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Article 13 — Site Development, Chapter 13-2 — LANDSCAPING
§ 13-2-1
Landscape Strips Required
Landscape strips shall be required along rights-of-way for residential and nonresidential uses as specified in Table 4-1 and Table 5-1.
Table 13-3: Minimum Landscape Strip Requirements for Residential Districts
| Landscape Strip Requirement | R-I-A | R-I | R-II | N-C | R-O |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjacent to street, nonresidential uses | 20 ft. min. | 20 ft. min. | 20 ft. min. | 20 ft. min. | 20 ft. min. |
| Adjacent to an existing street for multi-family developments and subdivisions of 5 or more lots which result in the creation of a new street | 20 ft. min. | 20 ft. min. | 20 ft. min. | 20 ft. min. | 20 ft. min. |
Table 13-4: Minimum Landscape Strip Requirements for Nonresidential Districts
| Landscape Strip Requirement | O-I | N-B | C-B | R-B | G-B | L-I | H-I |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjacent to street, non-single family uses | 10 ft. min. | 10 ft. min. | - | 10 ft. min. | 10 ft. min. | 20 ft. min. | 20 ft. min. |
| Adjacent to an existing street for subdivisions of 5 or more lots which result in the creation of a new street | 20 ft. min. | 20 ft. min. | - | - | - | - | - |
Reading grid · rebuilt for display · verify at source (p. 360) ↗
§ 13-2-2
Minimum Landscaped Open Space Required
Non-single-family uses shall provide minimum landscaped open space on the lot as specified below.
(a)In all districts excluding C-B, L-I and H-I, a minimum of 20% of the lot area must be landscaped when the property is used for any use other than a detached single-family dwelling.
(b)In the L-I and H-I districts, a minimum of 15% of the lot area must be landscaped when the property is used for any use other than a detached single-family dwelling.
(c)There is no minimum requirement for landscaped open space in the C-B district.
§ 13-2-3
Landscaping Encroachments
Landscape strips and areas devoted to meeting minimum landscaped open space requirements shall contain no structures, parking areas, patios, stormwater detention facilities, or any other accessory uses except for:
(a)Retaining walls or earthen berms constructed as part of an overall landscape design.
(b)Pedestrian-oriented facilities such as sidewalks and bus stops.
(c)Utilities.
(d)Driveways required to access the property.
(e)Signs otherwise permitted by Article 14.
§ 13-2-4
Landscape Strip Planting Specifications
(a)One tree shall be provided within the landscape strip for every 30 feet of street frontage or portion thereof. Trees may be deciduous or evergreen but must be of a type that is suitable to local growing conditions.
(1)Deciduous trees shall be a minimum of three-inch caliper at time of planting and achieve a diameter breast (DBH) of at least 12 inches at maturity.
(2)Trees required by this section within landscape strips may be counted toward the minimum tree unit requirements established in Chapter 13-3, provided such trees are selected from the table of appropriate trees in Section 13-3-19.
(b)In addition to required trees, all portions of required landscape strips shall be planted with shrubs, grass or ground cover that is suitable to local growing conditions, except for those ground areas that are mulched. See Table 13-5 for a list of generally accepted shrubs. Shrubs not included on the list may be permitted upon approval by the Director.
Table 13-5. List of Recommended Shrubs
| Large Shrubs Common Name | Scientific Name | Small Shrubs Common Name | Scientific Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Holly | Ilex opaca | Azalea (all varieties) | Rhododendron (all varieties) |
| Buford Holly | Ilex cornuta “bufordii” | Common Jasmine | Jasminum officinale |
| Arborvitae | Thuja occidentalis | Dwarf Buford Holly | Ilex cornuta 'Burfordii Nana’ |
| Eastern Red Cedar | Juniperus virginiana | Dwarf Burning Bush | Euonymus alatus 'Compactus' |
| Hertz Juniper | Juniperus chinensis 'Hetzii' | Dwarf Chinese Holly | Ilex cornuta 'Rotunda' |
| Leatherleaf Viburnum | Viburnum rhytidophyllum | Dwarf Yaupon Holly | Ilex vomitoria 'Nana' |
| Nell R. Stevens Holly | Ilex x ‘Nellie R. Stevens’ | Forsythia | Forsythia x intermedia |
effect following professional landscaping standards for spacing, location, and design and as approved by the Department of Community and Economic Development.
(d)At least 40% of the landscape strip area shall be covered by trees. The remaining area can be a combination of shrubs, grass, groundcover or mulch. Mulch may not exceed more than 25% of the total area of any landscape strip.
(e)Except for trees within sidewalk landscape strips, plant materials in the landscape strip shall not extend into the right-of-way unless specifically allowed by the Department of Public Works.
(f)Landscaping within site visibility triangles is permitted in accordance with Section 13-6-4.
Reading grid · rebuilt for display · verify at source (p. 361) ↗
§ 13-2-5
Parking Lot Landscaping
Deciduous shade trees shall be provided within any parking lot designed or intended to accommodate 5 vehicles or more, in accordance with the requirements of this section.
(a)One landscaping island with a deciduous shade tree shall be provided within the parking lot for every 20 parking spaces, or portion thereof. Additionally, every parking space shall be located within 70 feet of a landscape island. Trees required within parking lots by this section may be included in determinations of compliance with minimum tree unit requirements established in Section 13-3-12.
(b)A landscaping island shall be located at the end of every parking aisle between the last parking space and an adjacent travel aisle or driveway. The landscaping island shall be no less than 9 feet wide and the length of the adjacent parking space. In addition to providing a deciduous shade tree, the landscaping island shall be planted in ground cover or low-lying shrubs, except for mulch within the drip line or critical root zone of the shade tree. Landscaping materials must not encroach on site visibility at the end of parking aisles.
(c)Tree planting areas for shade trees and understory trees shall be no less than 9 feet in width and shall provide at least 150 square feet of planting space. If shared with other trees an additional 50 square feet of planting space shall be provided. No tree shall be located less than 2.5 feet from the back of curb.
(d)All parking lot landscape islands shall be curbed with minimum six-inch high header curbs, except where possible a curb cut may be used to direct runoff to swales or bioretention areas.
(e)Landscaping islands and tree planting areas shall be well drained and contain suitable soil and natural irrigation characteristics for the planting materials they contain.
(f)Grassy swales and bioretention areas are acceptable alternatives to curbing, piping, and detention of water in parking lots. Rain gardens and constructed wetlands may also be constructed to handle surface drainage of parking lots providing 10 or more parking spaces. These and other parking lot stormwater facilities shall be designed in accordance with Article 8, Chapter 11-11, and the latest revision of the Georgia Stormwater Management Manual (GSMM).
§ 13-2-6
Landscaping Plans Incorporated Into Tree Plans
(a)The landscaping requirements of this Article 13 shall be incorporated into tree plans as required by Section 11-6-9.
(b)If no tree plan is required, the Director may request the submission of a separate landscaping plan to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of this chapter, which may include any of the following as appropriate to determine compliance:
(1)Location and general type of existing trees;
(2)Existing trees to be saved;
(3)Methods and details for protecting existing trees during construction;
(4)Locations and labels for all proposed plants and a plant list or schedule showing the existing and proposed quantities in relation to any required quantities;
(5)Location and description of other landscape improvements, such as earth berms, walls, fences, screens, sculptures, fountains, street furniture, signs and light fixtures.
§ 13-2-7
Additional Landscaping Standards
The following additional standards apply:
(a)Invasive or potentially invasive plants are not permitted.
(b)Existing tree cover and natural vegetation shall be preserved to the greatest extent possible or replaced with suitable vegetation.
(c)Ground cover may be used to supplement landscaping in appropriate areas to reduce the need for extensive grass lawns, which would require regular watering in drought conditions.
(d)No artificial plants, trees, or other vegetation may be installed.
(e)Trees shall be planted to avoid conflict with utilities. This may include the installation of impermeable rigid tree root barriers, as determined by the city. When required, root barriers must be a minimum of 24 inches deep and include ribs to direct root growth downward.
(f)Except for any required trees, planted materials in parking lots shall not grow to a maturity of more than 2.5 feet to avoid site visibility problems.
(g)All plant material shall conform to the current version of the American Standard for Nursery Stock published by the American Nursery and Landscape Association.
§ 13-2-8
Landscape Maintenance
(a)The property owner must install and maintain plant materials in good and healthy condition equal to the original installation.
(b)Planting areas must be kept free of weeds, leaves and trash.
(c)Plants and materials used to comply with this chapter must be arranged to ensure easy access for maintenance, maintain clear sight lines, avoid encroaching on neighboring properties, and consist of species appropriate for the proposed location.
(d)Plant materials used to comply with this section that die or are otherwise removed must be replaced within 30 days of the date of their death or removal. An extension may be granted by the Director when the season of the year is not appropriate for landscape planting.
(e)The subject property shall continually meet the Buffers, Landscaping and Tree Protection standard set forth in the ULDC, unless exempt from this Chapter.