[Amended 5-7-2008 by Bill No. 2008-01]
It is intended that the application of the landscape standards set forth below will reduce the visual and environmental impacts of large expanses of parking areas. Breaking up of paved parking areas with plantings will provide improved aesthetics, stormwater runoff absorption, and microclimatic benefits by reducing heat and glare. Guidance for designing parking areas to achieve this intent is contained in Appendix E.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Appendix E is included as an attachment to this chapter.
A.
New sites. No new parking areas shall hereafter be constructed or
used unless landscaping is provided as required by the provisions
of this article.
B.
Existing sites. No parking areas shall be expanded, moved or removed
and/or reconstructed unless the minimum landscaping required by the
provisions of this article is provided for the property to the extent
of its alteration or expansion, but not for the entire property.
C.
Change of use. No use shall be changed to another use for which this
chapter requires additional parking over and above that required for
the previous use, unless vehicular use area perimeter landscaping
as required by this article is provided for such additional parking.
The provisions of this section shall be effective regardless of whether
or not new construction is necessary to meet the parking requirements
for the new uses. Where new construction will not be necessary to
meet the parking requirements, such additional required parking shall
be deemed to be on the perimeter for as much as possible of the existing
vehicular use area. Where the previous use had no required parking,
perimeter landscaping shall be provided for the entire vehicular use
area serving the new use. Interior landscaping shall not be required
where only the use of the property is changed and no new construction
or reconstruction is proposed.
D.
Change of zone. No use of an existing building, structure or vehicular
use area shall be commenced subsequent to a change in zoning unless
property perimeter landscaping as required herein has been provided.
E.
The owner of an existing parking lot may convert existing parking
areas based on the design standards and parking requirements of this
chapter, upon the Zoning Officer's approval of a site plan showing
the new arrangement. The site plan shall provide landscaping as required
in this section.
[Amended 5-7-2008 by Bill No. 2008-01]
[Added 5-7-2008 by Bill No. 2008-01[1]]
A.
For calculating the gross area for landscaping, the actual measured
paved area or a minimum 400 square feet per parking space, whichever
is greater, shall be used.
B.
In any parking lot perimeter or interior landscaping area, there
shall be a distance of at least four feet from the center of all planted
trees to the edge of paving.
C.
No paving may be placed within 12 1/2 feet (measured from the
center of the trunk) of any tree retained to comply with this section.
D.
New trees planted to comply with this section are to be surrounded
by at least 200 square feet of unpaved area.
E.
All landscaping areas are encouraged to be designed as bioretention
areas to accommodate stormwater management.
F.
All landscaping areas are encouraged to be flush with the pavement.
If not flush, all landscaping areas are to be protected by curbing
or curb stops six inches in height or approved alternative. Curb cuts
and curb stops are allowed to provide water flow to bioretention areas
and access to pedestrian crossings.
G.
Landscaping for parking areas shall be installed and continuously
maintained by the owner according to the requirements contained in
this chapter.
H.
Landscape material type and quality shall comply with the provisions of the landscaping and buffer yard guides of this chapter (see Articles XXI, XXII, and XXIII and Appendix E) and the following:
(1)
Ninety percent of all required perimeter and shade trees are
to be native Maryland species;
(2)
Nonnative, invasive plant species identified by the Maryland
Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage Division are
prohibited for required landscaping; and
(3)
A maximum of 1/3 of the trees are to be a single species.
I.
All soils in interior landscape areas shall be loosened and amended
to a depth of 2 1/2 feet.
J.
All plant materials required to meet this chapter are to be inspected
for the use and occupancy permit and shall be labeled with the Latin
name and bonded for two years. The labels may be removed from the
plant material after the bond is released.
K.
Plan submission and approval. Whenever any property is affected by
these parking area landscape requirements, the property owner or applicant
shall prepare a landscape plan for approval by the Zoning Officer.
[Amended 5-7-2008 by Bill No. 2008-01]
A.
Property line landscape buffers between adjacent land uses shall
be provided in accordance with the requirements spelled out in the
landscape and land use buffer articles of this chapter.[1] In addition, the following buffers are required:
(1)
Where a parking area of 10 spaces or more abuts property with a single-family detached house that is closer than 100 feet, the parking area must be screened by Buffer Yard C. (See Article XXIII.)
(2)
Any parking area of 10,000 square feet or more that is adjacent
to a road or public right-of-way shall provide a landscaping area
width based upon the following right-of-way width:
B.
The Zoning Officer may allow deviations from parking buffer requirements
when it finds that the site in question exhibits irregular, confining
or otherwise unusual characteristics. In no case shall the required
landscape area width be less than 8 1/2 feet.
C.
Grass or native ground cover shall be planted on all portions of
the landscape area not occupied by other landscape material.
D.
Landscape plantings shall not obstruct intersection or driveway lines
of sight as required by the Charles County Road Ordinance.:
[Amended 9-21-2021 by Bill No. 2021-02]
E.
Special notes on existing natural vegetation.
(1)
In cases where significant natural vegetation exists, limits
of clearing/grading areas shall be established during site plan review
to protect and preserve the natural area. These protected areas will
not be disturbed by the installation of any structures, utilities,
storm and sanitary sewers, water lines, sediment and erosion control
traps, stormwater management systems or signs. Existing landscape
material which is proposed to be used to fulfill landscape requirements
shall be shown in the required plan and measures taken to protect
these areas from disturbance during construction using forest conservation
techniques such as protective fencing and root pruning.
(2)
In the case where buffers are created by this chapter, no structures,
utilities, storm and sanitary sewers, water lines, sediment and erosion
control traps, stormwater management systems or signs will be permitted
in the buffer yard.
(3)
Where pedestrian and bike paths are proposed in the landscape
area, such paths shall be meandering in order to preserve the existing
trees.
(4)
Any natural vegetation outside the limits of disturbance shown
on the approved site plan that is damaged or destroyed by construction
activity within one year of the issuance of the first use and occupancy
permit for the property shall be replaced at a ratio of 2:1.
F.
Landscaping in easements. An area located in a utility or other easement
may be included in the calculation of the required landscaped area
only when:
A.
For any parking lot containing more than 6,000 square feet of area
or 15 or more spaces, interior landscaping shall be provided in addition
to the previously required perimeter landscaping.
[Amended 5-7-2008 by Bill No. 2008-01]
B.
Where a parking area is altered or expanded to increase the size
to 6,000 or more square feet of area or 15 or more vehicular parking
spaces, interior landscaping for the entire parking area shall be
provided, and not merely to the extent of its alteration or expansion.
C.
Landscape area. For each 100 square feet or fraction thereof of gross
parking area, 10 square feet of landscaped area shall be provided.
[Amended 5-7-2008 by Bill No. 2008-01]
D.
Interior landscaping shall be contained in islands having a minimum
soil area of 153 square feet, having a minimum width of 8 1/2
feet and a minimum length of 18 feet.
[Added 5-7-2008 by Bill No. 2008-01[1]]
E.
Landscape islands.
[Amended 5-7-2008 by Bill No. 2008-01]
F.
Maximum contiguous areas for interior parking lot landscaping. In
order to provide that the required landscape areas be properly dispersed,
no required landscape area shall be larger than the following:
[Amended 5-7-2008 by Bill No. 2008-01]
G.
Landscape areas larger than the above are permitted as long as the additional area is in excess of the required minimum, except that landscape areas larger than the maximum permitted may be allowed as required landscaping areas in those cases where significant natural vegetation exists and are protected as set forth in § 297-358E.
[Amended 5-7-2008 by Bill No. 2008-01]
H.
Minimum plant materials.
[Amended 5-7-2008 by Bill No. 2008-01]
(1)
Preservation of existing shade trees is preferred over planting
new trees. Shade trees shall meet the following requirements:
(2)
Using the standard of each large tree shading a circular area having a radius of 15 feet with the trunk of the tree as the center, there must be sufficient trees so that 35% of the parking area will be shaded. Small trees used for perimeter landscaping requirements may be counted towards shading as described in Appendix E.[2]
[2]
Editor's Note: Appendix E is included as an attachment to this chapter.
(3)
Conservation landscaping or preserved plant material shall be
provided for a minimum of 50% of all portions of the landscape area.
Grass or native ground cover shall be planted on all portions of the
landscape area not occupied by other landscape material.
I.
Landscaping for service structures. Service structures shall include
propane tanks, dumpsters, air-conditioning units and condensers, electrical
transformers and other equipment or elements providing service to
a building or a site. All such structures shall be fully screened
except when located in a single-family, agriculture or industrial
zone or when located more than 35 feet above the established grade.
Service structures in an industrial zone shall be fully screened when
located within 100 feet of any zone other than industrial.
(1)
Location of screening. A continuous planting, hedge, fence,
wall or earth mound shall enclose any service structure on all sides
unless such structure must be frequently moved, in which case screening
on all but one side is required. The average height of the screening
material shall be one foot more than the height of the enclosed structure,
but shall not be required to exceed eight feet in height. Whenever
a service structure is located next to a building wall, perimeter
landscaping material or vehicular use area landscaping material, such
walls or screening material may fulfill the screening requirement
for that side of the service structure if that wall or screening material
is of an average height sufficient to meet the height requirement
set out in this section. Whenever service structures are screened
by plant material, such material may count towards the fulfillment
of required interior or perimeter landscaping. No interior landscaping
shall be required within an area screened for service structures.
(2)
Protection of screening material. Whenever screening material
is placed around any trash disposal unit or waste collection unit
that is emptied or removed mechanically on a regular basis, a fixed
barrier to contain the placement of the container shall be provided
within the screening material on those sides where there is such material.
The barrier shall be at least 18 inches from the material and shall
be of sufficient strength to prevent possible damage to the screening
when the container is moved or emptied. The minimum front opening
of the screening material shall be 12 feet to allow service vehicles
access to the container.[3]
[3]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection I, which provided for landscaping
installation and maintenance, former Subsection J, which provided
landscape material type and quality requirements, and former Subsection
K, Plan submission and approval, all of which immediately followed
this subsection, were repealed 5-7-2008 by Bill No. 2008-01.