The purpose and intent of this chapter is to encourage healthy, attractive landscapes in the property and to assist property owners in developing their property in a manner which is consistent with its natural constraints. Minimum requirements and standards are established to promote safety, provide screening between incompatible uses, to safeguard privacy, to promote wise and efficient use of potable water resources, to protect water quality and aesthetics of streams and wetlands and the aesthetic assets of to community, and to reduce the impact of development on the environment. It is expected that good landscaping design principles will be applied at all times, including:
A. 
Spacing for proper growth and root development.
B. 
Layering of landscaping, including groundcover, scrubs and trees.
C. 
Safety to pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
D. 
Proper access and patrol for fire and police departments.
E. 
Wise and efficient use of water resources.
F. 
Planting variety to add spring, summer and fall color.
G. 
Enhance the streetscape using street trees.
H. 
Providing relief to blank walls or buffers to parking lots and parking garages.
(Ord. 1295 § 10 (Exh. 1B) (part), 2011; Ord. 1427 § 3 (Exh. C) (part), 2019)
Landscaping shall be required according to the provisions of this chapter for all uses except single-family dwellings and shall apply throughout the city.
(Ord. 1295 § 10 (Exh. 1B) (part), 2011; Ord. 1427 § 3 (Exh. C) (part), 2019)
A. 
A plan of the proposed landscaping and screening shall be provided, which shall be incorporated into plans submitted for building permit review.
B. 
Landscape plans shall be drawn to scale, including dimensions and distances, and shall clearly delineate the existing and proposed parking spaces or other vehicular use area, access aisles, driveways, and the location, size and description of all landscape materials using both botanical and common names.
C. 
Landscape plans shall be subject to the approval of the planning director.
(Ord. 1295 § 10 (Exh. 1B) (part), 2011; Ord. 1427 § 3 (Exh. C) (part), 2019)
A. 
Purpose. The purpose of parking lot landscaping is to soften the visual appearance, screen views of parking lots, add shade, limit the amount of impervious surface and reinforce safe pedestrian access to buildings and connecting sidewalks.
1. 
To break up the visual effect created by large expanses of barren asphalt;
2. 
To encourage the preservation of mature evergreen and other large trees which presently grow throughout the county;
3. 
To ensure the preservation of land values by creating an environmental quality that complements the objectives of the respective land uses.
B. 
Landscape Plans. No building permit shall be issued where landscaping is required until a landscaping plan has been submitted and approved by the planning director.
C. 
Parking Lots. Parking lot landscaping shall consist of all of the following:
1. 
One tree for every six parking stalls. Trees to consist of shade canopy deciduous trees a minimum of two inches in caliper.
2. 
Five shrubs shall be provided for every one hundred fifty square feet of parking island.
3. 
Evergreen groundcovers shall be planted to achieve ninety percent coverage within three years of the time of planting. Lawn may be used in lieu of shrubs and groundcovers for parking islands exceeding two hundred square feet in area.
4. 
A landscape island shall be provided at the end of parking aisles.
5. 
The total of all interior landscaped areas shall be equal to or greater than ten percent of the total parking lot area (including parking, maneuvering, and loading areas). The first five feet in width of perimeter landscaped areas abutting public rights-of-way may count towards the requirement.
6. 
If grass pave, rain store, or an equivalent alternative is proposed for the parking lot design, an alternative landscape plan may be approved the city; provided, that the intent of this chapter has been met.
7. 
Shrubs shall be planted to have a three-foot minimum height differential from the parking lot and shall be spaced to form a continuous shrub to shield parking and pedestrian areas.
D. 
Additional Plantings. Additional plantings may be placed on street right-of-way behind the sidewalk line if the property owner provides the city with a written release of liability for damages which may be incurred to the planting area from any public use of right-of-way.
E. 
Amount and Location. Ten percent of the parking area shall be in landscaping; provided, that:
1. 
No landscaping area is less than fifty square feet in area;
2. 
No parking stall is located more than forty-five feet from a landscaped area. The city may approve landscaping plans involving alternatives to this specification for individual properties if it finds the alternatives would be more effective in meeting the purposes of this section;
3. 
All landscaping must be located between parking stalls, at the end of parking columns, or between stalls and the property line. No landscaping which occurs between the parking lot and a building or recreation area shall be considered in the satisfaction of these requirements.
F. 
Size Exception. Parking lots containing less than twelve parking spaces need provide only perimeter screening to satisfy the ten percent area requirements.
G. 
Materials Used. Planting areas shall include liberal landscaping using primarily such materials as trees, ornamental shrubs, lawn, groundcover or combinations of such materials placed in three layers.
H. 
Protective Curbing. All landscaped areas shall be protected from vehicle damage by a six-inch protective curbing and, if necessary, wheel blocks.
I. 
Timing of Installation. All required landscaping shall be installed prior to building occupancy; provided the planning director may authorize up to a one hundred twenty-day delay where planting season conflicts would produce high probability of plant loss. For the maintenance and/or replacement of landscape areas, a bond or assignment of funds to the city in a reasonable amount and for a reasonable duration as determined by the planning director shall be required.
J. 
Setback. Parking lots shall be set back a minimum of five feet from any property line and shall be landscaped to screen vehicles from the sidewalk.
(Ord. 1295 § 10 (Exh. 1B) (part), 2011; Ord. 1427 § 3 (Exh. C) (part), 2019)
A. 
A streetscape landscape zone shall be required for all streets. The purpose of these streetscape landscape improvements is to promote an aesthetic "urban" streetscape while screening parking fields from drivers and pedestrians.
B. 
The streetscape landscape shall consist of a minimum five-foot-wide planting strip adjacent to the curb and a minimum five-foot and up to a ten-foot-wide sidewalk.
C. 
Landscaping shall consist of the following:
1. 
Two-and-one-half-inch caliper deciduous street trees shall be planted twenty feet on center within the right-of-way planting strip. Street tree varieties to include sunset maples or those complementary to the surrounding developments.
2. 
Evergreen groundcovers shall be planted to achieve ninety percent coverage within three years of the time of planting. Low perennials are encouraged within the planter strips.
3. 
Cul-de-sac street trees to be planted inside of sidewalk for fire trucks.
4. 
Individual planters (e.g., half wine barrels) and hanging baskets are encouraged and may be credited as meeting some of the landscaping requirements. Other adjustments/credits to the landscape requirements may be made at the discretion of the planning director.
(Ord. 1295 § 10 (Exh. 1B) (part), 2011; Ord. 1427 § 3 (Exh. C) (part), 2019)
Development in waterfront mixed-use district should have extensive landscaping of large parking areas, along streetscapes and for pedestrian-oriented open spaces which can be seen from the street and pedestrian-oriented areas. Landscaping can also help to define areas and separate areas thereby bringing a human scale to these intense uses.
A. 
The waterfront area has the potential of suffering from large paved areas causing temperatures to rise during warmer months, from having declining air quality due to increased transportation uses, and from appearing to be a vast wasteland of parking lots. Vegetation and trees can help mitigate these conditions, by providing shade that will lower temperatures, and by helping to clean the air.
1. 
Parking areas should have one tree per every four parking stalls. (See Section 17B.25.120, Guideline 21: Parking Lots—Landscaping Design.)
B. 
Parking areas must be screened from all pedestrian-oriented areas through the use of trees, shrubs, walls and/or trellis structures with plants. See Section 17B.25.120, Guideline 21: Parking Lots—Landscape Design.
C. 
Parking lots should provide landscaping next to buildings and along walkways. Parking lots should provide enough trees so that fifty percent of the lot is shaded within a five-year period and landscape beds have a ninety percent ground coverage in three years.
D. 
Arbors or trellises supporting living landscape materials should be considered for ornamentation on exterior walls. Any such feature should cover an area of at least one hundred square feet and include sufficient plantings to achieve at least thirty percent coverage by plant materials within three years.
E. 
Where pedestrian activity is encouraged onto the site, the screening does not have to be site obscuring.
F. 
Utilities are required to be under ground, and aboveground equipment should be located away from major pedestrian streets and corners. Equipment boxes and vaults must be placed in back of the sidewalk and where landscaping can minimize or screen their impact. See Section 17B.25.120, Guideline 12: Screening Utility Equipment and Services.
(Ord. 1295 § 10 (Exh. 1B) (part), 2011; Ord. 1427 § 3 (Exh. C) (part), 2019)
The following landscape requirements and specifications shall apply to all landscaping required under this chapter.
A. 
Plant Selection. All plants shall be adapted to their sites (sun exposure, cold hardiness, hydrozones, soil type, soil pH, etc.). Plants with differing environmental/cultural requirements shall not be used together if desirable circumstances cannot be provided for both. New plant materials shall consist of native or drought tolerant varieties or nonnative species that have adapted to the climatic conditions of the Puget Sound region.
B. 
Plant Sizes for Streetscape Landscape. Minimum plant sizes for new landscape buffers shall be as follows:
1. 
Groundcovers: minimum four-inch pots planted to achieve ninety percent coverage within three years.
2. 
Shrubs: eighteen-inch height for required shrubs.
3. 
Canopy street trees: two-one-half-inch caliper.
4. 
Deciduous trees: two-inch caliper for canopy trees between five-foot to six-foot height for multi-stem trees.
5. 
Evergreen trees: six-foot height.
C. 
Plant Sizes for all Parking Lot Areas.
1. 
Groundcovers: four-inch pot with twelve-inch spacing or one-gallon pot with eighteen-inch spacing;
2. 
Interior shrubs: eighteen-inch height or spread for required shrubs.
3. 
Buffer shrubs: twenty-four-inch height or spread for required shrubs.
4. 
Deciduous trees: two-inch caliper.
5. 
Evergreen trees: six-foot height.
D. 
Plant Standards. All plant materials used shall meet the most recent American Association of Nurserymen Standards for nursery stock: ANSI 260.1.
E. 
Tree Pruning. All pruning shall be done in accordance with the International Society for Arboricultural Standards. It is required that all pruning be done to current standards. In no case is tree topping allowed except to create snags in critical areas.
F. 
Shrub Pruning. Shrubs shall not be pruned below the minimum heights required by these standards.
G. 
Soil Porosity. Soils in planting areas shall have adequate porosity to allow root growth. Soils which have been compacted to a density greater than eighty-five percent (penetrable with a hand shovel) shall be loosened to increase aeration to a minimum depth of eighteen inches or to the depth of the largest plant root ball, whichever is greater. Imported top soils shall be tilled into existing soils to prevent distinct soil interface from forming. After soil preparation is completed, motorized vehicles shall be kept off the area to prevent compaction and damage to underground irrigation systems and utilities.
H. 
Tree Protection. Where vehicles overhang into required landscape areas, trees shall be located such that they are not damaged by parked vehicles. Trees in lawn areas are required to have a mulched bed extending twelve inches in all directions from the base of the tree.
I. 
Water-Wise Planting. Plants having similar water use characteristics (hydrozones) shall be grouped together.
J. 
Water-Wise Irrigation. A permanent (or temporary for establishment with temporary being at least two years), efficient irrigation system shall be installed in all landscapes that do not have high soil moisture conditions. The system shall be designed to conserve water by using the best practical techniques available. Best practical management techniques available may include, but not be limited to: automatic controllers to ensure proper duration of watering, sprinkler head selection and spacing designed to minimize overspray, and separate zones for turf and plants with similar hydrozones and for full sun exposure and shady areas to meet watering needs of different sections of the landscape.
K. 
Water-Wise Mulches and Soil Amendments. Soil amendments may be necessary for a healthy growing medium, which will increase the survival rate for new planting and reduce on-going maintenance requirements. The following guidelines shall be followed when amending soil:
1. 
Incorporate water and nutrient holding materials into the soil as deep as possible.
2. 
Use fully composted organic material.
3. 
Mulch new planting areas to minimize evaporation, reduce weed growth and slow erosion.
4. 
Use fully composted material.
5. 
All mulches used in planter beds shall be feathered to the base of the plants.
(Ord. 1295 § 10 (Exh. 1B) (part), 2011; Ord. 1427 § 3 (Exh. C) (part), 2019)
Whenever landscaping is required under the provisions of this code, shrubs and trees in the landscaping and planting areas shall be maintained in a healthy growing condition. Dead or dying trees or shrubs shall be replaced immediately, and the planting area shall be maintained free of weeds and trash.
(Ord. 1295 § 10 (Exh. 1B) (part), 2011; Ord. 1427 § 3 (Exh. C) (part), 2019)
All required front and side yard areas abutting on the improved streets or highways traveled by the public shall be landscaped with planting materials such as lawn, shrubs, flowers and deciduous and evergreen trees, except those portions of the area covered by driveways or sidewalks.
(Ord. 1295 § 10 (Exh. 1B) (part), 2011; Ord. 1427 § 3 (Exh. C) (part), 2019)
A. 
Trash, Recycling and Storage Area Screening. All dumpsters, individual refuse containers, trash compactors and permanent storage areas ("containers") shall meet the following standards:
1. 
An architectural screen a minimum of one foot in height greater than the tallest portion of the container, or a minimum of six feet in height, shall surround all sides except the access entry. Building walls of adjacent structures may be used to partially satisfy this requirement. Screen walls shall be a solid visual screen constructed out of concrete block and/or masonry units. Wood may be used for gates, trellises, and other architectural screening elements that complement the surrounding buildings.
2. 
Container door(s) shall provide a solid visual screen and be constructed out of wood.
3. 
A concrete slab shall be installed as the base material within the container.
4. 
Landscape plant materials shall be used to soften the appearance of the container. Trellis-like elements with vines are encouraged to screen views into the enclosure from above. The three sides of the container that are not used for access shall be landscaped.
5. 
Recycling areas shall be conveniently located near central trash areas. They shall be large enough to contain the separate recycling of green yard materials, newspapers/print, glass (clear and mixed), plastic, and aluminum cans.
B. 
Screening of Loading Docks. Loading docks shall be screened to minimize and break up visibility from the right-of-way and pedestrian paths as may be practicable with fencing and or vegetation, such as evergreen hedges, as well as trees and shrubs.
(Ord. 1295 § 10 (Exh. 1B) (part), 2011; Ord. 1427 § 3 (Exh. C) (part), 2019)
The waterfront promenade shall provide for maximum pedestrian accessibility along the waterfront. The intent of the waterfront promenade is to have a walkway/boardwalk or beach access from Lighthouse Park to the eastside of the rail—barge facility at the Everett city limits.
A. 
All new development will have a minimum setback of twenty feet from riprap. A fifteen-foot promenade shall be built within the twenty-foot setback that conforms to the waterfront promenade standards or to provide access to the beach.
B. 
The shoreline program requires breaks between buildings to facilitate access to the water.
C. 
A pedestrian overpass should connect the Sound Transit pedestrian overpass with Mukilteo Lane with pedestrian stairs leading up to Second Street and Loveland Avenue. The purpose of this overpass is to connect the Old Town area with Mukilteo Landing and the waterfront.
D. 
Sidewalks along Front Street should be a minimum of eight feet. Sidewalks in the WMU area should be no less than five feet. All sidewalks shall be constructed of concrete, and intersections shall have special treatments which include the city's salmon imprint and scored pedestrian crosswalks.
(Ord. 1295 § 10 (Exh. 1B) (part), 2011; Ord. 1427 § 3 (Exh. C) (part), 2019)