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Green Laws
Green Laws

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Green Laws

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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


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Community Landscape Codes
Landscape codes or green laws are special parts
of a communitys 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.
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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.
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The Problem 1.
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The Problem 2.
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The Problem 3.
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The Problem 4.
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The Problem 5.
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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
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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
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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
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A Visual Galleryof Interior Parking Lots
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Visual Gallery 1.
Nicely Planted Parking Lot Interior. St. Louis, MO
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Visual Gallery 2.
Small Development Parking Lot Gonzales, LA
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Visual Gallery 3.
Resturaunt Interior Planting Prairieville, LA
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Visual Gallery 4.
Strip Mall Parking Lot Planting Prairieville, LA
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Visual Gallery 5.
Commercial Interior Parking Baton Rouge, LA
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Visual Gallery 6.
New Commercial Interior Island Baton Rouge, LA
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Visual Gallery 7.
Large Commercial Area Employee Parking Baton
Rouge, LA
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Visual Gallery 8.
Planting on Edge of Parking Lot Interior Baton
Rouge, LA
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Visual Gallery 9.
Large Commercial Edge and Interior Islands Baton
Rouge, LA
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Best Parking Lot Interior Plants
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

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 Pittosporu
m tobira Wheelers Dwarf Raphiolepis
indicum Rhododendron indicum Rosa radcon Rosa
radrazz Ternstroemia gymnanthera
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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.

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Typical Code Specs
Zachary, LA (cont)

• 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.

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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.

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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)
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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, 45 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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