General landscaping requirements
(1) Purpose.
(a) To improve the physical environment through the provision of open space, street trees and vegetation;
(b) To provide a transition between land uses through the use of well designed landscaping and/or buffers;
(c) To reduce noise, dust pollution and glare.
(d) To reduce impacts from impervious surfaces including heat island effect and disruption to the hydrologic cycle;
(e) To improve air quality;
(f) To provide shade for pedestrians and automobiles, and pavement;
(g) To provide privacy in residential settings;
(h) Provide for soil conservation, erosion control, flood control and pollutant mitigation; and
(i) To eliminate or reduce the need for irrigation by providing landscapes that are developed in accordance with best practices and are well-suited to the regional environment and climate.
(2) General standards.
(a) In residential developments, applicants shall provide plantings or landscaping elements throughout the development to promote the purposes of this ordinance in addition to the screening and street trees required;
(b) In nonresidential developments, all areas of the site not occupied by buildings and required improvements shall have been retained in their natural state as part of the site design process. If the property was cleared in the past and the current state of the property does not serve as an adequate buffer or natural area, a planting plan shall be submitted for this area of the site;
(c) Plant varieties shall be selected for long term resistance to drought, moisture, salt, urban conditions, or insects and other pests depending on the location of landscaping and the specific stressors anticipated for different areas of the site. Plants should be selected so that landscaping can be maintained with minimal care and the need for watering, pesticides, or fertilizers is minimized or eliminated;
(d) Landscape professionals are encouraged to reference Sustainable Trees and Shrubs, 3rded., 1999 as amended, URI Cooperative Extension - Landscape Horticulture, URI Sustainable Coastal Plant List 2007, URI Cooperative Extension, and Coastal Buffer Zone Planting Guide (CRMC 2008), as amended, Exhibit A in the Subdivisions and Land Development Regulations as well as other current standards for nursery stock/species when selecting plan varieties for landscaping to meet the intent of 21-276 (2) (c);
(e) Under no circumstances shall any plant be selected that appears on the most recent listing of invasive species as published by the Rhode Island Invasive Species Council.
(Ord. No. 98-7, 5-11-1998; Ord. No. 2010-06, § 5, 4-26-2010)