10-15-8 Parking Lot Landscaping

Parking lot landscaping standards of this section establish minimum landscaping requirements for the perimeter and interior of off-street parking areas. The general purpose of such landscaping is to reduce the visual impact of parking and pavement. See 10-14 Parking Section and the project's zone development specification standards page for parking lot locations and setbacks. Parking lot landscaping may count towards meeting the landscaping performance minimum requirements. A. Applicability to All Off-Street Parking Lots: Parking lot landscaping shall be approved through the design review process and shall not be less than the minimum standards of this chapter. B. Perimeter Parking Lot Landscaping: The parking lot perimeter landscaping requirements apply to all off-street parking lots that are not otherwise fully screened from view of adjacent public rights-of-way. Landscape borders shall be used for open space and landscaping. No structures or paving shall be located within the border area, with the exception of walls, walkways or other features incorporated into the landscaping. If adjoining properties share or abut parking lots, the perimeter landscape requirements are waived for the two adjoining sides of each parking lot and the two adjoining parking lots will be calculated as one. 1. If the parking lot's front setback is twenty-five (25) feet or more the border landscape shall conform to the Type "A" Separation in figure 10-15-8a. Border trees shall be planted at an average of twenty (20) feet on center. 2. For Type "B" and "C" separation shrubs must be planted at an average of three (3) feet on center and small trees at fifteen (15) feet on center along the entire border. 3. For Type "C" separations the earth berm or wall combination shall be a minimum three (3) feet in height measured from the nearest street's top back of curb and in combination with plant material to achieve a minimum four (4) foot tall solid screen at installation. 4. For Type "D" separations, when a wall is constructed, it must be four (4) feet in height and in combination with plant material placed at six (6) feet on center. Figure 10-15-8a: Parking Lot Landscaping Border Options for Separation from Street 5. For parking lots containing twenty-five (25) stalls or fewer, five (5) feet shall be the minimum perimeter border width for the rear and side borders of the parking lot. 6. For parking lots containing more than twenty-five (25) stalls, eight (8) feet shall be the minimum perimeter border width for the rear and side borders of the parking lot. 7. Side and rear parking lot perimeter borders shall be landscaped with plant material covering a minimum of fifty percent (50%) of the total border surface area measured at the plant’s maturity. C. Parking Lot Interior Landscaping Requirements: The parking lot interior landscaping requirements apply to all off-street parking lots that contain five or more parking spaces. Only areas specified in figure 10-15-7b can be counted towards a project’s interior parking lot landscaping requirements. Interior planting areas are required within all parking lots as specified in this subsection. 1. At least eighteen (18) square feet of interior landscape planting area shall be provided within the interior of an off-street parking area for each parking stall contained with the parking area. 2. Landscaping located within the interior of a parking area shall be evenly dispersed throughout the area. All planting areas shall be protected to prevent damage by vehicles and vehicle overhang. 3. When the number of stalls in a parking area exceeds the number of required parking stalls defined in Chapter 10-14 by (125%) the minimum interior parking lot landscaping requirements shall be increased to thirtysix (36) square feet of interior landscaping for each parking space contained within the parking stall. 4. All aisles shall have landscaped areas at each end of the aisle. 5. One (1) tree shall be planted within the interior of a parking area per every ten (10) stalls contained within the area. Interior parking area landscapes shall have a minimum of fifty percent (50%) plant material coverage measured at plants maturity. Figure 10-15-7b: Interior Parking Lot Measurement Area