Morrisville Unified Development Ordinance - February 2021.2

Article 5: Development Standards Section 5.12. Landscaping 5.12.4. Vehicle Use Area Landscaping

3. Width The perimeter landscaping strip shall be the minimum width necessary to adequately accommodate the proposed plantings and other screening materials and avoid damage to such materials by vehicles within the vehicle use area. In no instance shall the strip be less than four feet wide. 4. Credit Towards Other Landscaping Requirements a. Perimeter landscaping associated with a vehicle use area may be credited towards compliance with perimeter and streetyard buffer standards to the extent landscaping within the strips complies with applicable buffer standards (see Section 5.7, Perimeter and Streetyard Buffers). b. Existing trees retained on a site in accordance with the standards in Section 5.4, Tree Protection, can be credited towards the perimeter landscaping standards associated with a vehicular use area, provided the trees meet the minimum size at time of planning standards in Section 5.12.3.A, New Planting Standards, and the trunks are physically located within ten feet of the required perimeter landscaping boundary. (Ord. No. 2014-051, 11/10/2014) D. Interior Landscaping Standards Vehicle use areas, except those containing 15 or fewer vehicle parking spaces, shall provide and maintain landscaped islands within the interior of the vehicle use area in accordance with the following standards. These standards shall not apply to parking structures. 1. General a. For each 2,000 square feet of area within a vehicle use area, at least one shade tree and ten shrubs meeting the standards in Section 5.12.3.A, New Planting Standards, shall be provided. Up to 25 percent of the shrubs may be deciduous. b. Understory trees may be substituted for shade trees in areas beneath or immediately adjacent to overhead utilities or exterior lighting fixtures. c. Those parts of planting islands not containing required shade trees shall be landscaped with other trees, shrubs, or ground cover. 2. Planting Islands within Parking Bays a. A planting island shall be provided at each end of every row of parking spaces. Where a row of parking spaces contains more than 20 parking spaces, additional planting islands shall be provided at a spacing no greater than one island at the end of every 20 contiguous parking spaces. b. A planting island at the end of single-loaded parking bays shall be at least 175 square feet in area. A planting island at the end of double-loaded bays shall be at least 350 square feet in area. c. Each planting island shall be at least ten feet wide. If the planting islands at the ends of parking bays include a connecting walkway, they shall be at least 15 feet wide and designed to maximize shading of the walkway and minimize disturbance of vegetation by pedestrians. d. Each planting island shall contain at least one shade tree. 3. Planting Islands Between Parking Bays a. A planting island at least ten feet wide shall be provided between at least every three parallel parking bays. If the planting island includes a walkway, it shall be at least 15 feet wide and designed to maximize shading of the walkway and minimize disturbance of vegetation by pedestrians. b. The planting island shall include shade trees spaced no more than 40 feet apart.

Morrisville, NC

February 1, 2021

Unified Development Ordinance

Page 5-127