Chapter 17.24
LANDSCAPING AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
Sections:
17.24.030 Contents of landscaping plan.
17.24.040 General landscaping standards.
17.24.010 Purpose.
A. Landscaping standards apply to all new multifamily, commercial and industrial uses, including change of use, and parking lots of four spaces or more.
B. For sites which do not conform to these requirements, an equal percentage of the site must be made to comply with these standards as the percentage of building or parking lot expands, e.g., if the building or parking lot area is to expand by 25 percent, then 25 percent of the site must be brought up to the standards required by this title. [Ord. 01-02 § 2 (Exh. 2 § 4.14(1)), 2001.]
17.24.020 Procedure.
A landscaping plan shall be submitted to the city at the time of application for a building permit, conditional use permit, or site plan review for all new multifamily, commercial, and industrial uses, including change of use, and parking lots of four spaces or more.
A. The city staff shall review all landscaping plans for compliance with the provisions of this title and notify the property owner of deficiencies in a submitted plan.
B. A building permit, conditional use permit, or site plan review shall not be issued until a landscaping plan has been approved.
C. The required landscaping shall be in place prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy or a schedule for its completion prepared and approved. [Ord. 01-02 § 2 (Exh. 2 § 4.14(2)), 2001.]
17.24.030 Contents of landscaping plan.
A landscaping plan submitted to the city as required by this title shall identify the placement and type of plant materials to provide an effective means for evaluating whether the chosen plant materials will:
A. Survive in the climate and soils of the proposed site;
B. Satisfy the functional objectives of landscaping as detailed in this title, including erosion control, screening and shade within a reasonable time. [Ord. 01-02 § 2 (Exh. 2 § 4.14(3)), 2001.]
17.24.040 General landscaping standards.
The following landscaping standards apply to all new multifamily, commercial and industrial uses, including change of use, and parking lots of four or more spaces:
A. The property owner shall be responsible for any future damage to a street, curb or sidewalk caused by landscaping.
B. Landscaping shall be selected and located to deter sound, filter air contaminants, curtail erosion, contribute to living privacy, reduce the visual impacts of large buildings and paved areas, screen, and emphasize or separate outdoor spaces of different uses or character.
C. Landscaping in parking areas shall be planted in combination along the perimeter and in the interior of the lot and shall be designed to guide traffic movement and lessen the visual dominance of the lot.
D. Plants that minimize upkeep and maintenance shall be selected.
E. Plants shall complement or supplement surrounding natural vegetation.
F. Plants chosen shall be in scale with building development.
G. Minimum landscaping as a percent of gross site area shall be as follows:
|
ZONE |
PERCENT |
|---|---|
|
Multifamily |
20% |
|
Commercial |
15% |
|
Industrial |
15% |
|
Parking Lots |
10% |
H. Deciduous trees shall have straight trunks, be fully branched, have a minimum caliper of one and one-half inches and be adequately staked for planting.
I. Evergreen trees shall be a minimum of three feet in height, fully branched and adequately staked for planting.
J. Shrubs shall be a minimum 18 inches in height and spaced not more than four feet apart for planting.
K. Ground cover, defined as living material and not including bark chips or other mulch, shall be planted on a maximum 18 inches on center between plants and rows.
L. Watering systems shall be installed to assure landscaping success. If plantings fail to survive, it is the responsibility of the property owner to replace them.
M. Trees shall not be planted closer than 25 feet from the curb line of intersections of streets or alleys, and not closer than 10 feet from private driveways (measured at the back edge of the sidewalk), fire hydrants, or utility poles.
N. Street trees shall not be planted closer than 20 feet to light standards. Except for public safety, no new light standard location should be positioned closer than 10 feet to any existing street tree, and preferably such locations will be at least 20 feet distant.
O. Trees shall not be planted closer than two and one-half feet from the face of the curb except at intersections, where it should be five feet from the curb in a curb return area.
P. Where there are overhead power lines, tree species that will not interfere with those lines shall be chosen.
Q. Trees shall not be planted within two feet of any permanent hard surface paving or walkway. Sidewalk cuts in concrete for trees shall be at least four feet by four feet; however, larger cuts are encouraged because they allow additional air and water into the root system and add to the health of the tree. Space between the tree and such hard surface may be covered by permeable nonpermanent hard surfaces such as grates, bricks on sand, paver blocks, cobblestones, or ground cover.
R. Trees, as they grow, shall be pruned to their natural form to provide at least eight feet of clearance above sidewalks and 12 feet above street roadway surfaces.
S. Existing trees may be used as street trees if there will be no damage from the development which will kill or weaken the tree. Sidewalks of variable width and elevation may be utilized to save existing street trees, subject to approval by the city engineer.
T. Vision clearance hazards shall be avoided. [Ord. 01-02 § 2 (Exh. 2 § 4.14(4)), 2001.]