8.1.1.

Purpose and intent. This section['s] objective is to improve the appearance of certain setback and yard areas and is to include off-street parking areas of more than four required spaces, open lot sales, storage areas with open mesh enclosures and for service areas. This section is to protect and preserve the appearance, character and value of the surrounding neighborhoods and thereby promote the general welfare of the town by providing for the installation and maintenance of landscaping and screening for aesthetic qualities.

8.1.2.

Application. This section shall be a minimum standard and shall apply to required off-street parking facilities of more than four parking spaces or to conceal open storage areas with open enclosures or to screen service or loading areas.

8.1.3.

Definitions. In constructing the provisions of this section and each and every word, term, phrase or part thereof, where the context will permit, the definitions provided in section 1.01, Florida Statutes, and the following definitions shall apply:

(1)

Encroachment [means] any protrusion of a vehicle outside of a parking space, display area or accessway into a landscaped area.

(2)

Landscaping [means] any combination of the following materials: grass, ground covers, shrubs, vines, hedges, trees or palms, and nonliving materials commonly used in landscaping, such as river rock, pebbles, sand, mulches, walls or fences, but excluding paving.

(3)

Shrubs [means] self-supporting, woody, evergreen species, of low stature that have a natural height of less than 15 feet or is commonly maintained at hedge levels.

(4)

Trees [means] self-supporting, woody plants of species which normally grow within Palm Beach County to a height of 15 feet or more.

(5)

Vines [means] plant materials which normally require some type of support to reach mature form.

(6)

Ground cover [means] plant materials which normally obtain a growth limit of two feet or less or inanimate objects such as rocks, pebbles or similar materials.

8.1.4.

Installation. All landscaping shall be installed in a sound workmanlike manner and according to accepted good planting procedures with the quality of plant material to be Florida No. 1 or better, as established by the Florida State Department of Agriculture. Grasses shall be either sod, which shall be clean and reasonably free of weeds and noxious pests or diseases, or seed delivered to the site in bags with Florida Department of Agriculture tags indicating quality control. A qualified representative of the town shall inspect all landscaping and no certificate of occupancy or similar authorization will be issued unless all landscaping is installed as required.

8.1.5.

Plant materials.

(1)

Trees. Tree species shall be a minimum of eight feet overall height (OAH) immediately after planting. Trees shall have an average mature spread of crown of over 15 feet and can be maintained with a clear wood of over five feet. Damage caused to public roadways or underground facilities by root systems shall be the responsibility of property owner. Palms may be substituted for trees on a two-for-one basis.

(2)

Shrubs and hedges. Shrubs shall be a minimum of two feet in height immediately after planting. Hedges, where required, shall be planted so as to form a contiguous, unbroken, solid, visual screen within a maximum of one year after time of planting. Planting intervals for hedges shall be two feet on centers or less.

(3)

Vines. Vines shall be a minimum of 30 inches or more in height immediately after planting and may be used in conjunction with fences, screens, or walls and properly attached.

(4)

Ground covers. Ground covers used in lieu of grass in whole or in part shall be planted in such a manner as to present a finished appearance and reasonably complete coverage within three months after planting. Planting intervals shall be one foot or less.

(5)

Lawn grasses. All planting areas that are to be grassed and have an area of 1,000 square feet or less shall be installed with solid sod with species normally grown within this area of the county. Larger areas may be sown with seed provided a rye grass mixture is included for immediate effect and erosion control.

8.1.6.

Landscaping adjacent to public rights-of-way. On a site of a building or structure or open lot use providing an off-street parking area or other vehicular use area, where such area will not be entirely screened visually by an intervening building or structure from any abutting right-of-way, excluding dedicated alleys, there shall be provided landscaping between such areas and such right-of-way, as follows:

(1)

A strip of land at least five feet in depth located between the abutting right-of-way and the off-street parking area or other vehicular use area which is exposed to a public roadway shall be landscaped as follows:

(a)

One tree per each 50 lineal feet or fraction thereof, located within the strip in a planting area of at least 25 square feet.

(b)

A hedge, wall or durable barrier of at least two feet in height along perimeter.

(c)

Vines, spaced ten feet along walls, if used as stated in subsection (b) of this section.

(d)

Grass, ground cover or other landscape treatment excluding paving on remaining areas.

8.1.7.

Perimeter landscaping. In areas where a parking lot is located in view of abutting property, it must be screened by a wall or hedge of not less than four feet and not more than eight feet in height, except where there is an intervening building or structure. This barrier shall be erected or planted along the property line in a planting strip of not less than five feet in width. This strip shall also include:

(1)

One tree for each 75 lineal feet or fraction thereof located within the strip in a planting area of at least 25 square feet.

(2)

Grass, ground cover or other landscape treatment excluding paving on remaining areas.

8.1.8.

Interior landscaping within parking areas. Planting bays shall be provided completely in or projecting into paved parking areas on a basis of at least ten square feet of landscaped area for every parking space provided. In addition, other vehicular use areas shall provide interior landscaped areas on a basis of one square foot of landscaped area for every 100 square feet of paved area.

(1)

Interior landscaped areas shall be a minimum of 50 square feet in area and have a minimum of five feet in width.

(2)

One tree shall be provided for each 100 square feet of required interior landscaping or fraction thereof.

8.1.9.

Visibility at intersections. Whenever there are driveway or roadway intersections, planting shall be maintained to a height of three feet or less and branches shall be maintained six feet or higher within a triangle of ten feet along each side and connected by a hypotenuse. Trees or palms may be planted within this area provided they have clear wood between three and six feet and they are not planted at close intervals that would obscure vision.

8.1.10.

Existing plant material. Credit may be given for healthy plant material which exists on the site prior to development and which is preserved and utilized in the new construction. All trees with a caliper of three inches or more shall be preserved, provided they are not in areas of construction or where underground construction would seriously damage the root system.

8.1.11.

Additional applicable regulations.

(1)

The provisions of the landscape section shall apply only to new off-street parking uses or other vehicular uses and when a change is made in a nonconforming use either in use or ownership.

(2)

The provisions of this section shall be subject to other applicable regulations, if any, where such regulations are more restrictive and are not otherwise inconsistent with these provisions.

(3)

Where these provisions are required, a landscape plan must be submitted and approved before a building permit is issued. The plan must be drawn to scale, including distances and dimensions, and clearly delineate the existing and proposed parking spaces, or other vehicular use areas, access aisles, driveways, sprinklers or water outlet locations, the type of plant materials giving both the common and botanical names, the overall sizes, container types, and planting intervals, location of plant materials and instructions relevant to the installation of grass, ground covers and inanimate materials. Name and title of person doing the landscape design and state registration seal if person is a landscape architect must be included on the plan.

(Ord. No. 51, § 1, 2-17-1983; Ord. No. 57, § 1, 8-1-1985)