Legal Documents of Sweetwater

In order to provide shade and to break up the expanse of asphalt, parking lots shall be landscaped per the following requirements: 

1. One (1) shade tree shall be planted in landscape islands located at the encl of each parking row.
2. One (1) shade tree shall be planted in landscape islands located within a parking row.
3. One (1) shade tree shall be planted per every seven hundred fifty (750) square feet of landscape strip located in front of a parking row. In order to protect the view of the principal wall sign from the street at the main entrance(s) into the site, flowering unclerstory trees may be substituted for the required shade trees in (1), (2), and (3), above. The location of which shade trees may be substituted with flowering understory trees shall be determined at the time of landscape plan approval. A maximum of twenty percent (20%) of the total shade trees required in landscape islands and landscape strips may be substituted with flowering understory trees.
4. Street yard. Trees shall be planted within the street yard at a minimum ratio of one (1) tree per fifty (50) linear feet of street yard. Trees do not have to be evenly spaced. The minimum spacing between trees shall be twenty-five feet (25') measured trunk to trunk. The maximum spacing between trees shall be seventy-five feet (75') measured trunk to trunk.

5. Landscape yard. Trees shall be planted within the landscape yard at a minimum ratio of one (1) tree per eighty (80) linear feet of landscape yard. Trees do not have to be evenly spaced. The minimum spacing between trees shall be forty feet (40') measured trunk to trunk. The maximum spacing between trees shall be one-hundred and twenty feet (120') measured trunk to trunk.

   A minimum of eighty percent (80%) of the trees planted within the street yard and landscape yard shall be shade trees. The remaining trees shall be understory trees.

6. In addition to the trees, all landscape islands, landscape strips, landscape yards, and street yards shall be covered with live vegetation, such as shrubs and ground cover. No impervious surfaces are permitted in these areas.
7. In order to shield vehicle headlights from nearby residential properties, within the P-1 Professional and Civil District and the C-4 Local General Commercial District, large evergreen shrubs shall be planted in the street yard. Such shrubs shall be a minimum height of four feet (4') at time of planting. Shrubs shall be planted within the street yard at a minimum ratio of one (1) shrub per four (4) linear feet of street yard and shall create a continuous shield between the parking lot and the street. (as added by Ord. #832, Jan. 2009, and replaced by Ord. #935, Jan. 2016)⁵