30.25.022 Parking lot landscaping.
(1) Parking lot landscaping is required for all parking areas with more than three parking stalls, except for individual single-family or duplex residences. Parking lot landscaping is required in addition to any perimeter landscaping required by SCC 30.25.020.
(2) Parking lot landscaping shall be installed as follows to provide visual relief and shade in parking areas, to decrease reflected heat and glare, and to mitigate aesthetic impacts:
(a) An area equal to at least 10 percent of the parking lot area shall be landscaped;
(b) Trees shall be included in parking lot landscaping at the rate of one tree for every seven parking stalls or one per landscaping area or island, whichever is greater;
(c) Low growing evergreen shrubs and groundcover, not to exceed a mature height of approximately 30 inches shall be planted in each parking lot landscaping area or island. Shrubs shall be planted approximately three feet on center and groundcover shall be planted approximately 12 inches on center;
(d) Lawn may be allowed as a substitute for shrubs and groundcover in parking lot landscaping if an applicant demonstrates that the areas proposed for lawn can and will be easily maintained; and
(e) Coniferous evergreen trees shall not be planted in parking lot landscaping islands or in any other location where they could obstruct lines of sight or create a safety hazard.
(3) No passenger vehicle parking stall shall be more than 50 feet from a landscaped area or island.
(4) Parking lot landscaping areas or islands shall be at least 80 square feet in size and shall have a minimum horizontal dimension of four feet in every portion of the island.
(5) All landscaping areas or islands shall be protected from vehicle damage by six-inch protective curbing, and, if necessary, wheel blocks. Vehicle overhang into landscaping areas is prohibited unless the required landscape area adjacent to any parking stall overhang area is increased in width by a minimum of two feet.
(6) A landscaping island shall be located at the end of each row of passenger vehicle parking, and in mid-row or other locations as needed to meet the requirements of this section; provided that parking lots containing fewer than 20 parking stalls may satisfy the 10 percent landscaping requirement with plantings in any area.
(7) When a parking area abuts residentially-zoned property or a property developed for residential use, a solid fence (gaps no greater than one-quarter inch) at least 48 inches high shall be required to block headlight glare; provided that the department may modify or waive this requirement when the abutting property or existing or likely future development is separated topographically from the parking area or otherwise protected from headlight glare.
(8) For calculating the 10 percent landscaping requirement, parking lot area shall include all areas devoted to parking spaces, driveways, and aisles accessing passenger vehicle parking spaces, accessible routes of travel across a parking area, and landscape islands within a parking area. Truck loading areas and truck turnarounds, if not in the passenger vehicle parking areas, and outdoor storage and outdoor display areas are not included in the calculation of parking lot area for landscaping purposes.
(9) Parking lot landscaping may include landscape areas adjacent to property lines, critical areas buffers, buildings, recreation areas, and roads. These areas may not be double counted as fulfilling the requirements for perimeter landscaping or for open space or other required landscape buffers unless specifically so provided.
(10) Low impact development best management practices employing native vegetation installed to assist with parking lot stormwater management may count towards the 10 percent landscaping requirement. (Added by Amended Ord. 02-064, Dec. 9, 2002, Eff date Feb. 1, 2003; Amended by Amended Ord. 08-101, Jan. 21, 2009, Eff date Apr. 21, 2009; Amended by Amended Ord. 17-070, Nov. 1, 2017, Eff date Dec. 1, 2017).