§ 24-10. Activity center/tourist commercial development.

The following standards apply to all properties located within a designated activity center or tourist commercial corridor, unless exempted as a development of regional impact (DRI) or as a binding letter of vested rights development by section 30-363, and are supplemental to all other requirements of this chapter:

(a)

Activity center requirements.

(1)

Streetscape buffers. The buffers depicted in Exhibit A [on file in appropriate county offices] are required along all roadways located within the International Drive Activity Center.

(2)

Perimeter landscaping.

a.

Trees shall be provided within buffer areas described in # 1 at the rate of one (1) shade tree for each forty (40) feet of road frontage or fraction thereof, planted on-center. These shade trees are to be a minimum of sixteen (16) feet high, with a minimum caliper of three and one-half (3½) inches, with a minimum six-foot clear trunk, at planting. Shade trees shall be provided along side and rear lot lines not abutting rights-of-way at a rate of one (1) tree for each fifty (50) linear feet or fraction thereof.

b.

All paved parking and vehicular use areas shall be screened as follows:

1.

A continuous hedge at least thirty (30) inches high, spaced no greater than thirty (30) inches on-center at planting, which shall reach at least forty-eight (48) inches high and eighty (80) percent opacity within twelve (12) months.

2.

When two (2) hedges occur along a common property line, compatible species shall be used.

Additional screening requirements along side and rear property lines may be required based upon the abutting land use (see section 24-4(a)(2) and section 24-5).

Conventional stormwater retention facilities shall be designed as a site amenity (per section 38-1234, Orange County Code). If design as an amenity is determined infeasible by the county engineer, the stormwater facilities shall be screened from public the right-of-way by a continuous hedge, berm or combination of both.

(3)

Interior landscaping.

a.

Landscaping shall be provided throughout parking areas in an amount equal to ten (10) percent of the total paved area. Each landscaped area shall be a minimum of one hundred (100) square feet. One (1) shade tree shall be required for each seventy-five (75) square feet of required landscaping. A landscape starter shall be provided at the end of each parking area adjacent to the travel lane serving the parking aisle. A minimum of fifty (50) percent of the required landscape areas shall be landscaped with plant materials other than ground cover. All landscaped areas shall be protected from vehicular encroachment by curbs or wheel stops.

b.

No more than fifteen (15) parking spaces shall be placed in a continuous row without a landscape break. The landscape break shall be a minimum of eight (8) feet in length or eight (8) feet in width and include one (1) shade tree. As an alternative, landscaped seven-foot wide center medians located between all lineal rows of parking which face head-to-head may be provided, with one (1) shade tree provided per fifty (50) lineal feet of median.

(4)

Building perimeter. A landscaped area shall be provided around the base of all buildings oriented toward the right-of-way or public parking areas.

a.

The landscaped area shall encircle the building base oriented toward the right-of-way or parking area. Minimum width shall be five (5) feet.

b.

At least fifty (50) percent shall consist of landscape other than ground cover, with one (1) tree provided for each one hundred (100) square feet of required landscaping or fraction thereof.

c.

The application of the required landscape shall be at the discretion of the owner, such that the required square footage may be aggregated to provide maximum aesthetic value. However, each perimeter requiring landscape must have at least fifty (50) percent of the required landscape along that perimeter.

(b)

Tourist commercial corridor requirements.

(1)

Perimeter landscaping. Trees shall be provided along buffer yard areas abutting public rights-of-way at a frequency of one (1) tree for every fifty (50) feet of road frontage or fraction thereof. Trees shall be provided along side and rear lot lines not abutting rights-of-way, at a ratio of one (1) tree for each seventy-five (75) linear feet or fraction thereof. Existing trees will be counted to meet this requirement. Trees must be placed within the buffer yard areas with at least fifty (50) percent of the required trees located within fifteen (15) feet of the property line.

a.

The application of the perimeter landscaping criteria shall be flexible with preference being given to aesthetically pleasing landscape design over a rigid interpretation of the tree spacing standard; however, no more than one hundred fifty (150) contiguous feet along the perimeter of the property shall be void of trees.

b.

The type and size of landscape material shall conform with the plant material specifications contained in this section.

(2)

Screen hedges/berms. All paved areas and fenced stormwater retention facilities shall be screened from the public right-of-way by a continuous hedge or berm or combination of both. The use of plant materials to provide a continuous hedge shall conform to the plant material specifications provided herein.

a.

Berms may be utilized to provide screening of paved areas or stormwater retention facilities, provided they are a minimum of two (2) feet in height and no more than five (5) feet in height. Berms shall be supplemented with landscaping in order to provide a minimum thirty-six-inch high screen.

b.

Berms constructed adjacent to the public right-of-way shall not exceed seventy-five (75) feet in length without a landscape break. Overlapping berms may be utilized in lieu of landscape breaks.

c.

Paved areas adjacent to side or rear property lines shall be screened from abutting properties by hedging or berms equaling twenty-five (25) percent of the paved frontage. No more than fifty (50) continuous feet along the property line shall be void of screening. Additional landscaping shall be provided to screen any on-site uses having a negative impact on adjacent property.

(3)

Interior landscaping. Landscaping shall be provided in scattered locations throughout the parking areas, and the aggregate square footage covered by such landscaping shall not be less than five (5) percent of the total paved area. Each landscaped area shall be a minimum of two hundred (200) square feet. A landscape starter shall be provided at the end of each parking area adjacent to the travel lane serving the parking aisle. A minimum of fifty (50) percent of the required landscape areas shall be landscaped with plant materials other than ground cover.

a.

All landscaped areas shall be protected from vehicle encroachment by curbing or wheel stops.

b.

No more than twenty (20) parking spaces shall be placed in a continuous row without a landscape break. Flexibility in the application of this standard shall be given to parking areas serving more than five hundred (500) cars, provided that the proposed design produces an acceptable alternative.

c.

A minimum of fifty (50) percent of the required trees provided within the interior landscaped area shall be of a large shade tree variety.

(4)

Building landscaping. A landscaped area shall be provided around the base of all buildings oriented toward public rights-of-way or public parking areas. The rear of the building shall not be included within the landscaped area unless it is oriented to a public right-of-way.

a.

This landscaped area shall be equal to fifty (50) percent of the linear length of the building base oriented toward the rights-of-way or parking areas, with a minimum width of four (4) feet.

b.

At least half of the required landscaped area shall contain landscape material other than ground cover, with trees provided at a ratio of one (1) tree per two hundred (200) square feet of required landscaped area or fraction thereof. The distribution of the landscaped areas shall be at the discretion of the owner.

(Ord. No. 92-42, § 1, 12-15-92)