§ 28.06.050. Parking lot screening and landscaping.

A.

Required Screening. All new parking lots or additions to parking lots shall be continuously screened from view from adjacent residential districts and certain types of streets when within one hundred fifty (150) feet thereof (measured from the property line adjacent to the street), except at points of vehicular and/or pedestrian ingress and egress, to a minimum height of three (3) feet above the parking surface by the use of Berms and/or plantings, with the following exemptions: (1) open parking lots in one-family and two-family residential projects in any zoning district and (2) open parking lots in industrial districts located on collector streets with industrial zoning on both sides of the street. Walls and fences may be used in combination with Berms and plantings but may not be used as the sole means of screening a parking lot, except in the Central Business District where walls and fences may be used as the sole screening if they are compatible (i.e., similar in color, texture and pattern) with the architectural character of adjacent buildings and if it can be demonstrated that Berms or plantings would result in loss of parking spaces. This requirement shall apply to all at-grade expressway, freeway, and arterial and collector Street Frontages and to all local streets when parking is across from residential zoning districts. On corner lots where parking is within one hundred fifty (150) feet of two (2) or more streets but not all the Street Frontages require parking lot screening (due either to type of street or zoning district across the street), the parking lot screening shall wrap around the corner of the lot from the frontage which does require screening for a distance of not less than one hundred (100) feet.

1.

Walls or fences used in combination with Berms and/or plantings shall avoid a blank and monotonous appearance by such measures as architectural articulation and placement of vines, shrubs and/or trees.

2.

All screening and landscape elements may be located within and be substituted for required landscape buffers and Street Yards, provided sight clearances are maintained as specified in this Chapter and provided further that the minimum number of trees otherwise required in the yard or buffer are established in the Street Yard. Shrubs used in meeting screening requirements shall not be substituted for required trees.

3.

Where walls and fences are to be combined with vines and shrubs to create the screening effect, they should be located in a planting strip with a minimum width of no less than three (3) feet from the edge of any adjacent sidewalk. Landscape Materials shall be located on the public right-of-way side of the wall or fence.

4.

Where shrubs, trees and other landscape materials are used exclusively to create the screening effect, they should be located in a planting strip with a minimum width of no less than five feet from the edge of the parking lot paving to the edge of any adjacent sidewalk.

5.

Where Berms are to be combined with trees, lawn, turf, grasses, shrubs, walls or fences to create the screening effect, they should be located in a planting strip with a minimum width of no less than ten (10) feet from the edge of the parking lot paving to the edge of any adjacent sidewalk.

6.

Planting strips associated with parking lot screening may be located in whole or in part on public street right-of-way on the basis of an approved landscape plan, provided adequate public right of way exists, there is no less than fourteen and one-half feet of right-of-way between the property line and the curb, no conflict exists with public utilities, and the location of Berms, walks, irrigation fixtures and other permanent landscape features is subject to a Right of Way Use Permit granted by the City Engineer.

7.

The minimum size at the time of installation of plant materials used for parking lot screening shall be as follows: Shade Trees—two (2) inch or greater caliper measured at a height of six (6) inches above the ground; ornamental trees—one (1) inch or greater caliper measured six (6) inches above the ground; Conifer Trees—five (5) feet or more in height; Shrubs—eighteen-inch (18) height. Shrubs used for parking lot screening shall be expected to obtain a height of at least thirty-six (36) inches within the third year after planting. Spacing between shrubs will depend upon the type of Shrub but shall be close enough to achieve a visual screen when the plants reach maturity.

8.

Evergreen and/or deciduous plant materials may be used, provided a solid screening effect is maintained on at least two-thirds (2/3) of the treated street frontage during all seasons of the year.

9.

All screening materials and landscape features shall be protected from vehicular damage or encroachment by appropriately located curbs or wheel stops.

B.

Required Landscaping. All new parking lots or additions to parking lots which create twenty (20) or more spaces and which are required to provide screening in accordance with this Chapter shall also be required to provide at least one (1) shade tree or two (2) ornamental trees for each twenty (20) parking spaces or fraction thereof over twenty (20) spaces. Vehicle queuing and holding areas shall not be counted when determining the number of spaces in a lot. Up to one-half (1/2) of all trees required by the Landscaped Street Yard calculations may be used to satisfy these parking lot landscaping requirements. The trees shall be located within and around the parking lot to enhance the appearance of the lot and to reduce the deleterious effect of large expanses of paved areas. In parking lots containing fifty (50) spaces or more with two (2) or more drive aisles and three (3) or more parking bays, all of which are contiguous, at least one-half (1/2) of the required trees shall be planted in interior planting islands with each tree having a minimum permeable ground surface area of twenty-five (25) square feet. Trees shall be protected from possible damage caused by vehicle bumpers by the use of bumper blocks, raised curbs or other protective means. Whenever this requirement results in loss of potential spaces to the extent that the number of parking spaces required by the UZC cannot then be provided, an adjustment in the number of parking spaces shall automatically be granted without having to receive Board of Zoning Appeals' approval. The minimum acceptable tree size at the time of installation shall be a two (2) inch caliper for a shade tree and a one (1) inch caliper for an ornamental tree, both measured at a height of six inches above the ground.

(Ord. No. 50-340 § 5, 10-11-16)