§ 20-1181. Vehicular areas.

(a)

When parking lot perimeters where vehicular areas, including driveways and drive aisles, are not entirely screened visually by an intervening building or structure or land mass from any abutting right-of-way, there shall be provided landscaping designed to buffer direct views of cars and vehicular use areas. The landscaping must break up expanses of vehicular use areas, help to visually define boulevards and soften direct views of parking areas and provide for reforestation with overstory tree from the approved tree species list identified for parking or other species as approved by city staff. All new planting areas must have an irrigation system installed. Publicly owned and operated parking lots used for long duration parking may be exempt from this requirement when there is a demonstrated concern regarding security safety.

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(b)

Interior landscaping for vehicular use areas:

(1)

Any open vehicular use areas containing more than 6,000 square feet of area, or 20 or more vehicular parking spaces, shall provide interior landscaping in accordance with this division in addition to "perimeter" landscaping. Interior landscaping may be peninsular or island types. Landscaped area shall include all parking lot and drive islands and perimeter green spaces. Required setback areas shall be excluded.

(2)

For each 100 square feet, or fraction thereof, of vehicular use area, eight square feet of landscaped area shall be provided.

(3)

The minimum landscape area permitted shall be 200 square feet, with a six-foot minimum dimension to all trees from edge of pavement where vehicles overhang and a four-foot minimum dimension to all trees where vehicles do not overhang.

(4)

In order to encourage the required landscape area to be properly dispersed, a minimum of one peninsular, island, or boulevard type landscaped area shall be located within each 6,000 square feet of vehicular use area.

(5)

A minimum of one tree shall be required for each 250 square feet or fraction thereof, of required landscape area. Trees shall have a clear trunk of at least five feet above the ground, and the remaining area shall be landscaped with shrubs, or ground cover (not to include rocks or gravel except as a mulch around shrubs and ground cover), not to exceed two feet in height.

(6)

The inside width, behind the curb in landscape islands or peninsulas, shall be a minimum of ten feet.

(7)

All landscaped areas shall be protected by concrete curbing.

(8)

All landscaping area shall have the proper soil preparation to ensure the viability of the vegetation to survive. The landscaping plan shall provide specifications for proper soil preparation.

(Ord. No. 153, § 1, 11-4-91; Ord. No. 195, § 2, 11-11-93; Ord. No. 219, § 1, 9-12-94; Ord. No. 377, § 135, 5-24-04; Ord. No. 628, § 47, 12-11-17)