VUA Screen

Screening of parking improve community design by partially blocking views into parking lots from public streets or adjacent higher land use zones such as single family residential. A typical parking screen is a strip of planting of a certain width that stretches the length of the lot. The strip is often planted with shrubs and small trees of specified sizes and types. The purpose of the plantings is to cut down the view of parked cars while still allowing people in parking lots to be seen by patrolling security cars and from within buildings. Plantings are often specified based upon opacity or height.  A typical screening standard would be written to provide for the width and length of the planting strip and for the planting of evergreen shrubs that grow at least thirty-six (36) inches tall, appropriately spaced to form one hundred (100) percent opacity within three years. Small to medium trees shall be spaced to center on every fifth parking space along the perimeter facing a public street or a single family residential district. If the width of the planting strip is increased by one hundred (100) percent, large shade trees may be substituted for small to medium trees to provide for parking lot shading. Standard VUA screen planting strips are generally three (3) feet wide.