16.80.050 Types of landscaping | Lacey Municipal Code

16.80.050 Types of landscaping.

A. All residential and nonresidential projects shall be required to provide landscaping that satisfies the functions and specific requirements of this section.

1. Purpose. Type I landscaping is intended to provide a very dense sight barrier and physical buffer to significantly separate conflicting uses and land use districts and to enhance the visual character of the city.

a. All plant materials and living ground cover must be selected and maintained so that the entire landscape area will be covered within three years.

b. Provide a minimum of one conifer at least seven feet tall for every one hundred fifty square feet arranged in a manner to obstruct views into the property. Permitted conifer species are those with the ability to develop a minimum branching width of eight feet within five years. Sufficient soil must be provided to enable growth of trees to maturity. Structural solutions may be required when necessary to support trees with limited soil availability.

c. Provide shrubs at a rate of one shrub per twenty square feet of landscaped area. Shrubs shall be at least sixteen inches tall at planting and have a mature height between three and four feet.

d. Ground cover shall cover the remainder of the landscape strip within three years.

e. A minimum of fifteen feet of width shall be required when Type I landscaping design is utilized.

f. Fences, walls, and/or earthen berms may supplement landscape materials, except where they are inconsistent with other community design goals, policies, and standards in the Lacey Comprehensive Plan or Municipal Code.

g. Any other alternative mix of plantings can be considered provided the intent of the Type I landscaping type is satisfied.

h. Vegetated LID facilities that satisfy the intent of Type I landscaping are allowed to count towards landscaping requirements.

i. Landscaping shall be native and drought tolerant with exception of trees on the city’s street tree list.

1. Purpose. Type II landscaping is intended to provide visual separation of uses from streets, and visual separation of compatible uses so as to soften the appearance of streets, parking areas and building elevation. This landscaping is used around the perimeter of a site and adjacent to buildings and may be mixed with a Type III landscaping to provide interest along parking lot pedestrian corridors.

a. All plant materials and living ground cover must be selected and maintained so that the entire landscape area will be covered within three years.

b. Provide at least one tree per three hundred square feet of landscaped area. At least fifty percent of the trees must be conifers. Trees may be clustered to avoid blocking views between windows and public spaces and/or private yard areas where desirable. Permitted tree species are those with the ability to develop a minimum branching width of eight feet within five years.

c. Provide shrubs at a rate of one shrub per twenty square feet of landscaped area. Shrubs shall be at least sixteen inches tall at planting and have a mature height between three and four feet.

d. Trees shall be a minimum of two inches in caliper measured six inches above the base at planting and shrubs must be capable of growing to a minimum of four feet in height, within five years. Sufficient soil must be provided to enable growth of trees to maturity. Structural solutions may be required when necessary to support trees with limited soil availability.

e. Provide ground cover to cover the remainder of the planting strip within three years.

f. Any other alternative mix of plantings can be considered provided the intent of the Type II landscaping type is satisfied.

g. When Type II landscaping is used to provide partial screening between uses, a minimum planting area of eight feet in width shall be provided. When Type II landscaping is used adjacent to a building, a minimum five-foot planting area shall be provided.

h. Vegetated LID facilities that satisfy the intent of Type II landscaping are allowed to count towards landscaping requirements.

i. Landscaping shall be native and drought tolerant with exception of trees on the city’s street tree list.

1. Purpose. Type III landscaping is intended to provide visual relief where clear sight is desired. This landscaping type is utilized along pedestrian corridors and walks for separation of pedestrians from streets and parking areas while providing an attractive setting and overstory canopy.

a. This type of landscaping consists of street trees for a large overstory canopy along streets and pedestrian corridors and grass or other approved vegetation for ground cover.

b. Ground cover or low shrubs developed for conditions of the Northwest shall be planted. Turf grass is desirable in planting strips where on-street parking is present. Low shrubs are desirable in areas without on-street parking to provide both visual and physical separation between moving traffic and pedestrians.

c. Place trees to create a canopy in desired locations without obstructing necessary view corridors.

d. Street trees along arterials and collectors shall be those species described in the city’s urban beautification program. Trees used along local access streets or pedestrian walks through parking lots shall be a species approved by the community and economic development department and shall be chosen for attractiveness, rooting habits, disease and pest resistance, and habitat value. All trees shall be a minimum of two inches in caliper measured six inches above the base at planting. Decorative protection may be placed around trees. Sufficient soil must be provided to enable growth of trees to maturity. Structural solutions may be required when necessary to support trees with limited soil availability.

e. Provide ground cover to cover the remainder of the planting strip within three years.

f. Earthen berms with grass or other vegetative ground cover and other design features may be worked into landscaping, provided the resultant effect of providing a pedestrian-friendly environment and visual relief where clear sight is required can be achieved.

g. The minimum width for Type III landscaping shall be six feet to provide adequate rooting area for large street trees and to provide adequate streetscape. A four-foot width may be used through parking area pedestrian walks where accent trees are used and less width is required.

h. Vegetated LID facilities that satisfy the intent of Type II landscaping are allowed to count towards landscaping requirements.

i. Landscaping shall be native and drought tolerant with exception of trees on the city’s street tree list.

1. Purpose. To provide visual relief and shade in parking areas.

(1) If the parking area contains no more than twenty-five parking spaces, at least thirty-five square feet of landscape development must be provided for each parking stall proposed.

(2) If the parking area contains more than twenty-five spaces, at least fifty square feet of landscape development must be provided for each parking stall proposed.

(1) The minimum width for Type IV landscaping shall be six feet to provide adequate rooting area for large street trees and to provide adequate streetscape. A four-foot width may be used through parking area pedestrian walks where accent trees are used and less width is required.

(2) Each planting area should contain at least one tree. Planting areas shall be provided with the maximum number of trees possible given recommended spacing for species type. Deciduous trees shall have a minimum size of two inches in caliper measured six inches above the base and shall have the ability to reach a mature height of at least thirty-five feet. Conifers shall have a minimum height of seven feet at planting. Up to one hundred percent of the trees proposed for the parking area may be deciduous. A minimum of seventy percent must be deciduous. Sufficient soil must be provided to enable growth of trees to maturity. Structural solutions may be required when necessary to support trees with limited soil availability. No parking stall shall be located more than fifty feet from a tree.

(3) Provide shrubs at a rate of one shrub per twenty square feet of landscaped area. Shrubs shall be at least sixteen inches tall at planting and have a mature height between three and four feet. Up to fifty percent of shrubs may be deciduous.

(4) Provide ground cover to cover the remainder of the planting strip within three years.

(5) A landscaped area must be placed at the interior end of each parking row in a multiple-lane parking area. This area must be at least eight feet wide and must extend the length of the adjacent parking stall.

(6) Landscaping islands must be placed in every parking row with a maximum spacing of at least one island every seven parking spaces. Said islands shall be a minimum of eight feet in width and shall extend a minimum length of ten feet. Provided, that the site plan review committee may approve of a different configuration in order to provide a more attractive and functional design consistent with the intent of this chapter to promote aesthetic values and a pedestrian-friendly parking lot.

(7) Up to one hundred percent of the trees proposed for the parking area may be deciduous. A minimum of seventy percent must be deciduous.

(8) Landscaping islands and landscape portions of pedestrian corridors may be used for drainage treatment and given credit on drainage calculations under Chapter 5 of the Development Guidelines. However, the primary purpose shall remain landscaping and health of trees and ground cover and aesthetic character shall not be compromised. Additionally in no case shall the grade between the parking lot surface edge and the landscape island or pedestrian corridor surfaces be greater than six inches when a swale concept is utilized and it is intended to meet minimum landscaping space requirements.

(9) Vegetated LID facilities that satisfy the intent of Type IV landscaping are allowed to count towards landscaping requirements.

(10) Landscaping shall be native and drought tolerant with exception of trees on the city’s street tree list.

F. Single-Family Residential. Landscaping is required for the purpose of minimizing surface water runoff and diversion, preventing soil erosion, and promoting the aesthetic character of the community. Native vegetation, ground cover, stands of trees or shrubs existing prior to development of the site may be acceptable to meet the landscaping requirement. All areas subject to clearing and grading that have not been covered by impervious surface, incorporated into a drainage facility or engineered as structural fill or slope shall be amended in accordance with the current City of Lacey Stormwater Design Manual and then landscaped with trees, native and drought-tolerant shrubs and suitable native and drought-tolerant ground cover. Suitable materials for ground cover are those which permit rain water infiltration of the soil and may include sod, shrubs, trees, and/or other native planting materials. Amended soils shall comply with the current City of Lacey Stormwater Design Manual. Single-family residential shall also comply with the provisions of LMC 14.32.066. (Ord. 1539 §128, 2019; Ord. 1496 §106, 2016; Ord. 1310 §53, 2008).