7-20-130 Landscaping and Vegetation Protection

(b) General Provisions

1. Protection of Natural Vegetation
   • In order to protect the rural character of Pitkin County, natural vegetation should be preserved to the maximum extent practicable, and any installed landscaping shall use the species plant materials naturally occurring on the site or on neighboring properties (except for flower gardens). Restrictions on removal of natural vegetation, and requirements for revegetation, are set forth in other portions of this Chapter 7.
2. Conformance with Wildfire Regulations
   • In the event the provisions of this Sec. 7-20-130 conflict with any provisions of Sec. 7-20-60, as those requirements may be varied by a wildfire expert approved by the County, the provisions of Sec. 7-20-60 shall govern.
3. Berms
   • Berms may be incorporated into any required landscaping, buffering, or screening area, provided that the County determines, during the development approval process, that the proposed berms will not cause drainage or erosion problems. No installed berm shall have a slope of greater than four-to one (4:1), nor a height greater than four (4) feet above grade.
4. Landscape Enclosures
   • Landscaping shall not be used to mark or enclose the boundary of a parcel, or to privatize an otherwise public viewplane. Use of indigenous shrubs or trees to enclose a portion of the property immediately surrounding a dwelling, barn, and/or accessory buildings (as opposed to the entire property or a large area of the property) are permitted if made to resemble similar windbreaks located near older properties in Rural Areas of the County.
5. Visibility Clearance
   • All landscaping shall be installed and maintained so that it does not interfere with the ability of drivers to see nearby traffic at the intersection of any driveway with a public road, or at the intersection of two public roads.
6. Utility Easements
   • Whenever the provisions of this Sec. 7-20-130 would require the installation of trees or shrubs over or on utility easements, where branches or roots might interfere with utility lines or pipes, the required location for such trees and shrubs shall be modified to require installation at the closest location that would avoid potential conflicts with utilities and would enable the trees and shrubs to serve the same landscaping purpose.
7. Financial Security
   • The Community Development Department may require financial security in a form acceptable to the County Attorney to ensure completion of installation of all required landscaping and/or successful establishment of plants.
8. Maintenance
   • All plants shall be maintained continually in a healthy condition in accordance with generally accepted professional horticultural standards and practices. Within areas required to be landscaped with installed plant materials, plants that die or are unhealthy shall be replaced. Landscape areas shall remain free of weeds, litter, junk, rubbish and other nuisances and obstructions.

(c) Required Landscaping in Rural Areas

• In the Rural Area:
  1. Landscaping is required for the following purposes: (i) to screen satellite dishes and other telecommunications equipment when located within five hundred (500) feet of adjacent public roads and visible from such roads, and (ii) to screen parking areas and service areas when viewed from adjacent public roads, (iii) where necessary to comply with the standards of Secs. 7-20-70, 7-20-80, or 7-20-120, and (iv) to revegetate disturbed areas.
  2. Landscape treatments shall cluster shrubs and trees into groupings similar to those naturally occurring on the site or neighboring sites, shall use indigenous species of shrubs and trees, and shall not be installed in regularly spaced lines or rows, unless more specific provisions of Secs. 7-20-70, 7-20-80, or 7-20-120 require a different treatment.

(d) Required Landscaping in Urban Areas

• In the Urban Area:
  1. Where Required
     • Landscaping is required for the following purposes for new development on the property: (i) to screen satellite dishes and other telecommunications equipment when located within two hundred (200) feet of adjacent public roads and visible from such roads, (ii) to screen non-residential parking areas and service areas when viewed from adjacent public roads, (iii) to create a landscaped street edge in the B-2 zone district, (iv) to break up required parking areas in the B-2 zone district into smaller “cells” of parking, and (v) to break up the perceived mass of larger buildings in the B-2 zone district through the use of foundation plantings.
  2. Minimum Areas and Plant Densities Required
     • All required areas for landscaping, buffering, or screening shall comply with the following standards unless these standards conflict with another development standard in this Chapter 7.

(a) Satellite Dishes and Telecommunications Equipment

• Landscape treatments shall use indigenous species of shrubs and trees and shall be sufficient to block visibility of seventy-five (75) percent of the dish or equipment within three (3) years of planting.

(b) Non-Residential Parking Areas and Service Areas in all Zone Districts, and Street Edge in B-2 Zone District

• Screening for non-residential parking areas and service areas shall be at least fifteen (15) feet in width and shall have at least (1) large tree (minimum 30 foot height at maturity) per fifty (50) linear feet of landscape area, plus one (1) shrub per ten (10) feet of linear landscape area, plus two (2) groundcover plants per each five (5) linear feet of landscape area.

(c) Parking Cells in B-2 Zone District

• Landscaped islands shall be used to break up parking into “cells” containing no more than forty (40) parking spaces, and the landscaped islands shall cover at least five (5) percent of the gross area of the parking lot, including areas for driving aisles, but excluding any areas occupied by perimeter landscaping along adjacent public streets. Each landscaped island shall be a minimum of eight (8) feet wide and shall contain at least one (1) medium tree ( minimum 20 feet height at maturity) per fifty (50) feet of linear length, plus one (1) shrub per ten (10) feet of linear landscaped area, plus two (2) groundcover plants per five (5) linear feet of landscaped area.

(d) Building Perimeter Landscaping in B-2 Zone District

• Shrubs shall be planted within ten (10) feet of the foundation of the primary structure along each building façade visible from an adjacent public road, at the rate of at least twenty (20) shrubs per one hundred (100) linear feet of visible building façade. Foundation plantings may be clustered to provide interest, and plants of larger size or differing species shall be installed adjacent to the main pedestrian entryway to each building to emphasize that entryway. The Community Development Department may waive foundation planting requirements for portions of the sides or rears of buildings where loading areas or other similar areas precluding planting.

(e) Alternative Approaches

• Plant spacing and densities differing from those in subsections (a) through (d) above may be approved if the Community Development Department determines that such alternative will include at least the same amount of living landscape material and will have an equally landscaped appearance when viewed from adjacent roads and properties.