The purpose of this section is to establish general standards and processes by which the Danville's Comprehensive Plan's goals and objectives for landscape architecture, urban and rural area site design, site buffering, and transitional screening will be implemented. Pursuant to the intent of preserving and promoting the health, safety and general welfare of the City, these regulations are promulgated in order to:

1.

Facilitate the protection, replenishment and maintenance of the existing environment;

2.

Conserve and protect the character of the City's sensitive environmental resources, open spaces, parks, and entrance corridors;

3.

Preserve and enhance the aesthetic character of the City;

4.

Protect and improve the quality of the City's natural rivers, streams, and wetlands;

5.

Enhance erosion control practices through the creative use of plant materials;

6.

Improve the relationship between adjacent properties via screening and buffering;

7.

Preserve and enhance to quality of existing flood plains and stream valleys through improved landscaping and landscape maintenance;

8.

Provide adequate tree canopy and vegetative cover for new development; and

9.

Introduce and promote complementary landscaping to supplement site plan requirements, Best Management practices, and stormwater management improvements.

(Ord. No. 2004-02.04, Art. 9, § A, 2-17-04)

The following general standards shall apply to the planning, design, installation and maintenance of all landscape improvements, site plan improvements, urban design standards, screening and buffering measures, and related site development practices required by this section:

1.

A landscape plan meeting the requirements of this article shall be required for all subdivision, site plan, and other development plan applications. Landscaping, screening, and buffering for any subdivision and site development activity shall be guided by this article as well as generally accepted landscape design principles.

2.

Landscape design plans shall strive to maximize the preservation of existing trees and minimize the disruption of established landscape materials, employing preservation and protection criteria provided in the Virginia Erosion and Sediment Control Manual, the State's Urban Best Management Practices Handbook and NPDES permitting guidelines.

3.

The quality and type of all new plant materials installed on a site shall be in accord with the specifications of the American Association of Nurserymen, provided that the transplanting of trees and shrubs may be done in accordance with accepted horticultural and forestry practices.

4.

The property owner, developer and or successor in title to a given property shall be responsible for the perpetual maintenance as well as timely repair and replacement of all landscaping, buffers and screening as required by this article. A failure to adequately maintain landscape improvements in a healthy state and to keep such improvements free of litter, refuse and debris shall be deemed a violation of this ordinance. Landscape planting, maintenance and repair regulations also shall apply to all land in common open space, active recreational areas, or other lands not in lots in residential subdivisions. Property owners' documents shall incorporate such requirements.

5.

Landscape plans to accompany any site plan or plat shall be prepared by the applicant, a qualified landscape designer, nurseryman or horticulturalist in association with a Professional Engineer or Architect of record (certifying the plan or plat) or shall be prepared and certified by a Certified Landscape Architect licensed to practice in the State of Virginia.

6.

The landscaping and buffering standards hereinafter established provide minimum guidelines for landscape architecture of commercial, industrial, institutional and residential properties. Refer to the Appendix A of the Zoning Ordinance for graphic illustrations and design guidelines.

7.

In addition to the provisions of this article, property which is situated within areas recognized by the Official Zoning Map as a H-PO, Historic Preservation Overlay District or a TC-O, Tourism Corridor Overlay District shall be subject to additional regulations as provided for in the individual zoning districts, supplemental regulations and design guidelines related thereto.

(Ord. No. 2004-02.04, Art. 9, § B, 2-17-04)

1.

The applicant shall strive to preserve and protect existing trees in the design and development of projects requiring City subdivision and/or site plan approval and to strive to replace those trees necessarily removed during such development.

2.

The subdivision plat or site plan for any subdivision or site development activity shall include the planting and/or replacement of trees, minimum tree canopies or tree covers will be provided in accord with the following standards: (Refer to Appendix for graphic illustrations of canopy coverage ratios for commercial, industrial and residential land uses.)

a.

Apartment Residential Zoning District: Ten percent (10%) of the total site area shall be covered in tree canopy.

b.

Townhouse and Mobile Home Park Zoning Districts: Fifteen percent (15%) of the total site area shall be covered in tree canopy.

c.

Single Family, Two-family and Duplex Residential Zoning Districts: Twenty percent (20%) of the total site area shall be covered in tree canopy.

d.

Off-Site Planting Option: If the full canopy requirement cannot be met by on-site plantings, the requirement may be satisfied by off-site plantings at the discretion of the Director of Planning/Zoning Administrator.

3.

All landscape materials shall conform with the following minimum size or height (at date of planting) standards:

a.

Deciduous shade trees: 2" caliper.

b.

Street trees: 2" caliper.

c.

Ornamental and understory trees: 6' height.

d.

Coniferous trees: 6' height.

e.

Evergreen shrubs: 18" spread or height.

f.

Deciduous shrubs: 24" spread or height.

4.

"Tree canopy" or "tree cover" shall include all areas of coverage by trees and plant materials, including street trees, provided that all such trees and plant materials exceed six (6) feet in height at date of planting.

5.

All landscape materials shall be selected and sized in accordance with hardiness rating and growth habit appropriate for the intended placement of materials. All landscape materials shall be well branched and well formed, vigorous, healthy and free from disease, sun and wind damage and insect and shall have healthy and unbroken root systems.

6.

Tree canopy requirements may be reduced on a case-by-case basis by waiver of the Planning Director during the site plan and/or subdivision plat approval process where it can be clearly demonstrated by the applicant that either (a) the reduced canopy achieves the intended landscape design objective through a combination of alternative landscape architectural and landscaping techniques or (b) where the characteristics property is such that the canopy coverage would not be effective and other methods of landscaping provide equal and adequate design responses. The above stipulated sizes may be modified based on specific property conditions and site design requirements.

7.

Existing trees, inclusive of wooded preserved areas, which are to be preserved may be included to meet all or part of the aforementioned canopy requirements; provided that the landscape plan identifies such existing trees.

8.

In cases where the application of the screening and/or parking lot landscape requirements cited hereinafter exceed the above minimum canopy requirements, the final placement, type, and quantity of landscape materials shall be determined as a part of the City's site plan or subdivision plat review process, provided that nothing herein shall restrict the applicant from exceeding the minimum canopy requirements, if desired.

9.

No landscaping materials shall be installed which interfere with minimum transportation site distances for public and private streets. The landscape plan shall depict sight distance alignments and the location of sight easements.

10.

The applicant, or the applicant's landscape architect or qualified landscape designer shall consult with the Director of Planning/Zoning Administrator during the preliminary plan phase to determine the most appropriate layout and coordinated landscape design concepts, tree placement and suitable species of trees and ground cover to be incorporated into the site plan.

(Ord. No. 2004-02.04, Art. 9, § C, 2-17-04)

1.

Parking Lots Adjacent to Lot Lines: For parking lots and private access adjacent to lot lines which are subject to site plan or subdivision approval for uses within commercial, industrial, townhouse, apartment, and mobile home park zoning districts or where a site plan is otherwise required, the following landscape regulations shall apply:

a.

Where a parking lot (or a private driveway providing access to a parking lot or building entry) abuts a property line not common with the right-of-way of a street, a landscaping strip of two and one-half (2 1/2) feet in width shall be located between the parking lot and the abutting property line. Refer to the Appendix for graphic examples.

b.

A minimum of one tree for each forty (40) feet of contiguous property line shall be planted in the landscaping strip. This planting shall be in addition to any planting within a required zoning district buffer yard and in addition to any planting within six (6) feet of a building or structure.

c.

Where appropriate, shrubs and ground covers may be provided within the landscaping strip to establish an enhanced low level visual buffer between the adjoining properties.

d.

At maturity, these shrubs and other ground covers shall be three (3) to five (5) feet in height. Landscape plans are encouraged to incorporate earth berms, where appropriate, into the buffer strips.

2.

Parking Lots Adjacent to Public Streets: For parking lots and private access adjacent to public streets which are subject to site plan or subdivision approval for uses within commercial, industrial, townhouse, apartment, mobile home park zoning districts or where a site plan is otherwise required, the following landscape regulations shall apply:

a.

Where a parking lot (or a private driveway providing access to a parking lot or building entry) abuts a public right-of-way for a City or VDOT street, a landscaping strip of five (5) feet in width (not including sidewalk) shall be located between the parking lot or private driveway and the right-of-way line.

b.

A minimum of one tree for each forty (40) feet of property line common with the public right-of-way shall be planted in the landscaping strip. This planting shall be in addition to any planting within a required zoning district buffer yard and in addition to any planting within six (6) feet of a building or structure.

c.

Where appropriate, shrubs and ground covers may be provided within the landscaping strip to establish an enhanced low level visual buffer between the parking lot and the public right-of-way.

d.

At maturity, these shrubs and other ground covers shall be a minimum of three (3) to five (5) feet in height. The landscape design for such shrubs and ground covers shall also serve to direct and control pedestrian access into parking lots.

e.

Landscape plans are encouraged to incorporate earth berms, where appropriate, into the right-of-way landscaped buffer strips.

3.

All parking lots of thirty-one (31) or more spaces shall contain within the interior of the parking lot not less than one tree for every fifteen (15) continuous parking spaces or fraction thereof. Such trees shall be reasonably dispersed throughout the interior of the parking lot in accord with good landscape and urban design practices. In the instance where the parking lots contain double-loaded parking bays, trees planted in the interior section between the bays may count towards the spaces in both rows. Furthermore, both exterior trees and buffer trees included in the site plan may be applied towards this requirement. In the case of redevelopment proposals, this parking lot tree requirement is only applicable to those proposals that necessitate additional parking spaces over those that are currently provided. All plant materials shall be of a variety and size which can be used to meet the tree canopy cover requirements hereinabove outlined. Refer to the Appendix for graphic illustrations.

4.

Landscaping located within the interior of parking lots shall be contained within "planting islands" with raised medians. Planting islands which are located parallel to the long dimension of a parking spaces shall have a minimum width of ten (10) feet and shall be designed to permit vehicular doors to open fully without impacting plant materials. A median (or island) shall be constructed to separate no more than fifteen (15) contiguous perpendicular spaces for single-loading bays and thirty (30) for double-loading bays. A planting island with raised median (with curb and gutter) shall be constructed to terminate the end of any perpendicular parking bay and to provide adequate separation from an adjacent to a private driveway or travelway.

5.

Landscaped "planting islands" (located such that parking spaces are on opposing sides of the planting island) shall be developed in parking lots meeting the following criteria:

a.

The total size of the parking lot exceeds one hundred fifty (150) total parking spaces.

b.

Parking lot layout incorporates three or more double-loaded or single-loaded parking bays which are contiguous and parallel to each other, and the requirements of Paragraph 4 above.

c.

Planting islands which are designed to be perpendicular to the parking bay shall be constructed for every other parking bay.

d.

Planting islands shall have a minimum width of six (6) feet to allow for bumper overhang and shall otherwise provide adequate width for the growth and maintenance of the intended landscape materials to be planted therein.

6.

The primary landscaping materials used in parking lots shall be trees which provide shade or are capable of providing shade at maturity. Shrubs and other live planting material may be used to complement the primary, tree landscaping.

7.

The landscaping shall be dispersed throughout the parking lot, with interior dimensions of any planting area (i.e. interior parking median) sufficient to protect and maintain all landscaping materials planted therein. See illustrative example in the Appendix.

8.

The type and method of parking lot landscape irrigation shall be fully described in the site plan if any type and method is to be included in the design.

9.

The applicant, or the applicant's landscape architect or landscape designer and project engineer shall consult with the Director of Planning/Zoning Administrator during the sketch plan and preliminary plat phase to determine the most appropriate parking lot layout and coordinated landscape design concepts, tree placement, and suitable species of trees and ground cover to be used in parking lots.

10.

The landscape provisions of this article are not intended to apply to off-street parking spaces or private driveway access to such off-street parking spaces for individual single family residential dwellings.

(Ord. No. 2004-02.04, Art. 9, § D, 2-17-04)

1.

Transitional screening and buffer yards shall be required between properties as designated by the Official Zoning Map for different land use categories. Screening and buffer yard requirements shall be imposed on the property of the more intensive zoning category. Buffer landscape yard geometry, plant types, plant quantities and related landscaping requirements between different land use categories shall be based on the screening and buffer yard standards in the Appendix of this ordinance.

2.

Transitional screening shall be provided at the outer boundaries of a lot, except in locations where driveways, parking lots, utility easements and/or other openings are required. Where transitional screening and landscape buffer yards are required, evergreen trees and deciduous trees of size, type and canopy as approved by the Director of Planning or Planning Commission, shall be employed for screening purposes.

3.

Understory and shrubs, in the recommended size and quantities described in the graphic design standards in the appendix, may be incorporated into the buffer yard at the option of the applicant. Landscape plans are encouraged to incorporate earth berms, where physiographically feasible, and other creative landscape features into transitional screening and buffer yard designs. See illustrative examples in the Appendix for recommended landscape materials and placement.

4.

Buffer yards and transitional screening may not be used for the storage of materials, buildings, parking or loading areas for motor vehicles or equipment or signs. Sidewalks and pedestrian trails may be incorporated into buffer yards.

5.

All outdoor storage and loading areas shall be screened from adjacent residential properties. An opaque screen with a minimum height of six (6) feet of landscape materials, architectural walls, opaque fencing or other opaque material shall be used.

6.

Transitional screening may be waived or otherwise modified by the Planning Commission for any public use or utility when it can be demonstrated that such use has been specifically designed to minimize adverse impacts on adjacent properties.

7.

No landscape materials or screening shall be installed which interfere with minimum transportation site distances. The landscape plan shall depict sight distance alignments and the location of sight easements in accord with transportation design standards.

8.

Transitional screening requirements may be modified by the Director of Planning/Zoning Administrator in cases where it can be clearly demonstrated by the applicant that either (a) the alternative landscape design minimizes any adverse impact through a combination of architectural and landscaping techniques or (b) where the topography of the property is such that transitional screening would not be effective and other methods of screening provide equal and adequate design responses.

9.

The applicant, or the applicant's certified landscape architect or qualified landscape designer shall consult with the Director of Planning/Zoning Administrator during the sketch plan and preliminary plat phase to determine the most appropriate buffer and screening design concepts, tree placement and suitable species of trees to be used for screening purposes.

10.

The applicant, or the applicant's certified landscape architect or qualified landscape designer shall consult with the Director of Planning/Zoning Administrator during the sketch plan and preliminary plat phase to determine the most appropriate location for the buffer plantings. The Director of Planning/Zoning Administrator has the authority to ensure that the buffer shall be planted at the highest point on the subject property relative to the adjacent residential uses. In instances where grading allows a difference in elevation, buffer landscape planting shall be placed at the highest point where it can be feasibly planted.

(Ord. No. 2004-02.04, Art. 9, § E, 2-17-04)

1.

For any subdivision developed within any residential, commercial or industrial zoning district, a street tree landscape plan shall be submitted with all subdivision plats and other development plans involving the construction, extension or widening of private or public streets.

2.

The street tree landscape plan for subdivisions shall provide for the placement of street trees outside of and contiguous to the public right-of-way. A minimum of two (2) street trees shall be provided per each lot.

3.

Within subdivisions, the street tree landscape plan shall provide an integrated program of street tree plantings, individual lot landscaping, and tree preservation for all lots located within the subdivision.

4.

Street trees shall be counted towards the landscape canopy requirement.

5.

No street trees shall be installed which interfere with minimum transportation site distances for public and private streets, as determined by the Director of Planning/Zoning Administrator. The landscape plan shall depict sight distance alignments and the location of sight easements.

6.

The applicant's landscape architect or qualified landscape designer shall consult with the Director of Planning/Zoning Administrator during the sketch plan and preliminary plat phase to determine the most appropriate species of street trees as well as suitable landscape design and placement concepts for use in a given subdivision or street development program. A list of candidate landscape materials and varieties for differing functions and applications is provided in the appendix of this ordinance.

(Ord. No. 2004-02.04, Art. 9, § F, 2-17-04)

1.

The landscape plan drawn on a site plan base map to the same scale as the accompanying site plan and/or subdivision plat.

2.

Refer to the City's Design and Construction Standards Manual and the appendix of this ordinance for additional information related to landscape materials, installation standards, and design details.

3.

The landscape plan shall include:

a.

Location, type, size, height, number and botanical name and construction details for proposed landscaping materials. Information is to be provided in graphic and tabular format.

b.

Planting specifications and installation details for proposed landscaping materials, including a schedule of recommended planting timeframes for specific plant materials and ground covers.

c.

Location and size of all existing landscape materials to be retained during the site development process as well as appropriate landscape protection measures to be implemented during the site construction process.

d.

Location, size and other related design details for all hardscape improvements, signage, recreational improvements and open space areas, fences, walls, barriers and other elements related to transitional buffer yards.

e.

Designation of required setbacks, yards and screening areas.

f.

Location of other man-made site features, parking lots, hardscape improvements, overhead structures and underground utilities to ensure that landscape materials will not be in conflict with the placement and operation of these improvements.

g.

Acreage of disturbed areas, computed by planimetric methods, to the nearest 0.1 acre.

h.

Acreage and location of proposed open spaces and recreation areas, computed to the nearest 0.1 acres.

i.

Location, size and construction details for site lighting, special hardscape and landscape features, irrigation systems and exterior site furnishings.

j.

Methods and specifications for tree protection during construction phases.

k.

Landscape treatment of stormwater management improvements, Best Management Practices structures, and erosion and sediment controls.

l.

Certification of the plan preparer.

(Ord. No. 2004-02.04, Art. 9, § G, 2-17-04)