§ 3.5.6. Landscaping requirements.

A.

Landscape strips. Landscape strips not less than five (5) feet in width shall be provided along all side and rear property lines and on both sides of all public streets. The landscape strip in the front yard shall be a minimum of ten (10) feet in width and shall be planted with a row of street trees of at least three and one-half (3½) inches in caliper selected from the list of street trees species identified in the design guidelines for the Stonecrest Area Overlay District and planted not less than seventy-five (75) feet on center. Continuous landscaped strips shall be constructed along public rights-of-way where surface parking lots are adjacent to such sidewalks or public right-of-way except at points of ingress or egress into the facility.

B.

Ground cover. Ground cover shall also be provided in accordance with the design guidelines for the Stonecrest Area Overlay District in order to protect tree roots and to prevent erosion. Ground cover shall consist of evergreen shrubs or groundcover plant material mulched with pine bark mulch, or other similar landscaping material.

C.

Newly planted trees shall conform to the design guidelines for the Stonecrest Area Overlay District.

D.

No tree shall be planted closer than two (2) feet from the street or sidewalk, and no closer than five (5) feet from a fire hydrant, sign post, streetlight standard, utility pole, or similar structure.

E.

Parking lots shall be landscaped as follows:

1.

Each such parking lot shall have a minimum of five (5) percent of the total lot area of the interior of the parking lot in landscaped space.

2.

A minimum of one (1) tree per twelve (12) parking spaces shall be included in the required landscaped areas. For the purpose of satisfying this requirement, existing trees that are three (3) inches or more in caliper as measured at a height of thirty-six (36) inches above the ground level shall be considered to be equivalent to one (1) or more newly planted trees on the basis of one (1) tree for each three (3) inches of caliper.

3.

Where the landscaped area is in the interior of a parking lot, the landscaped area shall be a minimum of six (6) feet in width and six (6) feet in length, with a minimum area of thirty-six (36) square feet.

4.

All landscaped areas shall be properly maintained in accordance with approved landscape plans. In the event that a tree or any plant material dies, it shall be replaced within ninety (90) days of such occurrence, so as to meet all requirements of this section and to allow for planting in the appropriate planting season.

5.

All trees planted pursuant to the requirements of section 5.4.4 shall be counted for the purpose of meeting the tree planting and tree replacement requirements imposed by section 14-39.

( Ord. No. 15-06 , 8-25-2015)