[Ord. No. 509, 8-11-2021]
A.
This Section is intended to provide for the health, safety and
welfare of the citizens of the City by preserving existing vegetation
and providing that future development provide landscaping that meets
the following objectives and criteria:
1.
All efforts will be made to preserve existing trees.
2.
Proposed landscaping improvements will be of such
species as necessary to live in Southwest Missouri's environment.
3.
Landscaping to be installed should be of a sufficient
quantity and size to:
a.
Screen all buildings from adjoining properties.
b.
Screen parking areas from roads and neighboring
properties with dense landscaping.
c.
Provide a buffer between commercial properties and
the road through substantial landscaping. Such buffers shall allow
visibility by the general public, but also provide vegetation that
will screen portions of the building and parking area.
d.
Provide a landscaped area between residential properties
and the street, including trees and other landscape materials.
e.
Screen developments on slopes of over fifteen percent
(15%). Developers shall be required to place additional trees in sufficient
numbers to screen such properties from major thoroughfares, such as
Highway 13.
[Ord. No. 509, 8-11-2021]
A.
All yards and parking areas shall be landscaped in accordance
with the following requirements:
1.
Provisions for landscaping, screening and maintenance
are a continuing obligation of the property owner, and where approved
trees, shrubs or other landscaping materials die or are removed, it
shall be the responsibility of the applicant to replace them with
materials of a comparable nature and size to those originally approved.
2.
Site plans indicating landscaping improvements shall
be included with the plans submitted to the Planning and Zoning Commission
for approval. Issuance of a building permit includes these required
improvements which shall be completed or guaranteed prior to issuance
of a certificate of occupancy.
3.
Existing trees, plant material and special site
features shall be preserved within a project site to the fullest extent
possible.
4.
All required yards and the entire open space of
all multi-family dwelling sites, exclusive of walks, drives, parking
areas and buildings, shall be landscaped and permanently maintained.
Landscaping shall primarily consist of ground cover, trees, shrubs
and other living plants with sufficient irrigation to properly maintain
all vegetation. Decorative design elements such as fountains, pools,
benches, sculptures, planters, fences and similar elements may be
placed within the area, but shall not be the dominant feature of any
yard.
[Ord. No. 509, 8-11-2021]
A.
All open storage areas shall be screened from public rights-of-way
or adjacent property by use of landscaping, berms or a combination
of landscaping and other structural elements to a height of six (6)
feet. Parking or storage uses accessory to a primary single-family
use and located on an adjoining lot shall be fully screened with the
use of decorative fencing that is architecturally compatible to the
primary residence (using wood, stone or similar natural materials).
B.
Any site contiguous to or facing any residential zone or residential
use shall screen its parking areas, loading docks or similar uses
through the use of landscaping elements to a height of four (4) feet.
C.
All surface areas designated on the approved site plan that
will not be a hard surface shall be planted with adequate ground cover
as approved by the City and shall be top-dressed with a minimum of
two (2) inches of top soil prior to planting. In addition, irrigation
systems shall be provided in those instances where required to guarantee
the proper growth of the landscaping being provided.
D.
Trees shall be provided in the following manner:
1.
Within all other yards, trees shall be provided
in a number adequate to buffer the project from adjacent uses.
2.
All required trees shall be a minimum of four (4)
feet in height, with the exception that twenty-five percent (25%)
of the required trees for any project shall be a minimum of six (6)
feet in height.
3.
All required trees shall have a minimum caliper,
measured two (2) inches above ground level, of one and one-half (1 1/2)
inches.
E.
Public rights-of-way adjacent to the site shall also be landscaped
if in the opinion of the Planning and Zoning Commission such landscaping
is necessary to complete the project. Specifically, the applicant
is responsible for improving the area between the street roadway and
the applicant's property line.
[Ord. No. 509, 8-11-2021]
A.
Landscaping Area Required.
1.
Wherever off-street surface parking abuts a public
right-of-way, a minimum five-foot-wide landscaped buffer zone shall
be provided.
2.
Wherever off-street parking abuts a building or
structure, a minimum five-foot-wide landscaped buffer zone shall be
provided. The buffer zone may contain limited areas devoted to paved
walkways and required handicapped access ramps and pathways but shall
be predominantly landscaped.
3.
Unused space resulting from the design of parking
areas shall be landscaped.
B.
Shrubs Required. Planting areas shall be planted with one (1)
shrub or vine for every twenty-five (25) square feet of total landscape
area. Fifty percent (50%) of the shrubs and/or vines shall be of five-gallon
size or larger. The required shrubs and/or vines shall be evenly distributed
throughout the site.
C.
Turf Required. Turf incorporated into the landscape design shall
not constitute more than fifty percent (50%) of the total landscaped
area. The department may approve greater turf coverage, provided the
turf serves a usable and beneficial purpose (e.g., recreation areas
or temporary outdoor display area), or provided the percentage of
turf area is provided in an approved specific plan. Turf shall be
of a drought-tolerant variety. Turf shall not be used in parking area
planting medians or islands.
D.
Ground Cover. Areas not covered by trees, shrubs, vines, or
turf shall be planted with ground cover. No more than thirty percent
(30%) of the ground cover may be materials other than plant materials
(e.g., decomposed granite, masonry, pavers, etc.) acceptable to the
department. The use of artificial plants is prohibited.
E.
Design Standards.
1.
Planting areas directly abutting the parking area
shall be enclosed by a raised, continuous curb of Portland cement
concrete, or other material acceptable to the Building Official. The
curb shall be at least six (6) inches high and six (6) inches wide.
The finished grade within the planter shall be at least two (2) inches
below the top of the curb.
2.
Landscaped areas located wholly within and bordered
on all sides by the parking area shall not be required to comply with
Section 400.634(E)(1) of this Chapter to allow for natural drainage
into landscaping medians.
3.
Where vehicles are allowed to overhang landscaped
areas, landscaped areas shall be a minimum of six (6) feet in width,
and the vehicle overhang shall not exceed two (2) feet. Trees in these
areas shall be aligned with the parking stripe or otherwise located
to avoid tree damage by parked vehicles.
F.
Authority To Alter. The Administrative Officer shall have the
authority to require additional landscaping in excess of the minimum
standards in Section 400.634, provided the additional landscaping
is deemed necessary to:
