17.145.070 Landscape design standards.
The following standards shall be considered the minimum requirements for the installation of all plant materials in the city of Stanwood. Unless otherwise provided in these standards, a minimum number of trees shall be planted or preserved on each site, as follows:
(1) Single-Family Residential Lots.
(a) Residential Lots Where Rear Yards Abut Roads. A six-foot solid wall, constructed of wood or concrete or other opaque material approved by the planning director, shall be installed along the rear property line of any new residence, where the rear yard of such residence abuts a roadway and is exposed to public view. Additionally, for each 25 linear feet of rear property line along any roadway, one tree with a spread of at least 20 feet at maturity shall be planted.
(b) Street Frontage. All single-family residential lots or subdivisions abutting existing streets, or creating new public or private streets shall be subject to the standards of SMC 17.145.080.
(2) Multifamily Residential or Nonresidential Lots.
(a) One tree shall be planted or preserved for every 2,000 square feet of lot area of either a multifamily residential or nonresidential lot, or fraction thereof.
(i) Trees required to be planted or preserved by these standards may be used to satisfy the following requirements of other sections of this code, including:
(A) Interior of parking or other vehicular use areas;
(B) Perimeter of parking or other vehicular use areas; and
(C) Perimeter buffers in multifamily residential or nonresidential areas.
(ii) Trees required to be planted or preserved by these standards that lie outside the property lines of the subject site may not be credited in the tabulation of the required number of trees to be provided unless approved by the planning director.
(iii) Allocation of Trees to Subareas within a Site Development.
(A) General. In enacting this minimum tree planting requirement, it is the intent to require that a canopy of trees be developed throughout any given site development. This subsection establishes a formula for allocating a certain number of trees to each subarea in a site development. Preservation areas are excluded from the total area in calculating the tree planting requirements as an incentive to preserve significant vegetation. Site development plans must indicate the minimum number of trees to be planted in any given subarea. This figure is intended to be suggestive of the total number of trees to be planted in a subarea. The actual number of trees to be planted or preserved will be established on the individual site development plans.
(B) Allocation Formula. The minimum number of trees required to be planted or preserved within a site shall be determined by applying the formula established in these standards in subsection (1)(a) of this section. The minimum number of trees required to be planted in a subarea or phase shall be in proportion to the total number of trees required to be planted in the overall site development. This proportion shall be determined by calculating the percent of the subarea or phase relative to the total site proposed for development. Only areas of vegetation required to be preserved by law shall be excluded from the calculation of the area of a subarea or phase of the site development.
(b) Required Landscaping for Streets. All new multifamily and nonresidential projects abutting existing streets, or creating new public or private streets, shall be subject to the standards of SMC 17.145.080.
(c) Required Landscaping for Parking Areas. All new multifamily and nonresidential projects with parking areas shall meet the standards of SMC 17.145.090 and 17.145.110.
(d) Required Landscaping for Perimeter Lot Lines. All new multifamily and nonresidential projects shall meet the standards of SMC 17.145.100. (Ord. 1110 § 3, 2002; Ord. 1027, 1998; Ord. 929 Ch. 10(K)(3)(d), 1995).