1.

General. The purpose of this article is to provide standards for the installation of trees and landscaping as part of the land development process in order to enhance the quality of life within the city. The reasons for requiring trees on a site and in parking lots are to provide shade, reduce temperatures, reduce stormwater runoff, and reduce air and water pollution.

The following regulations seek to establish minimum standards for the provision, installation, and maintenance of landscape plantings in order to achieve a healthy, beautiful, and safe community and to enhance the city's environmental and visual character for its citizens' use and enjoyment by the following means:

(1)

Improve environmental quality by recognizing the numerous beneficial effects of landscaping upon the environment such as improving air and water quality through such natural processes as photosynthesis and mineral uptake; reducing and reversing air, noise, heat and chemical pollution through the biological filtering capacities of trees and other vegetation.

(2)

Maintain and increase the value of land by requiring landscaping to be incorporated into development, thus becoming by itself a valuable capital asset.

(3)

Provide direct and important physical and psychological benefits to human beings through the use of landscaping to reduce noise and glare, and to break up the monotony and soften the harsher aspects of urban development.

(4)

Preserve existing natural vegetation where possible and incorporate native plants, plant communities, and ecosystems into landscape design.

2.

Definitions.

(1)

Landscape plan: A component of a development, site, or other plan to show the details of landscaping required by this ordinance.

(2)

Landscape strip: Land area located within the boundary of a lot and required to be set aside and used for landscaping upon which only limited encroachments are allowed. Graded slopes in a landscape strip shall not be steeper than 4:1.

(3)

Parking lot island: A strip of property which separates groups of parking spaces from other groups of parking spaces or internal driveways. Such islands shall act as traffic barriers and conform to the following specifications: Height of island from the pavement surface, six (6) inches or more; length of island to be equal to the length of the parking row; width of the island eight (8) feet minimum if used for landscaping, six (6) feet if not used for landscaping; forty (40) feet minimum at ends of rows to form an "I" configuration.

(4)

Peripheral parking lot planting strip: A landscape strip of ten (10) feet that is required along the perimeter of all parking lots. The measurement is from back of curb and located between the parking lot and the abutting property lines. The graded slopes in a landscape strip shall not be steeper than 4:1.

(5)

Plant schedule: A list of all the required and proposed plant material for a site which includes quantity, size, spacing and any special planting notes.

(6)

Screening: Structure or planting that conceals from view the area behind such structure or planting.

3.

Landscaping requirements. All uses under this section are subject to the following conditions:

(1)

A landscape plan, including a plant schedule, shall be submitted to the planning director as part of the required site plan for all new construction and improvements within the established corridor overlay district zone. Should the city determine that the landscape plan is not sufficiently complete to ascertain whether the landscape plan design does or does not meet the conditions of this ordinance, then the site plan shall be rejected until adequate information is submitted in a revised site plan or as amendments or modifications to the previously submitted landscape plan. Amendments or modifications may be submitted for review as necessary and require approval prior to installation.

(2)

Vegetation (also referred to as plants, plant material, plantings) for screening, buffering and landscaping requirements shall be reviewed for approval or disapproval by the planning director. Proposed vegetation and irrigation, where required, shall be installed in accordance with the approved plan. Installation must be completed before a certificate of occupancy is issued.

(3)

Every effort should be made in the design to incorporate existing specimen trees on site. Removal of specimen trees without acceptable justification will require replacement on an inch-for-inch basis which is above and beyond the required tree plantings.

4.

Interior parking lot planting requirements. If any parking lot contains twenty (20) or more parking spaces, interior parking lot landscaping shall be required as follows:

(1)

There shall be a minimum curb radii of three (3) feet required on the corners of all landscape islands and medians to allow for free movement of motor vehicles around planting materials. All islands and medians shall have raised curbs around them to protect parked vehicles, provide visibility, confine moving traffic to aisles and driveways, and provide space for landscaping. Striping of parking islands is not permitted.

(2)

All rows of parking spaces shall be provided a terminal island to protect parked vehicles, confine moving traffic to aisles and driveways, and provide space for landscaping. A terminal island for a single row of parking spaces shall be planted with a least one (1) canopy/shade tree. A terminal island for a double row of parking spaces shall contain not less than two (2) shade/canopy trees.

(3)

All landscape islands within parking lots shall be one hundred (100) percent landscaped with deciduous trees, evergreen shrubs (not to exceed three (3) feet high at maturity), ground cover (which does not require mowing) and/or flowers in mulched beds.

(4)

Interior landscape islands shall be provided within parking areas of twenty (20) or more spaces. Parking areas designated to accommodate more than twenty (20) motor vehicles must install interior landscape islands so that no more than sixteen (16) adjacent parking spaces exist without a landscaped separation of at least eight (8) feet in width, If significant tree save areas or natural areas exist within a parking area, the Planning Director may make an exception to this requirement, as appropriate.

(5)

Each island or strip shall contain a minimum of one hundred twenty five (125) square feet. All landscape islands shall be reasonably dispersed throughout the parking lot, and shall have a minimum width of eight (8) feet measured from back of curb. There shall be a minimum eight (8) foot wide (back of curb to back of curb) curbed landscape island at the end of every row of parking, equal in length to the adjoining parking space. A parking island must be located no further apart than every sixteen (16) parking spaces.

(6)

Landscaped areas between parking areas and buildings shall not be considered as interior landscaping.

(7)

Areas used principally for storage of vehicles or display areas do not require interior islands if such areas are screened from adjacent properties and public streets.

5.

Peripheral parking lot planting requirements. If any parking lot contains ten (10) or more parking spaces, peripheral parking lot landscaping shall be required as follows:

(1)

The perimeter of all parking areas shall be landscaped.

(2)

Except where otherwise stated, a landscaping strip ten (10) feet in width measured from the back of curb shall be located between the parking lot and the abutting property lines, except where driveways or other openings may necessitate other treatment.

(3)

Peripheral plantings shall include one (1) shrub per twenty (20) linear feet of abutting land and one of, or a combination of the following, which need not necessarily be installed on center:

a)

One (1) understory/flowering tree per twenty (20) linear feet;

b)

One (1) shade/canopy tree per thirty-five (35) linear feet.

(4)

Trees shall be planted at a minimum of three (3) feet from any curb, so as to prevent injury to trees by vehicle bumpers. Where landscaped areas are located adjacent to vehicle overhangs, the trees shall be planted in line with the striping between parking spaces in order to avoid injury to trees by vehicle bumpers.

6.

Landscape planting strip requirements. Landscape strips shall be used to separate uses, provide vegetation in developed areas, and enhance the appearance of individual properties. The following minimum requirements shall apply to landscape planting strips:

(1)

The width of a landscape strip must be as a minimum, conform to the requirements of the conditions of zoning. Otherwise, the minimum width of landscape strips must conform to this ordinance, whichever is greater.

(2)

Landscape plantings shall be provided in a landscape strip of at least ten (10) feet wide in which adjacent to any street right of way abutting the property and running the length of the entire property frontage; and in areas adjacent or internal to off street parking lots that contain more than ten (10) parking spaces; and as required by a condition of zoning.

(3)

No permanent structures are permitted within landscape strips, with the exception of identification signage and light posts. This includes pavement, retaining walls, curbing, dumpsters, drainage structures, detention facilities, rip-rap, utility boxes, vacuum/air/water, etc. The deposition of storm water runoff into or drainage swales through a landscape strip is not permitted. Graded slopes within a landscape strip may not be steeper than 4:1.

(4)

Wheel stops must be used to prevent vehicle overhang into required landscape strips, parking islands and walkways if sidewalks are less than five and one-half (5½) feet wide.

(5)

Landscape strips shall contain one (1) tree for each thirty-five (35) linear feet of strip length. Each tree shall be at least eight (8) feet planted. Clumping is permitted provided that adequate spacing is allowed for future growth there is no gap greater than fifty (50) feet.

(6)

Landscape strips shall contain ten (10) shrubs for each thirty-five (35) linear feet of strip length. Clumping is permitted provided that adequate spacing is allowed for future growth and there is no gap greater than fifty (50) feet.

(7)

The remaining ground area shall be sodded, seeded, or hydro-seeded with grass, and/or planted with groundcover species.

(8)

Where landscaping areas adjoin grassed rights-of-way, such areas shall be considered part of the landscaped area for purposes of maintenance. As of completion of site improvements, the property owner shall have an implied easement on rights-of-way extending from the property line to the edge of road pavement in order to complete the required maintenance.

7.

Landscape screening planting requirements. Screening shall be used as a buffer between incompatible uses, and to reduce the effects of headlight glare, noise, and other objectionable activities. The following minimum requirements shall apply to screening:

(1)

Screening shall be installed on all lot lines where commercial, industrial, and institutional uses abut residential zoning districts except for entrances and exits.

(2)

Screening may consist of a fence, a wall, a berm, or vegetation and/or a mix of any or all of the foregoing. The outer or public side of fences and walls shall be landscaped enough to soften the structure with a tree or shrub group at least every fifty (50) feet. Berms must be a minimum two (2) feet high, two (2) foot minimum crown width, and side slopes of no greater than 3:1.

(3)

Parking areas shall be adequately screened so as to not be visible from contiguous residential areas and shall have limited visibility from adjoining streets.

(4)

Dumpster and trash storage/collection areas shall be adequately screened so as not to be visible from streets and/or adjacent properties regardless of adjacent land use or zoning classification.

(5)

Loading areas shall be adequately screened so as not to be visible form any residential areas or streets.

(6)

Heating and cooling units for developments shall be adequately screened so as not to be visible from streets and/or adjoining streets.

(7)

All plantings used for screening shall consist of evergreen trees, shrubs, or combination thereof All trees planted shall be a minimum five (5) feet planted and shall be a species which will achieve a height of at least twenty (20) feet at maturity. All shrubs planted shall be a large growing species, shall be a minimum of two (2) feet planted, and shall be a species which will achieve a height of at least ten (10) feet at maturity.

(8)

Plants shall be spaced so as to provide for effective visual screening within three (3) growing seasons. Planting beds required for screening shall be a minimum of six (6) feet in width.

8.

Landscape buffer planting requirements. Buffers shall be required between uncomplimentary uses in accordance with the provisions of this ordinance or as a condition of zoning. Buffers are a landscaping requirement that is in addition to the minimum landscaping requirements of any site development in the City of West Point.

(1)

Landscape buffers are intended to separate different land uses and zoning districts from each other and are intended to eliminate or minimize potential nuisances such as dirt, litter, noise, glare of lights, signs, and unsightly buildings or parking areas. Buffer requirements between different zoning districts are outlined in Appendix A, section 22 of the zoning ordinance.

(2)

Buffers will be left undisturbed or required to be densely re-planted depending on the quality of the existing buffer.

9.

Landscape maintenance. The owner, occupant, tenant and respective agent of each, if any, shall be jointly and severally responsible for all vegetation located on the property.

(1)

Vegetation shall be maintained to promote natural shape and healthy growth, meaning pruned regularly in accordance with the recommendation established for the specific plant material by the American Association of Nurserymen and the American Standard for Nursery Stock.

(2)

Approved screens, buffers, and landscape areas shall be maintained free of weeds, meaning any plant material not on the approved landscape plan, as approved or amended. Areas containing grass, as approved, on the landscape plan, shall be regularly cut to maintain an attractive and pest free site; grass area reaching a height more of more than eight (8) inches or weeds within screens, buffers, and landscape areas shall be considered a violation of required maintenance and shall also evaluate as a potential public nuisance.

(3)

Diseased and dead plant materials shall be replaced in accordance with the approved plan within thirty (30) days after written notice from the planning director. An extension for installation to occur during the next appropriate planting season may be granted.

(4)

For all uses after the effective date of this ordinance, the owner, occupant, or agent of the new use shall maintain all vegetation installed in accordance with an approval landscape plan.

(Ord. No. 15-6, § 4, 4-13-15)