Landscape Screen
Technical Standards for Landscape Screens 
General- landscape screens composed of plantings, masonry walls or wooden fencing or some approved combination of these shall be used to screen views to site service areas, lay down storage areas, trash collection areas and exterior mechanical equipment is sited posing a visual disconcerting element on the building site to adjacent property owners or citizens using public streets.
Minimum Length- shall be the length of site element or specific space that the site element occupies facing a conflicting land use zoning district or a public street.
Minimum Width- minimum width of landscape screen shall be five (5) feet, multifamily residential and commercial land uses. This space can be reduced if decorative wooden fencing or masonry walls are used in the design along with the general planting standard.
Minimum Area- length times width of planting area. Area coverage may be adjusted to site conditions and property line tree preservation as long as square footage requirement is met with approval of landscape administrator.
Planting Area Character- level to sloping graded planting area with built up plant beds.
Planting Configuration- may be geometrically formal or informal as the landscape design plan shall illustrate.
Minimum Planting Area- per Class C tree shall be fifty (50) square feet. Large container shrubs and B&B shrubs shall have a planting area as required by the landscape architect. Seven (7) gallon shrubs shall have an area a minimum of sixteen (16) square feet, three (3) gallon shrubs shall have a minimum area of four (4) square feet, one (1) gallon shrubs or ground covers shall have a minimum areas of two and one half (2.5) feet, and four (4) inch container stock shall have an area of one (1) square foot to grow in.
Minimum Plant Bed Design- planting beds for Class C trees, small trees, shrubs, and ground covers are required for all residential and commercial landscape screens. These planting beds shall be composed of a raised planting bed a minimum of eight (8) inches deep over a scarified sub base and composed of an amended planting mixture, mulched with a minimum of two (2) inches of aged pine bark mulch and top dressed with one (1) inch of pine bark straw to prevent washing. Soil mix fertilizer amendment and chemical weed control composition shall be as the landscape architect may specify.
General Planting Standard- the landscape screen planting standard shall be one (1) Class C tree, six (6) shrubs, and ten (10) ground cover plants for every fifteen (15) feet of length of the landscape screen. Shrubs and ground cover must provide a minimum of eighty (80) percent opacity of the element to be screened within three (3) years. Turf grass, decorative gravel or hardwood mulch shall cover the remainder.
Spacing- per Class C trees shall be spaced ten to fifteen (10 to 15) feet on center. Large container shrubs and B&B shrubs shall be planted as required by the landscape architect. Seven (7) gallon shrubs shall be spaced four to six (4-6) feet on center, three (3) gallon shrubs shall be spaced two to three (2-3) on center, one (1) gallon shrubs or ground covers shall be spaced eighteen to twenty-four (18-24) inches on center, and four (4) inch container stock shall be planted twelve (12) inches on center.
Minimum Plant Size- Class C trees shall be 4-6” tall at time of planting. B&B shrubs shall be thirty-six to forty-eight (48) inches tall upon planting, seven gallon shrubs shall be a minimum of thirty-six (36) inches tall at time of planting, three (3) gallon shrubs shall be a minimum of twenty-four (24) inches tall at time of planting and all one (1) gallon shrubs shall be a minimum of fifteen (15) inches tall at time of planting. All plants must conform to these standards or the general plant material size specifications of the American Nursery & Landscape Association which ever is greater.
Other- all landscape beds shall be weed free. In some instances complete enclosure may be required by the landscape administrator. Trash storage dumpsters shall not be exposed to view from off site positions and must be equipped with planted masonry walls from at least three directions with a heavy duty closing door from the direction of mechanical pick up. In high rise zoning districts a wooden trellis may be required fifteen (15) feet over head.
The perimeter of parking structures are landscaped at ground level with a minimum of one tree (15-gallon) for every twenty (20) feet of wall elevation in addition to any required streetscape or boundary landscaping. Multi story planters and green screens can be required in situation where the facility abuts a residential property line.
