§ 15.1. Purpose.

The purposes of the general landscaping, screening/buffering and parking lot standards are:

(1)

To provide visual separation of more intensive uses from less intensive uses;

(2)

To preserve and enhance property values by ensuring that yards, open spaces, and parking lots are constructed and maintained with plants and landscape materials;

(3)

To preserve and incorporate naturally occurring open space and forested areas in development plans to manage stormwater runoff;

(4)

To establish standards to protect and enhance community appearance with the installation of appropriate landscaping and screening materials within the city;

(5)

To encourage prudent and skilled workmanship for the installation and maintenance of all plant materials;

(6)

To provide flexibility in the provision of required landscape materials and designs; and

(7)

To improve air quality, to reduce heat and glare and to add to the aesthetic quality of parking lots. Trees appreciably reduce the dangerous carbon dioxide content of the air, are proven producers of oxygen, and play a vital role, through transpiration and otherwise, in purifying the air we breathe. Trees are valuable physical and aesthetic community assets in that they provide cooling shade, reduce noise levels and glare, and break the monotony of large parking areas and other human developments. A variety of species of trees and shrubs is encouraged to reduce the impact of potential disease or insect infestations and to provide variety in shape, texture and seasonal color.

(Ord. No. 4140, § 1(Exh. A), 1-5-09)