§ 114-33. General landscaping requirements.

All paved ground surface areas, other than those areas required for single-family and duplex dwelling units, which require landscaping shall meet or exceed the following general landscaping requirements, which shall be considered complementary to the landscaping provisions of any other city ordinance or resolution:

(1)

Installation. All landscaping shall be installed according to accepted commercial planting procedures as found in the Florida-Friendly Best Management Practices for Protection of Water Resources by the Green Industries. Soil, free of lime rock, pebbles or other construction debris, shall be provided. All landscape areas shall be protected from vehicle encroachment by wheel stops or curbing. If curbing is used abutting landscaped areas, it shall be perforated to permit drainage from the paved ground surface area onto the landscaped area.

(2)

Maintenance. The owner of a property shall be responsible for the maintenance of all landscaping in good condition so as to present a neat, healthy and orderly appearance free of refuse and debris. All landscaping areas shall be provided with an irrigation system or a readily available water supply with at least one outlet located within 150 feet of the plant material. Periodic inspections will be conducted by the building official to ensure compliance with this subsection. Notice of noncompliance may be given by the building official by certified mail, and a reinspection will be made 30 days after the first notice. Continued violation after 30 days will be referred to the code enforcement board. Deteriorated and destroyed plant materials, except those plants that naturally and seasonally die back or wilt, must be replaced with plant material consistent with the original landscape plan as to quantity and quality or as approved by the building official.

(3)

Planting. All plant material shall meet or exceed Standard for Florida No. 1, as presented in Grades and Standards for Nursery Plants, part I, 1963, and part II, State Department of Agriculture, and any amendments thereto. Trees shall have a minimum height of 12 feet and a minimum caliper of three inches immediately upon planting. No planting area shall have an area of less than 25 square feet and a minimum radius of 2.5 feet measured from the center of the tree trunk to the near edge of the landscaped area.

(4)

Additional permissive landscaping. Where a wheel stop or curb is utilized, the paved area between the curb and the end of the parking space may be omitted, provided it is landscaped in addition to the required landscaping in this article, and further provided such landscaping is of material such as ground cover, rock or gravel, that requires minimal maintenance.

(5)

Native vegetation. Preservation of the existing landscape material and landforms is desirable, particularly when mature trees are a part of the site. The preservation and utilization of the property's native trees and shrubbery is required as specified by chapter 114, Vegetation, article III, Trees. If possible, trees and shrubs in the parking and building area are to be preserved where the area can be reasonably altered to allow for such preservation. Preservation of mature trees is also required in perimeter areas of the parking lot, and the city shall have the power to require the relocation of driveways or to require the loss of parking spaces when such a relocation or loss will permit a tree to be retained on the site.

(6)

Low impact site design practices, such as preserving existing native trees and vegetation, shall be used when feasible. Where established native vegetation is incorporated into the landscape design, irrigation of those areas shall not be required.

(7)

The city recommends all new and existing homes, developments, and commercial properties follow Florida Water Star ^SM principles for all landscaping and landscape irrigation systems.

(Code 1988, § 12.5-28; Ord. No. 15-40, § II, 6-11-15)