A. All projects for which site plan approval is required shall install and maintain landscaping in accordance with the requirements of this chapter; provided, however, these landscape requirements shall not apply to projects where a current use is expanded and the valuation of the building permit is less than fifty percent of the replacement value of the existing improvements. If the existing uses are to be expanded greater than fifty percent of their replacement value, the planning director, or designee, shall determine the amount and placement of landscaping needed to comply with this section.

B. Occupancy of a use subject to these standards shall not be permitted until the approved landscaping and irrigation has been installed, or if permitted by the planning director, an agreement and/or surety bond or cash deposit sufficient to cover the cost of installation, which amount has been determined to complete the work plus administration costs by the city, and such has been provided to the city specifying completion of installation within a time specified by the planning director.

C. An approved landscape plan for commercial improvement projects must be revised if the landscape/irrigation is substantially modified. Substantial modification in this section means a change in the character or quantity of the plant material or irrigation that equals or exceeds one hundred square feet of landscape area.

A. Installation of landscape materials and irrigation equipment shall be in accordance with commonly accepted methods of installation as approved by the city.

B. Trees shall be a minimum twenty-four-inch box container size or larger and shall be vigorous and healthy when planted. The minimum diameter of the tree trunk, as measured at a point four feet up the trunk from ground level, shall be one inch for a fifteen-gallon container tree, two inches for a twenty-four-inch box container tree, and three inches for a thirty-six-inch box container tree. These trunk diameters shall apply throughout this chapter where tree container sizes are specified.

C. Shrubs shall be a minimum five-gallon container size or larger and shall be vigorous and healthy when planted. Mass shrub planting for area coverage shall be a mix of five-gallon (forty percent) and one-gallon (sixty percent) container size with an average spacing of eighteen inches on center. Flats shall be used for ground covers with an average spacing of eight inches on center.

D. Shrubs and/or ground cover, including turf, shall cover no less than seventy-five percent of the required landscaped area within four years of planting.

E. A landscaped area fifteen feet in width on arterial and collector streets and eight feet in width on local streets as measured from the right-of-way line, shall be installed along said street. The width of the landscape strip may be reduced when, in the opinion of the planning director, the following conditions are met:

F. Along street frontages, a tree shall be planted at a ratio of one tree per twenty lineal feet, or portion thereof. Trees may be clustered or grouped to not conflict with required fire lanes, public entrances/exits, utility easements, and signs provided the minimum tree to frontage ratio is satisfied. A species mix of thirty percent evergreen and seventy percent deciduous shall be maintained.

G. Trees shall be required to be planted within parking lots at a minimum ratio of one tree for each six parking spaces, but shall be sufficient to achieve the minimum shading required in subsection H of this section. The maximum spacing between trees shall not exceed sixty-five feet.

H. Trees shall be installed and thereafter maintained throughout the parking area to ensure that it will be shaded based on calculating the canopy area of each tree at fifteen years from a master tree list approved by the planning director. The landscape plan required by Section 17.08.080 shall be drawn to show that the tree canopy will have the potential to attain shading over forty percent of the total area of all uncovered parking stalls, loading areas, drive aisles and maneuvering areas. The property owner or the preparer of the plans shall show all shading calculations on the plan. Truck loading docks in front of overhead doors, truck maneuvering and parking areas unconnected to and exclusive of any required vehicle parking areas, freight yards, and surfaced areas for automobile sales, lumber yards, and vehicle storage are not subject to this shading requirement.

I. Buildings with main entrances facing parking lots shall be landscaped with a minimum of one tree for each fifty feet of linear building frontage or portion thereof. Said trees shall be adjacent to the building and may also be credited for parking lot trees if they comply with the requirements set forth in subsections G and H of this section. Trees may be clustered or grouped to not conflict with required fire lanes, public entrances/exits, and signs provided the minimum tree to building ratio is satisfied. The use of vines and large shrubs is encouraged to enhance the tree planting areas next to the building.

J. Of the total number of trees required in the parking area and for the entire project, a minimum of thirty percent shall be evergreen species.

K. In addition to the trees referenced in subsections G, H and I of this section, trees shall be installed along the property line perimeter, in the required landscape area required by Section 17.58.050(N), of drive aisles, parking lots, loading areas and storage areas as a buffer between office, commercial and industrial uses and property zoned for residential uses. Said trees shall be one hundred percent evergreen species spaced no further apart than twenty feet on center. The minimum tree size shall be a twenty-four-inch box container size if the adjacent residential zoned area is all or partially developed and a fifteen-gallon container size if the adjacent residential zoned area is undeveloped.

L. Landscaping and irrigation shall be installed in compliance with any approved site plan or other project approval prior to final inspection or occupancy.

M. Tree planters within the parking lot shall be a minimum of five feet by five feet (outside dimension). Vehicles may overhang into these planters no more than two and one-half feet provided the tree is protected from damage by a vehicle.

N. If a drive-thru lane is located adjacent to a public street it shall be screened via one of the following options: (1) an evergreen hedge installed at a minimum initial height of four feet; or (2) a wall or berm installed at a minimum height of four feet. This screen shall be located between the drive-thru lane and public street along only that portion of the drive-thru lane that is adjacent to the public street. Option 2 shall include the planting of shrubs between the wall and the sidewalk. The planning director may, at his or her discretion, allow the use of other similar screen if physical constraints preclude the installation of a hedge. A taller screen may also be required at the discretion of the planning director if such additional height is necessary for adequate screening because of topographic conditions, proximity to residential areas or other factors that would warrant special treatment.

O. An eight-foot landscape area shall be provided between each building and the drive aisle for multifamily projects using a common drive aisle with shared access. This requirement shall not apply to any lot less than ten thousand square feet and that is not part of or adjacent to multifamily subdivisions or other multifamily projects that existed prior to the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter.

P. Landscaping shall be designed to minimize overwatering and avoid runoff of irrigation water. Soil type shall be considered in order to reduce runoff and promote healthy plant growth. Plant selection and placement shall match the irrigation provided.

Q. A minimum two-inch layer of mulch shall be applied on all exposed surfaces of planting areas except in turf areas, creeping or rooting groundcovers, or direct seeding application where mulch cannot be used. Stabilizing mulching products shall be used on slopes. The mulch can be any organic material, including, but not limited to, leaves, bark, straw, or compost; or any inorganic or synthetic material, including, but not limited to, rock, landscape fabric or recycled rubber. (Ord. 4943 § 1, 2018; Ord. 4624 § 2, 2010; Ord. 4606 § 1, 2009; Ord. 4104 § 5, 2003; Ord. 4010 § 1, 2001)

A. Central City Area. For the purposes of this subsection, central city area is identified as including all lands bounded by 23rd Street to the north, Truxtun Avenue to the south, M Street to the east, and G Street to the west.

B. Northeast Bakersfield. For the purposes of this subsection, Northeast Bakersfield is identified as including all lands east of Fairfax Road (and any northern extension thereof) and north of the Union Pacific Railroad that parallels Edison Highway.

A. Landscapes shall be regularly inspected and maintained to ensure water efficiency and keep plants in a healthy condition. Maintenance shall include, but is not limited to, programmed watering, fertilizing and soil amendment applications, weed control, cleaning, pruning, trimming, pest control, replenishing mulch and cultivating. Tree topping shall not be permitted except when necessary for the protection of public safety, property damage or liability.

B. Landscape structural features shall be maintained in sound structural and attractive condition.

C. All plant material shall be serviced by a permanently installed, electrically automated irrigation system. Project sites containing two thousand five hundred square feet or more of landscaped area must have a controller that can be programmed to accommodate different landscape hydrozones and the controller shall be equipped with a battery backup to preserve the controller settings in case of an electrical system interruption.

D. Tree pruning shall follow the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) pruning guidelines. This subsection does not apply to utility companies trimming trees for the purpose of providing necessary clearance for power lines.

E. All plants and irrigation systems shall be maintained as originally approved unless otherwise approved by the city. The city can, at any time, require landscaping and irrigation to be replaced and/or reinstalled in accordance with the approved plans and requirements of the state’s Model Water Efficient Landscaping Ordinance (MWELO).

F. Failure to maintain landscaping and/or irrigation systems as provided in the project’s approved landscape plan shall result in the issuance of a citation and, if not abated, may include civil penalties. (Ord. 4943 § 1, 2018; Ord. 4624 § 2, 2010; Ord. 4010 § 1, 2001)

A. Replacement planting must conform to the original intent of the landscape design and adhere to the state’s Model Water Efficient Landscaping Ordinance (MWELO).

B. Trees voluntarily removed from an existing project, except when necessary for the protection of public safety, property damage, or liability, or damage or loss by acts of nature, the willful unlawful acts of persons other than the property owner, or by complying with other federal or state laws or actions, shall be replaced at the average size of what is or was existing not to exceed a forty-eight-inch box container size. Said trees shall be replaced within one hundred twenty days of removal. Trees shall be the same species as shown on the project’s approved landscape plan or otherwise meet the provisions of this chapter.

C. Failure to replace existing tress as required by this chapter shall be subject to the issuance of notices of violations, correction orders, citations, and any administrative remedies provided under the Bakersfield Municipal Code or applicable state law. (Ord. 4943 § 1, 2018; Ord. 4624 § 2, 2010; Ord. 4010 § 1, 2001)

A. A workable scale (preferred—one inch equals twenty feet or larger) and north arrow;

B. Property lines, overhead and underground power easements;

C. Dimensions;

D. Location of all trees and shrubs. Mature tree head diameter shall be depicted to scale;

E. Existing and proposed structures, including anticipated signs (both freestanding and wall);

F. Existing natural features (note on plan to be removed or retained);

G. Irrigation system plan shall include, but not be limited to, main and lateral lines, valves, sprinkler heads, any moisture sensing devices, any rain switches, pressure regulators and backflow prevention device(s), and drainage locations, description of irrigation controller and ability to accommodate different hydrozones.

H. A plant specification list:

I. If grading for slopes occurs within the landscaping area, then grading shall be designed to minimize soil erosion, runoff and water waste.

J. Compliance with the Model Water Efficient Landscaping Ordinance (MWELO) for projects that propose new landscaping as follows are required to submit documentation to the planning director that may include, but not be limited to, the checklist and certification of compliance forms provided by the planning director, and such other information and documentation as may be required by the planning director: