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1. cover cover Green Laws Green Laws • title Green Laws • title & Community Design LSU Green Laws Research Project Cheri Babin Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry EBR Parish Tree And Landscape Commission Photographs: Live Oak Gardens Ltd. Abbey Associates Landscape Architects

2. Community Landscape Codes Landscape codes or green laws are special parts of a community’s zoning ordinance. Certain provisions are written to influence the design of “parking facilities” and make improvements to the environment of urban areas Notable codes include Zachary, Louisiana; Ridgeland, Mississippi; and Seabrook Island, South Carolina require improvements to parking lot environments.

3. Parking Lot Interiors The interior parking lot requirements are intended to break up large expanses of pavement, provide relief from heat island effect associated with paved areas, and provide pervious surfaces to reduce storm water run-off.

4. The Problem 1.

5. The Problem 2.

6. The Problem 3.

7. The Problem 4.

8. The Problem 5.

9. Purpose of Parking Lot Interiors Break up large expanses of pavement Provide relief from heat island effect associated with paved areas Provide pervious surfaces to reduce storm water run-off Add decorative elements to a parking lot Can be used to absorb some rain water

10. Parking Lot Interior Components Interior Landscaping area minimum Shade Tree quantity per island Surface material Island between parking space interval Islands at every corner Divider island width

11. Code Writing Essentials Purpose Provide escape from heat island Location Island every 10 spaces Size- 5’ Width minimum Design Composition One shade tree minimum per island Minimum 90ft² per island Opacity Plant Specifications- Growth rate, able to grow in small areas Does not have a wide spread

12. A Visual Galleryof Interior Parking Lots

13. Visual Gallery 1. Nicely Planted Parking Lot Interior. St. Louis, MO

14. Visual Gallery 2. Small Development Parking Lot Gonzales, LA

15. Visual Gallery 3. Resturaunt Interior Planting Prairieville, LA

16. Visual Gallery 4. Strip Mall Parking Lot Planting Prairieville, LA

17. Visual Gallery 5. Commercial Interior Parking Baton Rouge, LA

18. Visual Gallery 6. New Commercial Interior Island Baton Rouge, LA

19. Visual Gallery 7. Large Commercial Area Employee Parking Baton Rouge, LA

20. Visual Gallery 8. Planting on Edge of Parking Lot Interior Baton Rouge, LA

21. Visual Gallery 9. Large Commercial Edge and Interior Islands Baton Rouge, LA

22. TREES Acer rubrum Acer saccharinum Betula nigra Chionanthus virginicus Cornus florida Crataegus marshallii Crataefus viridis Firmiana simplex Gordonia lasianthus Lagerstroemia indica Ligustrum lucidum Liriodendron tulipifera Magnolia denudata Magnolia grandiflora Magnolia stellata Magnolia x soulangiana Quercus acutissima Taxodium ascendens Taxodium distichum Best Parking Lot Interior Plants State of Louisiana SHRUBS Ilex cornuta ‘Bufodii Nana’ Ilex cornuta ‘Carissa’ Ilex cornuta x latifolia ‘Mary Nell’ Ilex vomitoria Ilex vomitoria ‘Nana’ Ilex x attenuata ‘Fosteri’ Ilex x attenuata ‘Savannah’ Nandina domestica ‘Compacta’ Pittosporum tobira ‘Wheelers Dwarf’ Raphiolepis indicum Rhododendron indicum Rosa radcon Rosa radrazz Ternstroemia gymnanthera

23. Typical Code Specs Zachary, LA • Sec. 4.160 Parking Lot Landscaping • General. Parking lot landscaping shall be as specified in Table 4.110, Landscaping Requirements. • Planting Island Area. Parking lot landscaping shall be located within parking lot islands or islands in entrance drives and circulation drives. • Alternative A. Each plant unit shall be planted in a planting island or space with a minimum total area of 270 square feet. The plant unit may be distributed between two landscaping islands or in larger continuous islands. If two smaller islands are selected, each shall contain a minimum of 135 square feet in area. • Alternative B. For each 16 parking spaces, or fraction thereof, a landscape island containing at least 162 square feet must be provided within the parking lot. Landscaped islands must be a minimum of 7.5 feet in width, measured from the back of the curb, and must be dispersed throughout the parking lot. Islands measuring less than 162 square feet may be permitted provided the total required minimum square footage is met. • Alternative C. Diamond-shaped islands between abutting parking rows may be used to fulfill the requirement for islands, provided that the total minimum area of landscape islands in the parking lot is 270 square feet per required plant unit. The minimum area of diamond is 36 square feet.

24. Typical Code Specs Zachary, LA (con’t) • Small Parking Lots. In small parking lots, the following alternatives may be approved: • Alternative A. In small parking lots (requiring less that three plant units), the landscaping may be on the perimeter of the parking lot instead of in islands. • Alternative B. Any premises containing a parking lot that has less than 16 parking spaces must provide a minimum of one island containing at least 162 square feet of permeable area. • Groundcover and Landscape Protection. • All landscape island areas shall be completely landscaped with groundcover or plants not exceeding one foot in height • Landscape islands shall be protected from vehicle intrusion by vertical curbs.

25. Typical Code Specs City of Ridgeland, MS • SECTION XVI - DESIGN GUIDELINES • C. Site Standards • F. Landscaping • All landscape islands and buffer areas adjoining parking areas shall be curbed. • Landscaping shall be provided in the interior areas of parking lots. • Lots with fewer than 10 spaces, no interior landscaping requirements. • 10-20 spaces. 5% of the gross parking area shall be landscaped, with one shade tree planted for every 300 square feet of landscaped area. • Greater than 21 spaces. 10% of the gross areas shall be landscaped, with one shade tree planted for every 300 square feet of landscaped area. • Trees shall be located in every landscape island. The minimum required planting areas is 200 square feet. There shall be one landscape island per 10 parking spaces. • Landscape islands shall be located at each end of a parking row and intervals no less than every 10 spaces, as well as, at the corners of the parking lots. • Divider islands in parking lot interiors shall be a minimum of five feet wide. • Continuous rows of parking spaces shall be terminated at both ends by landscaped islands. Average size of islands shall be five by five (5 x 5) feet and each island shall be a minimum of three by three (3 x 3) feet. • There shall be planted one tree minimum per island. • All landscape islands shall be planted with grass, shrubs, or ground cover, excluding gravel, sand, and pavements. • All vehicular areas and landscape islands shall be curved.

26. Typical Code Specs City of Seabrook Island, SC §10.90.20 Parking Lot Interiors Each parking area, except properties with less than ten (10) parking spaces, shall also provide interior landscape areas in accordance with the following requirements. §10.90.20.10 There shall be one interior landscape areas for every ten (10) parking spaces. It shall have a minimum size of ninety (90) square feet with a minimum dimension of five (5) feet. §10.90.20.20 Each required landscape areas shall contain at least one (1) shade tree. It shall be surfaced with grass, ground covers, shrubs, or other plant materials, or with at least two (2) inches of wood chips, bark, or pine straw. §10.90.20.30 Required landscape areas shall be located and dispersed in accordance with the following limitations: §10.90.20.31 Rows of parking spaces located adjacent to the perimeter of all paved areas shall contain no more than ten (10) parking spaces uninterrupted by a required landscape area, and no parking space in such a row shall be separated from a required landscape area by more than five (5) parking spaces. §10.90.20.32 All other rows of parking spaces shall contain no more than fourteen (14) parking spaces uninterrupted by a required landscape area, and no parking space in any such row shall be separated from a required landscape area by more than seven (7) parking spaces. §10.90.20.33 The Planning Commission, through the site plan review, may allow the relocation of such landscape areas the preserve existing trees, or where it is determined upon review that such relocation is necessary in order to provide for the safe maneuvering of vehicles. (Ordinance 1995-06, 6/8/95)

27. References City of Zachary, Louisiana, Interim Land Development Code, Article 4 – Landscaping, Sec. 4.160 Parking Lot Landscaping City of Ridgeland, Mississippi, Overlay District Ordinance, SECTION XVI - Design Guidelines, C. Site Standards, F. Landscaping, 4&5 City of Seabrook Island, South Carolina, Development Standards Ordinance, Article 10: Buffers, Landscaping, and Tree Protection, §10.90.20 Parking Lot Interiors

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