Ordinances-2017-395 - Zoning Code Amendment - Section 17

17.05 PROTECTION AND MAINTENANCE A. The provisions of this section apply to all plantings required by the zoning ordinance, whether newly planted or preserved. B. Required planting areas must be separated from abutting vehicular use areas, including parking spaces, drives, aisles, alleys, vehicle display and loading areas, etc., by an unmountable curb or barrier that is a minimum of five inches (5") in height. The curb or barrier must be constructed in such a manner that salt water runoff will not damage trees or plantings. C. The property owner must keep all plantings properly maintained, pruned as needed, and free from trash and litter. It is the responsibility of the property owner to maintain and replace trees and plantings required by the zoning ordinance. Required landscaping must be continuously maintained in a healthy manner. Plants that die must be replaced. Improper maintenance, pruning, or removal of plantings may be subject to municipal infraction proceedings, up to and including environmental infraction proceedings. D. Any trees that overhang the public right of way must be maintained in accordance with the provisions of 16.09, "Trees and Plant Materials", of this code. E. To prevent interference with pedestrian traffic, plantings must be located appropriately and maintained so that foliage does not grow any closer than one foot (1') to the edge of a sidewalk or pedestrian trail. This one foot (1') setback must be maintained for at least the first nine feet (9') of plant height. F. Maintenance of trees within street rights of way is the responsibility of the City. 17.06 SCREENING STANDARDS (S-SERIES) The screening and buffering standards listed below will be applied throughout the zoning ordinance, where they will be referenced with the numbers S1, S2, S3, etc. The plant varieties listed in table 17-2, located at the end of this section, are to be used to satisfy the requirements of these various standards. Deviations from the listed plants are allowed if the replacement shrubs are similar in form or hardiness to a permitted variety and are approved by the City. A. General Buffering, S1: 1. Intent: The S1 standard is a basic transitional buffering standard, where planting areas separate uses from the public right of way, define edges and separate vehicular use areas from pedestrians, yet allow views to easily penetrate, as for outdoor sales display lots and for general landscaping on commercial properties.