§ 114-34. Specific landscaping requirements.

All paved ground surface areas shall meet the following specific landscaping requirements, which shall be considered complementary to the landscaping provisions of any other city ordinance or resolution:

(1)

Required landscaping adjacent to public rights-of-way. Where paved ground surface areas are located adjacent to sidewalks, streets and other public rights-of-way, landscaping shall be provided between the public right-of-way and the paved ground surface area. Such landscaping shall include a landscaped yard at least five feet in width containing an opaque screen of landscaping at least three feet in height. The screen may be composed of a berm at least two feet in height or a maintenance-free wall at least three feet in height or a screen of landscaping at least 2.5 feet in height at the time of planting. If a berm is utilized, additional landscaping at least one foot in height shall be planted. If a screen of living landscaped material is utilized, it shall attain opacity and a height of three feet within 12 months of planting under normal growth conditions. One tree shall be planted for each 50 linear feet, or fraction thereof, of frontage on a public right-of-way. Landscaping is not required if the paved ground surface area is completely screened from the public right-of-way by an intervening building or structure.

(2)

Required landscaping adjacent to other properties. Where paved ground surface areas are adjacent to surrounding properties, landscaping shall be installed to screen paved ground surface areas from adjacent properties as provided in this subsection. Landscaping is not required if the paved ground surface area is completely screened from surrounding properties by intervening buildings or structures.

a.

Where paved ground surface areas are adjacent to properties zoned exclusively for residential land uses, all land between the paved ground surface area and the property lines shall be landscaped. Such landscaping shall include a buffer yard at least five feet in width, containing either a berm at least two feet in height or a hedge or other durable screen of landscaping at least three feet in height. If a berm is utilized, additional landscaping at least one foot in height at the time of planting shall be installed. Where such screen of landscaping is composed of living plant material, it shall be 30 inches in height at the time of planting and shall attain opacity within 12 months under normal growing conditions. A minimum of one tree shall be planted for each 75 linear feet of common lot line or fraction thereof.

b.

Where the adjacent property is zoned for nonresidential land uses or where the adjacent property contains a conforming hedge, wall or other durable landscape feature, subsection (2)a of this section shall not apply to the rear or side lot lines, except that the tree planting provisions shall still apply. Such tree shall be installed in the buffer areas adjacent to each of the adjoining properties areas for pedestrian and vehicular circulation. Interior landscaping shall account for a minimum of five percent of parking areas. Other paved ground surface areas shall have one square foot of interior landscaping for each 50 square feet of paving in all areas exceeding 5,000 square feet. Each separate landscaped area shall contain at least one tree, and a tree shall be planted for each 100 square feet of interior landscaping. All interior landscaping shall be protected from vehicular encroachment by curbing or wheel stops and should be raised. Landscaping dividing strips with or without walkways shall be used to subdivide parking areas into parking bays with not more than 40 spaces, provided that no more than 20 spaces shall be in an uninterrupted row. If the site contains both parking areas and other paved ground surface areas, the two areas may be separated to determine the interior landscaping requirement by multiplying the total number of parking spaces by 380 and subtracting the resulting figure from the total square footage of the paved ground surface area.

(3)

Intersection visibility. When an accessway intersects a public right-of-way, landscaping shall be used to define the intersection; provided, however, that all landscaping within the triangular areas described in this subsection shall provide unobstructed cross visibility at a level between two and six feet. Trees having limbs and foliage trimmed in such a manner that no limbs or foliage extend into cross visibility shall be allowed, provided they are so located as not to create a traffic hazard. Landscaping, except grass and ground cover, shall not be located closer than three feet from the edge of any accessway pavement. The triangular areas are as follows:

a.

The areas of property on both sides of an accessway formed by the intersection of each side of the accessway and the public right-of-way pavement line, with two sides of each triangle being ten feet in length from the point of intersection and the third side being a line connecting the ends of the two other sides.

b.

The area of property located at a corner formed by the intersection of two or more public streets, with two sides of the triangular area being measured 30 feet in length along the abutting edges of pavement, from their point of intersection, and the third being a line connecting the ends of the other two lines.

(Code 1988, § 12.5-29; Ord. No. 15-40, § II, 6-11-15)