VUA Screen

Minimum Length- the length of the VUA screen planting area shall be the length of the parking area facing public streets or single family residential districts.

Minimum Width- minimum width of vehicular use area screen is generally four to seven (4-7) feet with a maximum width as the landscape design plan may provide. In situations in which the parking lot screen is also used for parking lot storm water facilities such as a bioswale conveyance channels or French drains the minimum width should be doubled.

Minimum Area- shall be the length times the width of the parking lot edge being screened.

Planting Area Character- planting sites are level and consistent with the slope of the surface pavement. In varied topographic settings planted earth berms thirty-six inches in height may be used or retaining walls sized for effective screening.

Minimum Planting Area- per Class A tree shall be two hundred (200) square feet, Class B tree shall be one hundred (100) square feet, 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-shall be composed of a raised planting bed a minimum of twelve (12) inches deep over a scarified base. The plant bed shall be 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 for parking lot screens- Planting area shall consist of three (3) Class B tree every hundred (100) linear feet of VUA screen. Shrubs and ground cover shall be planted according to the technical standards and with a mixture of species with shrubs and ground cover to create a buffer strip a minimum of seven (7) feet wide.

Spacing- per Class A trees are recommended for parking lot screens to assist with the shading of parking spaces. Class A trees shall be forty (40) feet on center and can be substituted for Class B trees. Class B trees shall be spaced thirty (30) feet on center, Class C trees if used in the parking lot screen 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.

Planting Configuration- there are several design configurations that may be used for the design of parking lot screens. They include:

The planting design of this strip may consist of any of the following design concepts.

Hedge planting thirty-six (36) inches in height composed of similar or mixed species of evergreen shrubs. The hedge may be of manicured or natural character.

Mixed planting of shrubs, small trees and flowering plants shall be of evergreen perennial character. Shrubs shall not extend above thirty six (36) inches and small trees may be used for accents but must not block critical views. Small trees shall be Class C trees and shall be spaced appropriately and limbed up into tree form when needed.

Combination screen consisting of any combination of planted screening berms, planted low masonry walls or mixed planting as mentioned above.

All shrubs used for screening must grow to the proper hedge height of thirty-six (36) inches within a three year period of time.

Plant spacing may be installed in single rows, double rows or staggered rows as the landscape design may require.

Small trees when they are used in the design shall be spaced no closer than twenty (20) feet on center.

The landscape strip may be designed to be a functioning micro-storm water facility that captures, detains, absorbs and infiltrates storm water runoff and non-point pollutants originating on the parking surface being screened. This form of a planting area may be designed as a bioswale with a concave profile, designed for a one (1) inch maximum rainfall volume, sloped less than one half percent (.5%) and planted with suitable native Louisiana plant material fully adaptable to wet soil conditions.

The planting strip may have its bed amended with sand or other porous material to allow increased percolation into the subsoil or into underground storm water chambers specially designed for collecting storm water run off. To accommodate storm water inflow the landscape strip can be expanded to a maximum size of five (5) feet in width so that plantings can be placed at the sides of the bioswale with the center left open for infiltration.

Minimum Plant Size- Class A shall be thirty (30) gallon, 3” caliper, 10-12’ tall, Class B trees shall be twenty-five (25) gallon, 2” caliper, 8-10’ tall, multi-trunk or standard. 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-opacity level of the parking screen shall have 100% opacity at thirty-six(36) inches after the three year grow in period. Opacity shall be no more than twenty (20) percent between three (3) feet and eight (8) feet in height. Opacity above eight (8)feet shall be as the landscape architect may design.

Vehicular use screen maintenance. Plants must be ,maintained to remain healthy, debris must be removed on a regular basis to allow this planted area to properly screen parked automobiles from public view

Adjacency When adjacent to the street yard planting area described in the landscape code the planting requirements of the vehicular use area screen may be blended with the requirements of the street yard planting area to reduce the numbers of required VUA screen trees by fifty (50) percent. The width of this blended planting shall be the sum of the widths of both parking lot screen and street yard planting area.