A. PURPOSE. The purpose of this article is to enhance the attractiveness of the community through the establishment of landscape requirements. The standards herein established shall apply to all new development and certain levels of redevelopment, renovations and/or additions within the corporate boundaries of the City of Haysville, except single-family residences and duplexes.
Properly established and maintained, landscaping can improve the livability of neighborhoods, enhance the appearance of commercial areas, increase property values, improve relationships between non-compatible uses, screen undesirable views, soften the effects of structural features, and contribute to a positive overall image of the community.
B. DEFINITIONS. For the purpose of this article, certain terms or words used herein shall be interpreted as follows:
1. Average lot depth. The horizontal distance between the front and rear lot lines measured along the median between the side lot lines. For multiple frontage lots, the average lot depth measured from each street shall be divided by the total number of streets to obtain one average depth for the lot.
2. Berm. An earthen mound designed to provide visual interest, screen undesirable views and/or decrease noise.
3. Conifer tree. An evergreen tree, usually of the pine, spruce or juniper genus, bearing cones and generally used for its screening qualities. For purposes of these regulations, a conifer shall be considered a shade tree if it is at least five (5) feet tall when planted AND is one (1) of the evergreen trees listed in the Kansas Urban Forestry Council’s publication titled Preferred Tree Species for South Central Kansas AND will obtain a mature height of twenty (20) feet or greater.
4. Deciduous. Trees and shrubs that shed their leaves annually.
5. Evergreen. Trees and shrubs that do not shed their leaves annually.
6. Groundcover. Living landscape materials or low-growing plants, other than turf grasses, installed in such a manner so as to provide a continuous cover of the ground surface, and which upon maturity normally reach the average maximum height of not greater than twenty-four 24 inches.
7. Landscape materials. Living plants, such as trees, shrubs, vines, groundcover, flowers and grasses. It may include such nonliving features as bark, wood chips, rock, brick, stone or similar materials (monolithic paving not included) and structural and/or decorative features such as fountains, pools, gazebos, walls, fences, benches, light fixtures, sculpture pieces, and earthen berms, terraces and mounds.
8. Landscaping. The product of careful planning and installation using any combination of landscape materials subject to the limitations set out in this article which results in the softening of building lines, the modification of environmental extremes, the definition of separate functional spaces and the presentation of a pleasing visual effect on the premises.
9. Mulch. Non-living organic, inorganic or synthetic materials customarily used in landscape design and maintenance to retard soil erosion, retain moisture, insulate soil against temperature extremes, suppress weeds, deter soil compaction, and provide visual interest.
10. Ornamental tree. A deciduous tree possessing qualities such as flowers or fruit, attractive foliage, bark or shape, with a mature height generally under forty (40) feet. Trees listed in the Kansas Urban Forestry Council’s publication titled Preferred Tree Species for South Central Kansas as small deciduous trees and medium deciduous trees will be classified as ornamental trees for purposes of administering this article.
11. Parking lot. An area not within a building or other structure where motor vehicles may be stored for the purpose of temporary, daily or overnight off-street parking. This definition shall include vehicle queuing or holding areas such as at car washes, drive-up windows, gasoline pumps, etc., but shall not include vehicle storage and display areas for new and used vehicle sales lots or parking for one-family and two-family dwellings.
12. Shade tree. Usually a deciduous tree-rarely an evergreen-planted primarily for its high crown of foliage or overhead canopy. Trees listed in the Kansas Urban Forestry Council’s publication titled Preferred Tree Species for South Central Kansas as large deciduous trees and very large deciduous trees will be classified as shade trees for purposes of administering this article.
13. Shrub. A deciduous or evergreen woody plant smaller than a tree and larger than ground cover, consisting of multiple stems from the ground or small branches near the ground, which attains a height of twenty-four (24) inches or more.
14. Site specific. As used in this article, ‘site specific’ shall mean that the plant material chosen to be used on a site is particularly well suited to withstand the physical growing conditions which are normal for that location.
15. Street frontage. The length of the property abutting on one side of a street measured along the dividing line between the property and the street.
16. Street wall. Any building wall facing a street.
17. Street wall line. A line that extends from the building parallel to the street wall until it intersects a side or rear lot line or a wall line of another building.
18. Street yard. The area of a lot, which lies between the property line abutting a street and the street wall line of the building. If a building has a rounded street wall or if the building is on an irregular-shaped lot, wall lines extending parallel to the street wall from the points of the wall closest to the side property lines shall be used to define the limits of the street yard.
19. Sight/Vision Triangle. A triangular area on a lot that is located adjacent to the area where two streets intersect. The triangle has two sides measured from the center of road right away, and a third side across the lot which connects the ends of the two sides. In all residential districts, the two lot lines establishing the sight triangle shall be a minimum distance of 60 feet. However, such standards may be increased to reflect unusual topography, sight distance, angle of street or roadway, vegetation or intensity of traffic volumes or speed. (Code 2023)
20. Xeriscape. Water conservation through creative landscaping which applies the following seven principles:
a. Plan and design carefully.
b. Improve the soil water holding capacity through use of soil amendments.
c. Use efficient irrigation methods and equipment.
d. Select site-specific, hardy plant materials, and then group all plants according to their sun and moisture needs.
e. Use turf grass appropriately in locations where it provides functional benefits.
f. Mulch.
g. Give appropriate and timely maintenance.
21. Zoning lot. A parcel of land that is designated by its owner or developer at the time of applying for an occupancy certificate as a tract, all of which is to be used, developed or built upon as a unit under single ownership. Such lot may consist of:
a. A single lot of record; or
b. A portion of a lot of record; or
c. A combination of complete lots of record, complete lots and portions of lots of record, or portions of lots of record.
C. SUBMISSION AND REVIEW OF LANDSCAPE PLANS.
1. Landscape plans shall be submitted when the applicant applies for a building permit and shall show the location of all landscape materials and shall be drawn to scale with the scale and north arrow indicated as well as names of all adjacent streets, the lot dimensions, the location of all utility and drainage easements, zoning of adjacent properties, and the legal description of the zoning lot. The plans shall contain a listing of the proposed plant materials indicating their numbers, names (both botanical and common) and sizes at the time of planting. The plans shall also state how water is to be provided to plant materials. Copies of the plans shall be submitted to the Planning and Zoning Administrator, Public Works Director, or his or her designee, in the quantity required by current policy. The number of parking spaces within each parking lot shall be shown. Calculations of the amount of required landscaped street yard and number of parking lot trees, as well as the amount and number actually provided, shall be included as part of the landscape plan.
2. Permit fees shall be as established in Chapter 17 of the Municipal Code of Haysville, Kansas and shall be paid at the time of permit application. (Code 2023)
3. An approved plan must be on file prior to the applicant receiving their framing inspection.
D. REQUIRED LANDSCAPED STREET YARD.
1. The minimum amount of landscaped street yard for non-residential districts or uses which are adjacent to at-grade expressway or freeway frontage roads, arterial or collector streets, or which are adjacent to local streets when across from residential districts, except as provided for in subsections 501.D.l.h below, shall be as follows:
a. On a zoning lot with an average lot depth of 175 feet or less - eight (8) square feet of landscaped street yard per lineal foot of street frontage.
b. On a zoning lot with an average lot depth of 175.01 feet to 275 feet - ten (10) square feet of landscaped street yard per lineal foot of street frontage.
c. On a zoning lot with an average lot depth of 275.01 to 375 feet - fifteen (15) square feet of landscaped street yard per lineal foot of street frontage.
d. On a zoning lot with an average lot depth of more than 375 feet - twenty (20) square feet of landscaped street yard per lineal foot of street frontage.
e. The square footage per lineal foot of street frontage may be reduced twenty percent (20%) if the minimum planting size of materials specified in subsections (3)(c) and (3)(d) of this section is increased by one hundred percent (100%) or more.
f. Plant, installation and maintenance techniques meeting the principles of Xeriscape shall be utilized for landscaping required by these regulations.
g. On a zoning lot with frontage on two or more streets, each of which requires a landscaped street yard, the landscaped area requirement shall be based on the sum of the street frontages, less the greatest perpendicular distance between the property line abutting a street and the street wall line, multiplied by the factor based on average lot depth as defined above. On multiple-frontage lots where the use of the average lot depth, as defined in section 501.B, would require more landscaped street yard than would be required if each frontage were calculated individually, the lesser of the calculations may be used. Although the required amount of landscaped street yard does not have to be equally distributed to the various street frontages, there shall be no less than twenty percent (20%) of the total required landscaping within any street yard.
h. On collector streets with industrial zoning on both sides of the street, the requirement for a landscaped street yard shall be automatically waived.
i. When located in a residential district or adjacent to a residential district, vehicle parking shall not be located within the required from yard setback and such front yard shall remain unpaved and shall be landscaped.
2. Minimum number of trees within street yards: A minimum of one (1) shade tree shall be required per five-hundred (500) sq. ft. of area. Two (2) ornamental trees are equivalent to one (1) shade tree, or ten (10) shrubs are equivalent to one (1) shade tree, or five (5) shrubs are equivalent to one (1) ornamental tree.
3. Design standards for landscaped street yards and required trees:
a. Height. Trees shall be chosen that will not meet a maturity height the same height or taller as any high-lines in the street yard.
b. Spacing. Street trees may not be planted closer together than the following:
i. Small Trees -15 feet;
ii. Medium Trees - 25 feet;
iii. Large Trees - 35 feet; and
iv. Very Large Trees - 40 feet
Exceptions may be granted by the planning commission.
c. Curbs and Sidewalks. Small and medium street trees may be planted in the tree lawn where there is six (6) feet to (10) feet between the edge of the sidewalk and the curb of the street. Street trees shall be planted no closer than three (3) feet from a sidewalk or, in the event a sidewalk does not exist, street trees shall be planted no closer than three (3) feet from the edge of the street. Exceptions may be granted by the planning commission.
d. Street Corners and Fire Hydrants. No street tree shall be planted within twenty (20) feet of any street corner along an arterial street or within fifteen (15) feet of any street corner along the adjoining collector street. Distance will be measured from the point of nearest intersecting curb lines. No street tree shall be planted within ten (10) feet of any fire hydrant.
e. The minimum size at the time of planting of required trees shall be as follows: shade trees --- 2-inch caliper measured at a height of six (6) inches above the ground; ornamental trees --- 1.5-inch caliper measured six (6) inches above the ground; conifer trees --- five (5) feet.
f. Shrubbery may be substituted for up to one-third (1/3) of the required trees at the rate of ten (10) shrubs for one (1) required shade tree. Substitute shrubbery shall be of a site-specific type that attains a mature height of at least two (2) feet and shall be no less than two- (2) gallon container size at the time of planting.
g. Shrubbery, walls and fences which are twenty-five percent (25%) or more opaque in design shall be constructed no higher than three (3) feet above the finished grade in a required landscaped street yard when located within a site triangle, toward the shrubbery, wall or fence from any vehicular access point along the street right-of-way line and a line extending six (6) feet away from and perpendicular to the street right-of-way line from the same access point. Shrubbery, walls or fences located near the intersection of streets shall maintain sight visibility clearance as specified in the City Code. All opaque fences shall be located toward the private property side of required landscaped street yards along street right-of-way to maintain a landscaped appearance along the street.
h. The intent of the landscaped street yard is to visually soften the mass of buildings and parking lots and to separate building areas from parking areas through the use of plantings. Paved plazas may be credited to a maximum of fifty percent (50%) of required street yard landscaping area if such plazas have trees and/or shrubbery which provide(s) visual relief to those building elevations forming the major public views of the project. Paved walkways and bike paths connecting public sidewalks to buildings located on private property within a landscaped street yard may also be credited to a maximum of fifty percent (50%) of the required landscaped street yard.
E. REQUIRED BUFFERS.
1. Buffers Between Non-Residential and Residential Development:
a. Where Required - Such a buffer is required along the common property line of any non-residential project in any zoning district where such project is adjacent to a residential district.
b. Design Standards - There shall be a minimum of one (1) shade tree or two (2) ornamental trees for every forty (40) feet or fraction thereof of lot line abutting the residential district. The trees may be irregularly spaced but shall be within fifteen (15) feet of the property line common to the residential district. If utility and/or drainage easements occupy this fifteen (15)-foot perimeter area, the trees may be located outside the easements. Each tree shall be in a planting area having a minimum permeable ground surface of twenty-five (25) square feet. The minimum size at the time of planting of required trees shall be as follows: shade trees --- 2-inch caliper measured at a height of six (6) inches above the ground; ornamental trees --- 1.5 -inch measured at a height of six (6) inches above the ground; conifer trees --- 5 feet in height. These trees shall be in addition to any screening required by City Code.
2. Buffers Between Adjacent Multi-Family Residential and Single- Family/Two-Family Residential Projects:
a. Where Required - Such a buffer is required along the common property line of any multi-family project (a project with three or more dwelling units in one building) in any zoning district where such a project is adjacent to a one-family or two-family zoning district.
b. Design Standards - There shall be a minimum of one (1) shade tree or two (2) ornamental trees and five (5) shrubs for every fifty (50) feet of the length of the buffer. A minimum of one-third (1/3) of the trees and shrubs shall be evergreen. The minimum size at the time of planting of required trees shall be as follows: shade trees --- 2-inch caliper measured at a height of six (6) inches above the ground; ornamental trees --- 1.5-inch measured at a height of six (6) inches above the ground; conifer trees --- 5 feet in height. The minimum size of shrubs shall be two (2) gallon containers. The trees may be irregularly spaced but shall be within fifteen (15) feet of the property line common to the single-family/two-family residential projects. Parking shall be screened from adjacent residential areas in accordance with the parking lot screening requirements listed below. Required screening may be located within the buffer area. Parking may not be located within the buffer area.
F. PARKING LOT SCREENING AND LANDSCAPING.
1. Required Screening: All new parking lots or additions to parking lots shall be continuously screened from view from adjacent residential districts and certain types of streets when within one-hundred fifty (150) feet thereof (measured from the property line adjacent to the street), except at points of vehicular and/or pedestrian ingress and egress, to a minimum height of three (3) feet above the parking surface by the use of berms and/or plantings, with the following exemptions: 1) open parking lots in one-family and two-family residential projects in any zoning district and 2) open parking lots in industrial districts located on collector streets with industrial zoning on both sides of the street. Walls and fences may be used in combination with berms and plantings but may not be used as the sole means of screening a parking lot. This requirement shall apply to all at-grade expressway, freeway, arterial and collector street frontages and to all local streets when parking is across from residential zoning districts. On corner lots where parking is within one-hundred (150) feet of two (2) or more streets but not all the street frontages require parking lot screening (due either to type of street or zoning district across the street), the parking lot screening shall wrap around the corner of the lot from the frontage which does require screening for a distance of not less than one hundred (100) feet.
a. Walls or fences used in combination with berms and/or plantings shall avoid a blank and monotonous appearance by such measures as architectural articulation and placement of vines, shrubs and/or trees.
b. All screening and landscape elements may be located within and be substituted for required landscape buffers and street yards, provided sight clearances are maintained as specified in section Appendix D.3.g above and provided further that the minimum number of trees otherwise required in the yard or buffer are established in the street yard. Shrubs used in meeting screening requirements shall not be substituted for required trees.
c. Where walls and fences are to be combined with vines and shrubs to create the screening effect, they should be located in a planting strip with a minimum width of no less than three (3) feet from the edge of any adjacent sidewalk. Landscape materials shall be located on the public right-of-way side of the wall or fence.
d. Where shrubs, trees and other landscape materials are used exclusively to create the screening effect, they should be located in a planting strip with a minimum width of no less than five (5) feet from the edge of the parking lot paving to the edge of any adjacent sidewalk.
e. Where berms are to be combined with trees, shrubs, walls or fences to create the screening effect, they should be located in a planting strip with a minimum width of no less than ten (10) feet from the edge of the parking lot paving to the edge of any adjacent sidewalk.
f. Planting strips associated with parking lot screening may be located in whole or in part on public street right-of-way on the basis of an approved landscape plan, provided adequate public right-of-way exists, there is no less than fourteen (14) feet of right-of-way between the property line and the curb, no conflict exists with public utilities, and the location of berms, walks, irrigation fixtures and other permanent landscape features is subject to a minor street privilege granted through the office of the Public Works Director.
g. The minimum size at the time of installation of plant materials used for parking lot screening shall be as follows: shade trees - 2-inch caliper measured at a height of six (6) inches above the ground; ornamental trees - 1.5 -inch caliper measured six (6) inches above the ground; conifer trees - 5 feet in height; shrubs -18-inch height. Shrubs used for parking lot screening shall be expected to obtain a height of at least thirty-six (36) inches within the third year after planting. Spacing between shrubs will depend upon the type of shrub but shall be close enough to achieve a visual screen when the plants reach maturity.
h. Evergreen and/or deciduous plant materials may be used, provided a solid screening effect is maintained on at least two-thirds (2/3) of the treated frontage during all seasons of the year.
i. All screening materials and landscape features shall be protected from vehicular damage or encroachment by appropriately located curbs or wheel stops.
2. Required Landscaping: All new parking lots or additions to parking lots which create twenty (20) or more spaces and which are required to provide screening in accordance with this section of the code shall also be required to provide at least one (1) shade tree or two (2) ornamental trees for each twenty (20) parking spaces or fraction thereof over twenty (20). Vehicle queuing and holding areas shall not be counted when determining the number of spaces in a lot. Up to one-half (1/2) of all trees required by the landscaped street yard calculations may be used to satisfy these parking lot landscaping requirements. The trees shall be located within and around the parking lot to enhance the appearance of the lot and to reduce the deleterious effect of large expanses of paved areas. In parking lots containing fifty (SO) spaces or more with two (2) or more drive aisles and three (3) or more parking bays, all of which are contiguous, at least one-half (1/2) of the required trees shall be planted in interior planting islands with each tree having a minimum permeable ground surface area of twenty-five (25) square feet. Trees shall be protected from possible damage caused by vehicle bumpers by the use of bumper blocks, raised curbs or other protective means. The minimum acceptable tree size at the time of installation shall be a 2 inch caliper for a shade tree and a 1.5 -inch caliper for an ornamental tree, both measured at a height of six 6 inches above the ground.
G. PERCENTAGE IN LIVING MATERIALS. Unless otherwise specified, required landscape area shall consist of a minimum of fifty-five percent (55%) in ground surface covering by living grass or other plant materials. The foliage crown of trees that may extend over monolithic paved surfaces beyond the required landscaped area or over non-living surfaces within the required landscaped area shall not be used in the fifty-five percent (55%) or other required percentage calculation. The remaining forty-five percent (45%) of the required landscape area may be covered with bark, wood chips, rock, bricks, stone, or similar materials (monolithic paving not included). An effective weed barrier shall be required in non-living landscaped areas. The use of non-living materials in required landscape areas for other than mulching around trees, shrubs and planting beds shall be on the basis of a landscape plan.
H. SCREENING OF MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT, LOADING DOCKS AND TRASH RECEPTACLES.
Screening shall be provided to reasonably hide from ground level view all ground level heating, air conditioning and other mechanical equipment, loading docks, trash receptacles or similar uses from adjoining street rights-of-way or from adjoining properties which are zoned a residential district or used for residential purposes. Such screening shall be on the basis of a landscape plan.
I. OTHER LANDSCAPE REGULATIONS.
1. Landscaping shall not conflict with the traffic visibility requirements.
2. The use of artificial trees, shrubs, vines, turf, or other plants as an outside landscape material is prohibited.
3. The planting of Ulmus pumila (Siberian elm} in required landscape areas will not be allowed.
4. The planting of female or cotton-bearing cottonwood trees will not be allowed in any required landscaped area.
5. Clumped or multi-trunked trees, where used, instead of single-trunk trees, shall be credited as only one (1) of the required trees.
6. Landscaping shall not interfere with the general function, safety or accessibility of any gas, electric, water, sewer, telephone, or other utility easement. Landscaping shall be limited to an eight-inch (8”} mature height within three (3) feet of a fire hydrant, traffic sign, traffic signal or utility structure.
7. The existing indigenous vegetation on a site is encouraged to be retained in a development project and may be credited toward required landscaping, provided this vegetation is adequately protected during construction to insure long-term survival.
8. Where a calculation of a requirement results in a fractional number (such as 14.2 required trees), the requirement shall be considered the next greatest whole number (such as 15 required trees).
9. Landscaping in the right-of-way of a State Highway shall be approved by the District Engineer, where applicable.
10. Prior to excavation for screening or landscape purposes within public right-of-way or easements, the location of all underground utilities shall be determined by calling the Kansas One-Call System and the Haysville Public Works Department.
11. Berms, irrigation systems, street furniture, entry monuments, fountains, statuary or similar landscape features may be located within public street right-of-way, provided adequate right-of-way exists and a minor street privilege is received from the office of the Public Works Director.
12. Walls and/or fences incorporated in any proposed landscape plan must comply with the City Code.
13. No more than seventy-five percent (75%) of the required landscape areas shall be covered by turf grasses unless the grass is buffalo grass.
14. Plants shall be high-quality nursery-grown stock, which meets the American Association of Nurserymen standards as specified by the American National Standards Institute in ANSI ZG0.1-1986 or as may be amended in the future.
J. MAINTENANCE.
1. The landowner is responsible for the maintenance of all landscaping materials and shall keep them in a proper, neat and orderly appearance, free from refuse and debris at all times.
2. Maintenance shall include mowing, trimming, weeding, cultivation, mulching, tightening and repairing of guys and stakes, resetting plants to proper grades and upright position, restoration of planting saucer, fertilizing, pruning, disease and insect control and other necessary operations.
3. All landscaped areas shall be provided with a readily available permanent water supply; provided, however, that landscaped areas utilizing drought-tolerant plants may use a temporary above-ground system and shall be required to provide irrigation for the first two (2) growing seasons only. Irrigation shall not be required for established trees and natural areas that remain undisturbed by development activities. Irrigation systems shall be designed and operated in a manner to avoid placing water on impervious surfaces and public streets. Long, narrow landscaped areas are difficult to irrigate efficiently, therefore landscaped areas less than five (5) feet in any dimension shall not be irrigated with overhead spray sprinklers. Drip irrigation is acceptable.
4. Disturbed soil between trees and shrubs in the planting beds shall be mulched, planted or otherwise treated to prevent wind and water erosion.
5. Plants which die shall be replaced within sixty (60) days or, if weather prohibits replanting within that time, then replanting shall occur within the first thirty (30) days of the next planting season.
K. EXCEPTIONS AND MODIFICATIONS. The provisions of this article may be modified and/or trade-offs permitted with respect to dimension or location within a property boundary. Permitted forms of modification and exception are identified as follows:
1. For purpose of application of this chapter, no buffer or screening requirement located on an adjacent property may be utilized as a portion of a required buffer or screen, nor allowed to be used in a trade-off or modification of a standard.
2. The change in use, or redevelopment of a site utilizing all or parts of an existing building shall not be required to meet the landscaping requirements of this chapter, except as follows:
a. When the value of the new addition, renovation or redevelopment exceeds fifty percent (50%) of the value of the existing development, as determined by the County Appraiser’s office; or
b. When there is more than a thirty percent (30%) increase of the gross floor area on the site. New parking lots and additions to parking lots which are required to provide landscaping and/or screening in accordance with Section 501 F shall do so even if there is no increase in gross floor area or value.
3. Lots or tracts of land abutting the right-of-way of a railroad zoned for residential use and held by title separate from all abutting lands shall not be required to provide landscaped buffers along the common property line.
4. In those instances where a development site abuts a public park or other permanent public open space and where at least one-hundred sixty (160) feet of undisturbed natural foliage exists along the common lot line, a landscaped buffer requirement along the common property line is not required; provided, however, loading docks, trash containers, and storage areas on the development site along the common line shall be screened as provided by the City Code.
5. For purposes of this section, the City Inspector, in concurrence with the Planning and Zoning Administrator or his/her designated representative, shall have the authority to interpret the language and specifics of application of the exceptions as outlined in this section. Appeals of the decisions of the City Inspector and the Planning and Zoning Administrator shall be filed with the Planning Commission. In the opinion of the City Inspector and the Planning and Zoning Administrator, where there exist extraordinary conditions of topography, existing vegetation, land ownership, site boundaries and dimensions, adjacent development characteristics or other circumstances not provided for in this section, the City Inspector and the Planning and Zoning Administrator may modify or vary the strict provisions of this section in such a manner and to such an extent as is deemed appropriate to the public interest, provided that the purposes and intent of this article are maintained through such modification or variance.
6. No property owner obtaining a permit for a project involving a new building or building addition shall be required to expend more than ten percent (10%) of the total construction cost for materials and installation costs associated with landscaping and parking lot screening required by this article. Fifty percent (50%) of the total expended on landscaping shall be dedicated to living materials. In order to qualify for this exception, the property owner must submit a bona fide bid from a licensed contractor for the total project cost, and a bona fide bid from a licensed contractor or nursery man for materials and installation costs for an approved landscape plan. The bid for landscaping must distinguish those items which are required by the article from any other items which are not required. If the total cost of required landscaping items exceeds the applicable percentage as specified above, then the property owner may select items, with approval of the Planning and Zoning Administrator, or his or her designee, to delete from the approved plan, and submit the list of items to be deleted as an addendum to the approved plan.
7. The preservation and protection from construction damage of each existing tree of six (6) or more inches in trunk diameter (measured six (6) inches above the ground) within a street yard, parking lot or perimeter buffer area of a site, shall be counted as two (2) trees for the purposes of meeting the required number of trees.
L. WATER CONSERVATION MEASURES. When meeting the landscape requirements outlined in this article, property owners are encouraged to use water in the most efficient way possible. A number of principles for effective water usage are found in the accepted approach to landscaping called Xeriscape. The term Xeriscape is derived from a Greek word meaning ‘dry’. The desired effect of a Xeriscape, however, is to provide an attractive and even lush-appearing landscape with a minimum amount of water usage. This is accomplished through the application of the seven (7) basic principles of Xeriscape. Information concerning the principles of Xeriscape is available from Botanica, the Haysville Public Works Department, the Haysville Municipal Building and the Haysville Park Board. Property owners are encouraged to take advantage of the water-saving practices set out in the principles of Xeriscape. Regardless of the extent to which the principles of Xeriscape are applied, automatic irrigation systems installed in association with the landscaping requirements of this article, shall be equipped with moisture-sensing devices or automatic rain shut-off devices that forestall scheduled watering cycles when moisture adequate to sustain healthy plant life is present.
M. ENFORCEMENT/ASSURANCES FOR INSTALLATION AND COMPLETION. Prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for any structure where landscaping is required, except when a certificate of occupancy is obtained by providing acceptable assurance to the city guaranteeing the completion of such landscaping, all work as indicated on a landscaping plan shall be inspected and approved by the city inspector, or his or her designee. At the time of inspection, the landowner shall possess a copy of the approved landscaping plan for use by the City Inspector, or his or her designee. At the time of inspection, the City Inspector, or his or her designee, shall check the quantities and locations of landscape materials. At the time of such inspection, the landowner shall warrant that the completed landscaping complies with the requirements of this article. Such warranty shall include the quantities, locations, species and sizes of plants and other landscape materials used for compliance. In the event that an inspection is not conducted by the city inspector, or his or her designee, prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy because acceptable assurance has been provided to the city guaranteeing the completion of such landscaping, such inspection shall be done by the City Inspector, or his or her designee, subsequent to the installation of such landscaping but prior to the release or expiration of the acceptable assurance. A landowner may obtain a final certificate of occupancy for a structure prior to the completion of required landscaping work if the completion is not possible, due to seasonal or weather conditions, and if the landowner submits the necessary assurances to the city inspector, or his or her designee, for the completion of the landscaping. The acceptable assurance guaranteeing the completion of the landscaping (such as an irrevocable letter of credit, certified check, or other acceptable assurance) shall be equal to one hundred twenty-five percent (125%) of the cost of the landscaping work and shall be accompanied by a written assurance that such landscaping will be completed to the satisfaction of the city inspector, or his or her designee.