The landscaping and screening regulations of this article establish
minimum requirements for landscaping and screening. The regulations
are intended to advance the general purposes of this chapter and specifically
to:
A. Enhance quality of life for residents and visitors;
C. Enhance the quality and appearance of new development and redevelopment
projects;
D. Mitigate possible adverse impacts of higher intensity land uses abutting
lower intensity land uses;
E. Promote the preservation, expansion, protection and proper maintenance
of existing trees and landscaping;
F. Help ensure wise use of water resources;
H. Protect water quality and reduce the negative impacts of stormwater
runoff by reducing impervious surface area and providing vegetated
areas that filter and retain greater amounts of stormwater on site;
I. Moderate heat by providing shade; and
J. Reduce the impacts of noise and glare.
All applications for development and construction activities
that are subject to the landscape and screening regulations of this
article must be accompanied by a landscape plan. No building permit
or similar authorization may be issued until the Code Enforcement
Officer determines that the landscaping and screening regulations
of this article have been met.
In order to encourage creativity in landscape and screening
design and to allow for flexibility in addressing atypical, site-specific
development/redevelopment challenges, the Code Enforcement Officer
is authorized to approve alternative compliance landscape plans when
it is determined that one or more of the following conditions are
present:
A. The site has space limitations or an unusual shape that makes strict
compliance impossible or impractical;
B. Conditions on or adjacent to the site such as topography, soils,
vegetation or existing structures or utilities are such that strict
compliance is impossible, impractical or of no value in terms of advancing
the general purposes of this article;
C. Safety considerations such as intersection visibility, utility locations,
etc., make alternative compliance necessary; or
D. Creative, alternative landscape plans will provide an equal or better
means of meeting the intent of the landscaping and screening regulations
of this article.