or removed mechanically on a regularly occurring basis, a curb to contain the placement of the container shall be provided within the screening material on those sides where there is such material. The curbing shall be at least one (1) foot from the material and shall be designed to prevent possible damage to the screening when the container is moved or emptied.
(e) Additional Site Landscaping Requirements.
(1) Applicability. All new developments, regardless of type, and all alterations or expansions to existing developments, shall provide site landscaping in addition to any previously required perimeter landscaping. Site landscaping shall consist of foundation plantings, new tree planting or the preservation of existing trees or hedges within the development site.
(2) Preservation of wooded areas. Efforts shall be made to preserve natural vegetation areas. Streets, lots, structures and parking areas shall be designed to avoid the unnecessary destruction of heavily wooded areas or outstanding tree specimens. Whenever possible, heavily wooded areas may be designated as park reserves. (Refer to Chapter 1152, Tree Preservation).
(3) Site planting requirements.
A. Purpose. It is the purpose of this section to provide landscaping to enhance the appearance and customer attraction of commercial and industrial areas, to enhance the architectural character and aesthetics of residential neighborhoods, and to enhance the beauty of the city. This section pertains to additional landscaping located around the building and other portions of the site. It does not include landscape material that has been provided to fulfill the planting requirements for interior landscaping, vehicular use area perimeters, property perimeters, and street trees. See Section 1151.12, Table 25 for specific requirements.
B. For all new development the following landscape requirements shall apply:
1. All building facades fronting on a public street or plaza, where the building is greater than four (4) feet from the sidewalk, shall have continuous foundation plantings.
2. In the case of additions to existing buildings, the facades on both the addition and the existing building shall be landscaped with continuous foundation plantings.
3. Foundation plantings may be accommodated in planters or clustered in landscaped beds when continuous plantings are not feasible.
C. Parking Lots: See division (b) of this section, Parking Screening Strip.
D. New tree plantings shall not be required if the aggregate trunk sizes of existing trees meet or exceed the requirements set forth in this chapter and providing that the trees are evenly distributed throughout the developed area and not confined either to dense clusters or to the perimeter of the developed area. The minimum tree size for existing trees shall be no less than two and one-half inches in trunk diameter. Trees to be preserved shall be subject to review by the Community Development Department.
(Ord. 19-82. Passed 8-26-19.)