Irvine Municipal Code Ch. 3-15 Landscaping Standards

Landscape requirements apply to all developments except single-family detached residential developments. These regulations establish a minimum percentage of a site which must be landscaped. If any areas used to meet this requirement are located in private yards, the applicant shall ensure that the yards remain as open, landscaped areas. All required landscaping shall be at grade, except that up to 50 percent may be provided at the entry level to the units if the entry level is no more than five feet above grade.

(Code 1976, § V.E-309.1; Ord. No. 92-3, 4-14-92; Ord. No. 94-7, § 3, 6-14-94; Ord. No. 96-18, § 4, 12-10-96)

See Chapter 3-37. Additional requirements are as follows:

A. All setbacks and nonwork areas shall be landscaped except areas proposed for development in another phase.

B. All landscaped areas shall be provided with an approved irrigation system consisting of water lines and sprinklers designed to provide head-to-head coverage and to minimize overspray onto structures, walks and windows.

C. Site landscaping includes any required boundary or parking area landscaping.

D. Hardscape may not be used to meet minimum site landscaping requirements. To distinguish landscape from hardscape see Chapter 1-2, Definitions.

(Code 1976, § V.E-309.2; Ord. No. 92-3, 4-14-92; Ord. No. 94-7, § 3, 6-14-94; Ord. No. 96-18, § 4, 12-10-96; Ord. No. 00-09, § 3, 6-13-00)

A. All landscaped areas shall be maintained in a healthy and growing condition and shall receive regular pruning, fertilizing, mowing and trimming. All landscape areas utilizing synthetic turf shall be cleaned and maintained based on manufactures' guidelines for maintenance. Tree pruning standards are addressed in the urban forestry ordinance.

B. All irrigation systems shall be kept operable, including adjustments, replacements, repairs and cleaning as part of regular maintenance.

C. All landscaped areas shall be kept free of weeds and debris.

D. If a parcel is proposed for industrial, commercial or institutional use, maintenance of any landscaping between the curb of any street abutting the parcel and the property line shall be the responsibility of the owner of that parcel, unless a recognized association or district has assumed responsibility for maintenance.

(Code 1976, § V.E-309.3; Ord. No. 92-3, 4-14-92; Ord. No. 94-7, § 3, 6-14-94; Ord. No. 96-18, § 4, 12-10-96; Ord. No. 00-09, § 3, 6-13-00; Ord. No. 12-09, § 3(Exh. A), 5-22-12)

As part of the required landscaping, the following boundary landscaping shall be provided:

A. Residential, attached. A minimum of one 15-gallon tree shall be provided for every 30 feet of interior boundary on all building sites. The trees shall be located in a minimum five-foot-wide planting area. Trees may be clustered.

B. Commercial and institutional uses. A minimum of one 15-gallon tree shall be provided for every 30 feet of interior boundary on all building sites. The trees shall be located in a minimum five-foot-wide planting area. Trees may be clustered.

C. Industrial uses. A minimum of one 15-gallon tree shall be provided for every 30 feet of interior boundary on all side property lines and on rear property lines if abutting a street. The trees shall be located in minimum five-foot-wide planting area. Trees may be clustered.

D. Commercial, institutional and industrial uses. For boundary landscaping located adjacent to parking areas see Section 3-15-5.B.

E. Agricultural uses. No boundary landscaping is required for agricultural uses.

(Code 1976, § V.E-309.4; Ord. No. 92-3, 4-14-92; Ord. No. 94-7, § 3, 6-14-94; Ord. No. 96-18, § 4, 12-10-96; Ord. No. 00-09, § 3, 6-13-00)

A. Intent. The purpose of parking lot landscaping is as follows:

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To provide shade throughout a parking area to reduce the amount of heat absorbed by the pavement;

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To screen cars from surrounding streets and properties;

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To avoid the negative aesthetic impacts of large expanses of parking areas;

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To orient planters and other landscape features to direct pedestrians to building entrances;

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To encourage creative design of parking areas.

B. Minimum landscape requirements.

1. Tree distribution. Trees may be located in the parking area to meet one of the following:

a. One 15-gallon canopy tree, for every four uncovered parking spaces; or

b. Thirty percent canopy coverage over the entire parking area (including parking stalls and drive aisles) shall be achieved 15 years after landscape installation or maturity, whichever is first (for further information see "canopy coverage" and "canopy tree" in Chapter 1-2, definitions). The City of Irvine Landscape Manual Tree List and the Street Tree Seminar, Inc. "Street Trees Recommended for Southern California" contain candidate trees that will comply with the definition of "canopy coverage" (Street Tree Seminar, Inc., refers to "spread" instead of canopy).

c. Vehicle display areas for vehicle sales must provide one tree for every 16 vehicle display stalls.

2. Boundary trees. Required boundary trees which shade parking areas may count towards the fulfillment of parking lot trees. When calculating the total number of parking lot trees, two boundary trees shall equal one parking lot tree. Trees in the public right-of-way are not included in this calculation.

3. Approved parking lot landscape planter designs.

a. Planters shall have minimum internal area of 25 square feet, excluding a curb or border area; curb widths shall be consistent with the City's standards and design manual.

b. All landscape planters with trees shall have a minimum internal dimension of 4½ feet.

c. Parking area infield planters or tree wells shall be placed at the intersection of parking stalls and be designed to reduce damage to trees from vehicles overhanging the planter. Single trees within these planters shall be installed at the center of the parking stall intersections.

d. Row end planters shall not exceed the length of a standard parking stall or two parking stalls depending on row width.

e. Including curb or border, vehicles shall not overhang planters or tree wells by more than two feet. However, projects located within Planning Area 34 are subject to Planning Area 34 design guidelines and are permitted to have an overhang of 2½ feet; however, only two feet of the overhang can count toward the minimum parking dimension of the parking stall. Area of vehicle intrusion into landscape planter will not count towards meeting minimum site landscape requirements. For related Code requirements refer to Section 3-27-9, open parking area setback requirements.

4. Design flexibility. Alternatives to the requirements listed in Sections 3-15-5 and 3-15-8 may be approved by the Director of Community Development for ministerial projects or by the approval body for discretionary projects when the applicant demonstrates that the minimum landscape requirements of this chapter are being met.

5. Planning Area 4 (Lower Peters Canyon). Parking area landscaping shall be required as approved in the Master Plan for the project site. Landscaping shall be provided with the objective to reduce heat gain and provide adequate shade.

6. Screening. Open parking areas shall be screened from view from adjacent properties and streets using walls, berms and/or evergreen landscaping. This screening shall have an eventual height of 3½ feet.

7. Pedestrian access. Parking lot landscaping shall be located so as to discourage pedestrians from having to cross any landscaped areas to reach building entrances from parked cars. This can be achieved through proper orientation of the landscape planters.

(Code 1976, § V.E-309.5; Ord. No. 92-3, 4-14-92; Ord. No. 94-7, § 3, 6-14-94; Ord. No. 96-18, § 4, 12-10-96; Ord. No. 00-09, § 3, 6-13-00; Ord. No. 05-16, § 2, 7-12-05)

For all single family-detached residential developments, the property owner shall be responsible for landscaping in the front and street side yards. The landscaping shall consist predominantly of plant materials except for necessary walks, drives and fences. All required landscaping shall be permanently maintained in a neat and orderly condition.

(Ord. No. 05-16, § 2, 7-12-05)

The following requirements apply only to parking areas located within aboveground parking structures:

A. The exterior elevations of parking structures shall be designed to minimize the use of blank concrete facades. This can be accomplished through the use of textured concrete, planters or trellises, or other architectural treatments. The approval body for the proposed use shall determine if a proposed development meets the intent of this requirement.

B. The perimeter of the parking structure shall be landscaped at ground level with a minimum of one tree (15-gallon) for every 20 feet in addition to any required streetscape or boundary landscaping.

C. No parking lot landscaping shall be required for parking spaces located in parking structures.

(Code 1976, § V.E-309.6; Ord. No. 92-3, 4-14-92; Ord. No. 94-7, § 3, 6-14-94; Ord. No. 96-18, § 4, 12-10-96)

A. All required trees shall be a minimum size of 15 gallons.

B. When used as a screen, the landscaping shall be of compact evergreens which will obtain a minimum height of two feet within 18 months of installation and an eventual minimum height of 3½ feet.

C. All landscaping shall consist of a combination of ground cover, shrubs, trees, grass, fountains, and water features consistent with Title 5, Division 7 of the Irvine Municipal Code (Sustainability in Landscaping). Ground covers other than plants (for example, mulch, gravel or decomposed granite) may be used on a limited basis with the approval of the Director of Community Development.

D. Section 3-15-9 should be consulted to avoid physical conflicts between existing and proposed trees and/or landscape.

(Code 1976, § V.E-309.7; Ord. No. 92-3, 4-14-92; Ord. No. 94-7, § 3, 6-14-94; Ord. No. 96-18, § 4, 12-10-96; Ord. No. 97-05, 5-13-97; Ord. No. 00-09, § 3, 6-13-00; Ord. No. 24-07, § 3(Exh. A), 5-28-24)

Properties abutting any of the streets or freeways listed below must provide a 30-foot-wide landscaped setback area from the right-of-way line. The only improvements permitted in this area are driveway entrances, sidewalks, planters and walls. Variations to the width of the landscaped area may be made in the Irvine Business Complex as provided for in Sections 3-37-29, 3-37-31 and 3-37-32. If the building setback results in a dimension of less than 30 feet from the right-of-way line to the face of the building, the landscape setback may equal the dimension from the right-of-way line to face of building without the need for administrative relief.

A. Irvine Spectrum 2 (PA 35).

1. Interstate 5.

2. Alton Parkway.*

3. Bake Parkway.

4. Barranca Parkway.*

5. Irvine Boulevard.*

6. Jeronimo Road.

7. Muirlands Boulevard.

8. Rockfield Boulevard.

9. Toledo Way (east of Alton).

B. Irvine Business Complex (PA 36).

1. San Diego Freeway (I-405).

2. Campus Drive.*

3. Costa Mesa Freeway (I-55).

4. DuPont Drive.

5. Jamboree Boulevard.*

6. MacArthur Boulevard.*

7. Main Street.*

8. Michelson Drive.*

9. Red Hill Avenue.*

10. Von Karman Avenue.*

C. Irvine Spectrum 4 (PA 13).

1. San Diego Freeway (I-405).

2. Laguna Freeway.

3. Alton Parkway.*

4. Barranca Parkway.*

5. Laguna Canyon Road.

6. Sand Canyon Avenue.*

D. Irvine Spectrum 5 (PA 34).

1. Interstate 5.

2. San Diego Freeway (I-405).

3. Bake Parkway.

4. Irvine Center Drive.*

E. Planning Area 51.

1. Interstate 5.

* Also included in the Master Streetscape Plan.

In addition to a 30-foot-wide landscaped setback area from the right-of-way line, the following roadways are also included in the City of Irvine Master Streetscape Plan and the roadway listed below are subject to the standards contained in the plan. The following roadways and districts are included in the plan:

F. Streetscapes by street:

1. Alton Parkway.

2. Barranca Parkway.

3. Bryan Avenue.

4. Campus Drive.

5. Culver Drive.

6. Harvard Avenue.

7. Irvine Boulevard.

8. Irvine Center Drive.

9. Jamboree Road.

10. Jeffrey Road.

11. MacArthur Boulevard.

12. Main Street.

13. McGaw Avenue.

14. Michelson Avenue.

15. Red Hill Avenue.

16. Sand Canyon.

17. Von Karman Avenue.

18. Walnut Avenue.

19. Yale Avenue.

G. Streetscapes by district:

1. Northwood (PA 8).

2. University of California, Irvine.

(Code 1976, § V.E-309.8; Ord. No. 92-3, 4-14-92; Ord. No. 94-7, § 3, 6-14-94; Ord. No. 96-18, § 4, 12-10-96; Ord. No. 99-03, § 3, 2-9-99; Ord. No. 00-09, § 3, 6-13-00; Ord. No. 09-02, § 3, 3-24-09; Ord. No. 12-09, § 3(Exh. A), 5-22-12)

Exceptions may be requested through the administrative relief procedure in Chapter 2-2.

(Code 1976, § V.E-309.9; Ord. No. 92-3, 4-14-92; Ord. No. 94-7, § 3, 6-14-94; Ord. No. 96-18, § 4, 12-10-96)