The purpose of these standards is to provide standards for the
design and maintenance of parkways in the city. Parkways are important
to individual property owners and the city as a whole for reason that
include, but are not limited to, the following:
a. Parkways
provide soil volume that street trees need to grow into healthy, mature
trees that provide shade, collect storm water, consume carbon and
provide other environmental and health benefits.
b. Parkways
can collect and treat storm water and irrigation runoff and return
it to the groundwater table.
c. Parkways
provide a buffer between sidewalks and streets.
d. Parkways
improve the curb appeal and value of homes.
e. Parkways
enhance the visual quality of the city.
(Ord. 19-1074 § 7, 2019)
This chapter shall apply to all parkways in the city, as that term is defined in Title
19 of this code. The parkway design standards in Section
11.46.050 shall apply to all newly constructed parkways adjacent to residential properties, parkways for residential properties that are undergoing a major remodel (as that term is defined in Title
19) and parkways for residential properties that are disturbing, improving or changing fifty percent or more the area of the parkway adjacent to the property. Notwithstanding, parkways that are subject to an streetscape master plan adopted by the City Council shall comply with the provisions in the adopted streetscape master plan in lieu of compliance with the design standards in Section
11.46.050.
(Ord. 19-1074 § 7, 2019)
"Access path"
shall mean a means of access across the parkway, from the
curb to the sidewalk.
"Convenience strip"
shall mean a walkable surface provided for passengers to
enter and exit vehicles parked at the curb. Convenience strips are
a minimum 18" wide path made of hardscape paving material that is
the same finished elevation as the curb and sloped two percent towards
the curb, and runs parallel to, and along, the back of the curb.
"Hardscape paving material"
shall mean set-in or stable landscaping paving material including,
but not limited to, concrete, bricks, pavers, paving stones, and stabilized
decomposed granite.
"Invasive plant"
shall mean any plant that is non-native to the ecosystem
and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental
harm, or harm to human health.
"Non-vegetative ground cover"
shall mean any material that conceals the bare ground and
protects the topsoil from erosion or drought. Allowable non-vegetative
ground cover materials include, but are not limited to, bark chips,
long-term mulch product, and stone that is no smaller than three-quarter
inch and no larger than one inch in diameter.
"Public right-of-way"
shall mean the area of land granting access and conveyance
to the public, typically consisting of a roadway for vehicular and
bicycle travel, a curb and gutter, a parkway for plantings and groundcover
vegetative landscaping, and a sidewalk for pedestrian travel.
"Sidewalk"
shall mean that portion of the public right-of-way located
between the street curb and the adjacent property line that is paved
and intended for use by pedestrians.
"Walkable plant"
shall mean any natural turf or groundcover plant which has
a low or flat growth habit without large clumps or woody branches,
and has a high degree of tolerance to frequent foot traffic.
"Walkable surface"
shall mean a firm, uniform, level walking surface that is
slip-free in most weather conditions.
(Ord. 19-1074 § 7, 2019)
Parkways shall be constructed according to the following requirements:
a. No more than twenty-five percent of the parkway area shall contain hardscape paving materials. If the requirements of curbside access paving described in subsections
g and
h of this section, by themselves cause exceedance of this standard, this standard shall be waived and no further paving allowed.
b. No
less than fifty percent of the parkway area shall be covered with
planting materials. Planting materials shall be selected from those
plants listed in the Parkway Design Guide, or materials that are approved
by the City Engineer and comply with the following:
1. Do
not require mowing more frequently than once every few months;
2. Are
drought tolerant and can survive with irrigation only occasionally
from November through March, once a week April through June, and twice
a week July through October;
3. Do
not exceed a height of twenty-four inches at full maturity, as measured
from the surface of the parkway;
4. Do
not have thorns or sharp edges;
5. Are
not poisonous, noxious, or toxic when ingested or touched by persons
of ordinary sensitivity;
6. Are
not invasive plants or listed as prohibited in the Parkway Design
Guide; and
7. Do
not form a continuous hedge or screen at full maturity.
c. Only
walkable surfaces and plants shall be installed within twelve inches
of a fire hydrant, water meter, utility pole, street light, or similar
utility structure or equipment. If the utility owner requires a greater
clearance, then that greater setback shall apply. Walkable plantings
shall not obscure the visibility of the structures.
d. Within
the parkway, non-vegetative ground cover materials may be installed
above firm, stable soil material and at a thickness of no more than
two inches.
1. Artificial
(synthetic) turf shall not be installed in the parkway.
e. If
decomposed granite is installed in the parkways, the decomposed granite
shall be four inches thick, composed of three-eighth-inch maximum
gradation, and be blended with a stabilizing compound at a rate of
twelve pounds per ton.
f. All irrigation systems installed in the parkway shall be designed in a manner that results in no overspray onto the sidewalk, access walks, or street and be consistent with the applicable sections of Chapter
19.26 Landscaping Standards and State's Model Water-Efficient Landscape Ordinance. Irrigation systems shall be buried or installed in a manner that does not create a tripping hazard.
g. A convenience
strip consisting of a minimum eighteen inch wide path made of hardscape
paving material that is the same finished elevation as the curb and
sloped two percent towards the curb, and runs parallel to, and along,
the back of the curb shall be provided on all parkways that do not
provide a minimum eighteen inch walkable surface along the curb.
h. All
parkways that are not made of walkable surfaces or walkable plants
shall also provide an access path consisting of a up to twenty-four
inch wide hardscape paving material access path at the same finished
elevation as the adjacent curb and sidewalk and sloped two percent
toward the curb at the following locations:
1. Where
there are metered curbside parking spaces, at the meter locations;
2. Where
there are unmetered, striped curbside parking spaces, located every
two spaces at the point where the two spaces share a border;
3. Where
there are unmetered, unstriped curbside parking spaces, located every
fifty feet so as to be every two spaces at the point where the two
spaces share a border; and
4. Where
there are no curbside parking spaces, located every fifty feet.
i. All
areas of the parkway consisting of hardscape paving material shall
not contain any abrupt change in elevation greater than one-quarter
inch.
j. Paving,
walkable plantings, and non-vegetative ground cover shall be installed
within the parkway such that the surface elevation (the top of material)
shall be installed with a slope of no more than two percent in the
direction from the sidewalk to the curb. The parkway running grade
(direction parallel to the street) shall match that of the street.
k. Paving,
walkable plantings, and non-vegetative ground cover shall be installed
within the parkway such that the surface elevation (the top of material)
of the parkway shall be flush with (provides a smooth vertical transition
from one side to the other side) the adjacent street curb, walks,
and sidewalks.
l. Proposed
developments shall provide for the installation and maintenance of
a parkway landscaping strip with a minimum width of three feet along
the entire street frontage of the site between the sidewalk and the
street curb, except when determined infeasible or undesirable by the
Director of Public Works.
(Ord. 19-1074 § 7, 2019; Ord. 23-26, 1/22/2024)
A violation of this chapter is subject to the administrative penalty provisions of Sections
1.08.030 through
1.08.070 of this code. Where the violation is of a continuing nature, each day or portion thereof wherein the violation continues constitutes a separate and distinct violation. It is a violation of this chapter to knowingly make a false statement in any application for a license or permit or in any report required under this chapter.
(Ord. 19-1074 § 7, 2019)