§ 19.25.050. General landscaping standards.

A.

Materials.

1.

General. Landscaping may consist of a combination of groundcovers, shrubs, vines, and trees. Landscaping may also include incidental features such as stepping stones, benches, fountains, sculptures, decorative stones, or other ornamental features, placed within a landscaped setting.

2.

Ground Cover Materials. Ground cover shall be of live plant material. Groundcover may include grasses. Non-plant materials such as gravel, colored rock, cinder, bark, and similar materials may not be used to meet the minimum planting area requirements required by this article, except with approval of an Alternative Landscape Plan. Mulch must be confined to areas underneath shrubs and trees and is not a substitute for ground cover plants.

3.

Turf Allowance/Drought-Tolerant Materials. The maximum amount of lawn in required landscape areas shall be 30 percent for non-residential uses and 50 percent for residential uses except for turf areas that comprise an essential component of a project (e.g., golf courses or playing fields), which are exempt from this limit. The use of drought-tolerant plant materials is strongly encouraged. Plant materials shall be grouped by common irrigation needs.

4.

Size and Spacing. Plants shall be of the following size and spacing at the time of installation:

a.

Ground Covers. Ground cover plants other than grasses must be at least four-inch pot size or flats. Areas planted in ground cover plants other than grass seed or sod must be planted at a rate of one per 12 inches on center. Flats shall be planted on 6 inch centers or as designated by planting recommendation for subject species.

b.

Shrubs. Shrubs shall be a minimum size of one gallon. When planted to serve as a hedge or screen, shrubs shall be planted with two to four feet of spacing, depending on the plant species.

c.

Trees. Trees shall be a minimum of 15 gallons in size with a one-inch trunk diameter at breast height (dbh) or as otherwise conditioned by the Design Review Board.

B.

Dimension of Landscaped Areas. No landscaped area smaller than three feet in any horizontal dimension shall count toward required landscaping.

C.

Existing Trees. Existing healthy trees shall be maintained whenever possible. Existing trees meeting size requirements and consistent with any applicable limitations on tree species within the Municipal Code may be counted toward required landscaping. Existing trees that are to remain shall be protected from root damage during construction.

D.

Drivers' Visibility. Trees and shrubs shall be planted and maintained so that at maturity they do not interfere with traffic safety sight areas, or public safety. See Section 19.24.070(C).

E.

Irrigation. An irrigation system shall be installed that consists of underground piped water lines with low water flow sprinklers and/or drip or trickle irrigation systems. The irrigation system shall be designed and installed to provide adequate coverage to all plant material by a license landscape architect or contractor.

(Ord. 2008-2 Div. II (part), 2008.)