§ 331-130. Landscaping and screening., Article XIV. Off-Street Parking and Loading, Chapter 331. Zoning, Part II. General Legislation, Code of Ordinances, New Rochelle

Perimeter landscaping. In all off-street parking lots which contain 10 or more parking spaces, perimeter landscaping shall be provided in accordance with the following standards:

(1)

Landscape strip along right-of-way. A minimum five-foot-wide landscape strip between a right-of-way and the parking lot, planted with a minimum of one deciduous tree and 10 shrubs for every 35 linear feet of frontage (excluding driveway openings), shall be provided.

(2)

Perimeter landscaping. For all sides of a parking lot not abutting a right-of-way, a landscape strip at least five feet in width, that includes at least one deciduous tree for every 35 linear feet of the perimeter and a continuous row of evergreen shrubs, shall be required, except that the requirements of § 331-119 shall control where more restrictive in terms of buffer setbacks.

Interior landscaping within an off-street parking facility. In all off-street parking facilities which contain 10 or more parking spaces and which are not located in parking garages, interior landscaping (in addition to perimeter landscaping required) shall be provided in accordance with the following schedule:

[Amended 12-11-2007 by Ord. No. 294-2007; 3-17-2009 by Ord. No. 53-2009]

	Total Area of Parking Lot (square feet)	Percent of Total Area of Lot That Must Be an Interior Planting Area
	0 - 6,999	0%
	7,000 - 49,999	6%
	50,000 - 149,999	8%
	150,000 or larger	10%

(1)

Raised planting islands shall be provided for all interior landscaping areas and shall be a minimum of eight feet in width, with a curb radius of not less than three feet. Each landscape island shall contain at least one deciduous tree, of not less than three inches caliper and at least six feet in height at the time of planting, with ground cover (including grass and shrubs) and be protected from vehicular encroachment with a concrete or granite curb at least six inches in height.

(2)

Number of trees required. At least one deciduous tree shall be provided within an raised planting island for every 200 square feet of interior planting area required in accordance with Subsection B above.

(3)

Location of raised planting islands shall be provided as necessary to guide vehicle movement, to provide adequate space for plant growth and, where appropriate, to provide for pedestrian circulation and vehicle overhang. Such raised planting islands and the landscaping within them shall be designed and arranged so as to provide vertical definition to major traffic circulation aisles, entrances and exits, to channel internal traffic flow, to prevent indiscriminate diagonal movement of vehicles and to provide cooling shade and relief from the visual monotony and summer heat of a large paved parking area. Curbs of such islands shall be designed so as to facilitate surface drainage and to prevent vehicles from overhanging sidewalks and damaging landscaping materials.

(a)

A raised planting island, at least eight feet in width, shall be provided between opposing rows of parking spaces.

(b)

Within rows of parking, raised landscape islands shall be provided for every 25 parking spaces, to divide up rows into not more than 25 contiguous spaces.

(c)

The edge of each landscaping row shall be defined with a raised landscape island.

(4)

The selection, amount and location of all landscaping materials shall be subject to approval by the Building Official for off-street parking lots and spaces accessory to a one- or two-family dwelling and shall be subject to approval by the Planning Board for all other indoor and outdoor off-street parking lots, and parking spaces accessory to all dwelling units and all other uses, which are part of a site plan application, based upon considerations of the adequacy of the proposed landscaping to serve its intended purpose (and the purpose of § 331-119.1 of this chapter) with minimal maintenance, including plant care, snowplowing, leaf removal, and general compatibility with motor vehicles and pedestrians.

(5)

All landscaping shall continue to be maintained in a healthy growing condition throughout the duration of the structure or use which it is intended to serve in accordance with § 331-119.1. Any planting not so maintained shall be replaced with new plants at the beginning of the next, immediately following, growing season.

(6)

The design and maintenance of landscaping and screening shall create no obstruction to driver vision at traffic intersection areas.

Screening.

(1)

All off-street parking lots and loading facilities shall be screened along their perimeter where they abut streets, public spaces, and residence districts in accordance with these regulations. The Planning Board may allow a wall or fence of location, height, design, and material determined suitable to be substituted for or to supplement the required screening.

(2)

Where a parking lot in a nonresidential district is adjacent to a residential district, it shall be screened along the entire property line abutting the residence district with an opaque wooden stockade fence (at least six feet in height) in addition to the required perimeter landscaping required above.

(3)

The Planning Board may waive the requirements for deciduous and evergreen plantings and may substitute alternative species when, in its judgment, such substitution is desirable. The Planning Board may also waive the requirement for the opaque wooden stockade fence referred above and may substitute alternative fencing, landscaping or screening when, in its judgment, such substitution is desirable.