El Paso City Code § 18.46.070 Landscape requirements.
18.46.070 - Landscape requirements.
A. Required Plant Coverage Area Calculation.
1. Coverage area shall be calculated based on the areas and structures within the parcel only, and shall not include areas outside of the parcel boundaries such as, the parkway or sidewalk, which are calculated separately. Planted coverage of the site shall favor areas of the parcel which are visible from the frontage and of benefit to site users and pedestrians.
a. Required plant coverage shall not be placed behind a building unless it provides a buffer separating residential from commercial zoned properties or prescribed by a zoning condition.
b. The required landscape for all sites, except zero lot line street frontage sites, shall be located in the area between the street frontage and the building wall furthest from the street including the required buffer.
2. Coverage area for new development which, includes new surface parking lots shall, be calculated based on the square footage of the entire parcel on which the project is located, minus the square footage of the gross building area, multiplied by fifteen percent.
3. Coverage area for an expansion of three thousand square feet or more on an existing building, shall be calculated based on the square footage of the expansion multiplied by fifteen percent. See exemption 18.46.040 (B)(3)
4. Coverage area for high hazard group (H), storage group (S), and utility (U) occupancy classifications, as defined in the International Building Code, in manufacturing and industrial zoning districts, shall be calculated based on the square footage of the entire lot(s) on which the project is located, minus the square footage of the total building footprint multiplied by five percent. The required landscaping shall be placed around the outer perimeter of the primary public building on the site and be visible to the street.
5. Phased Development. If a project is developed in phases, a master landscape plan and phasing schedule shall be provided for the entire development and required coverage must be completed per phase of development. Where pedestrian sidewalks are required to be installed for the development all street and buffer trees shall be installed at the preliminary phase.
B. Required Plant Materials.
1. For every one thousand square feet of required plant coverage area, one unit of plant material shall be required.
2. One unit of plant material consists of a minimum of one tree and a minimum of thirty shrubs.
3. Plant coverage area calculations yielding between four hundred fifty and nine hundred ninety-nine square feet shall require a minimum of one unit of plant material which may be located anywhere on the parcel that is visible to the street, the buffer, or the parkway.
4. Alternative Compliance. In lieu of installation, an expansion/addition to an existing building or unmanned facilities requiring less than one unit of plant material may pay the landscape buyout fee based on the amount established in Schedule C of the El Paso City Code.
C. Alternative Development.
1. Where a building is street-oriented and meets all of the following standards, the required plant coverage area may be reduced by sixty percent.
a. For a commercial occupancy at street level, at least sixty percent fenestration of the street-level building facade, or for a residential occupancy, at least ten percent fenestration of the street-level building facade.
b. The building frontage span is seventy percent of the lot width at the street and shall be built within the first twenty feet of the property line with no parking located between the street and the building along any portion of the seventy percent span.
2. Designated Landscape Infill Development Area.
a. The designated landscape infill development area is shown as Appendix A attached to Ordinance Number 17656. [A copy of Ordinance 17656, Appendix A can be found in the city offices.]
b. For a property within the designated landscape infill development area, the required landscape area may be reduced up to thirty percent.
c. The property shall comply with all other provisions of this chapter.
3. Where topography or a unique characteristic of a particular lot, are such that the landscape requirements cannot be met, the building official may waive up to ten percent of the parking requirements below the minimum, or ten percent of the total landscape area required to allow for landscape design that meets the purposes of this chapter.
4. Where demonstrable low impact development measures achieve one hundred percent stormwater retention and water harvesting within the parcel, then required planting may be reduced by twenty percent and of any plant type or distribution throughout the parcel.
5. Native or naturalized and existing plants within the project areas may be conserved and counted toward required plant material, subject to approval by the building official or his/her designee.
D. Landscape Requirements by Project Area.
1. The Frontage Buffer. The purpose of the frontage buffer is to provide cooling and shading of pedestrian areas as well as serve an aesthetic and safety function in the transition between the parcel and the right-of-way. The frontage buffer may be crossed by driveways and pedestrian walkways connecting to adjacent land; however, no parking is permitted within a frontage buffer.
a. Frontage Depth. The frontage along all public right-of-way shall consist of a minimum ten-foot buffer. A building may be located within the required frontage buffer and any remaining portion within the landscape buffer not occupied by the building shall be landscaped unless approved by the building official or his/her designee.
i. Alternative Design. On irregularly shaped sites or for any properties with a lot depth of less than two hundred feet, the frontage buffer depth may be reduced to six feet.
ii. Where buffer requirements cannot be met due to zoning setbacks and the provided parking does not exceed maximum parking requirements, the building official or his/her designee may approve parking in the frontage buffer when permeable ground treatment and required buffer trees are provided.
iii. Where there are dedicated easements within the buffer such as electrical, water, and gas, and causes a conflict where the required plant material cannot be planted an additional six-foot buffer shall be installed beyond the dedicated easement to meet the requirements of this chapter.
iv. A minimum of fifteen percent of all required shrubs shall be planted in the landscape buffer.
b. Trees required in the frontage buffer: In addition to the required units of plant material, trees within the frontage buffer, shall be large or medium trees from the City of El Paso Approved Plant list. If the tree canopy width is forty feet or more, the maximum spacing shall be, one tree for every forty linear feet of frontage minus driveway widths. If the tree canopy is less than forty feet, the maximum spacing shall be one tree for every thirty linear feet of frontage minus driveway widths. If the property has less than forty feet of total frontage, then a minimum of one tree shall be installed in the buffer.
2. Parking Lots. Landscape shall be designed to provide heat island mitigation and to shade pedestrian paths to the building entrance and other site elements. Parking lot planting shall be located within the parking surface that is most visible to the street and unobstructed by the building. Efforts should be made to design pedestrian pathways shaded with canopy trees.
a. Trees Required in the Parking Lot. Any construction of on-site parking, a new parking lot or expansion of an existing parking lot is required to install one canopy tree per twelve parking spaces or portion thereof, whether or not the parking spaces are required. The number of trees required shall be based on the calculation of the total of all spaces both new and existing within the site.
b. Parking space maximums under Title 20.14 shall apply to this chapter and additional canopy trees shall be required, one tree for every five spaces over the maximum parking spaces allowed. These requirements are in addition to the requirements set forth in Section 18.46.70.A.2.
3. The Parkway - Street Trees. The purpose of the parkway is to provide both aesthetic value to the streetscape and cooling and shading for pedestrian routes. The parkway may be crossed by driveways and walkways; however, no parking is permitted within a parkway, and with the exception of pedestrian access routes and pavers, impermeable paving is specifically prohibited in the parkway.
a. The parkway square footage shall not be included when calculating required parcel coverage area.
b. Parkway length shall be calculated as a total length minus driveway widths.
c. Minimum Trees Required in the Parkway. Trees located in the parkway shall be large or medium trees from the City of El Paso approved plant list. If the tree canopy width is forty feet or more, the maximum spacing shall be, one tree for every forty linear feet of frontage minus driveway widths. If the canopy is less than forty feet, the maximum spacing shall be one tree for every thirty linear feet of frontage minus driveway widths. Canopy trees shall be placed on center at intervals.
d. For parkways abutting state rights-of-way, state guidelines shall apply and state approval shall be provided prior to permit issuance.
e. For new residential subdivision development, street trees shall comply with the provisions of Section 18.46.70.(D)(3)(c) and (d) however, a minimum of one street tree per residential lot shall be installed prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy. An underground automatic irrigation system shall be installed and comply with the standard specified in this chapter.
4. The Sidewalk. Planting trees within sidewalks that do not abut a parkway provides for pedestrian shade and a safety buffer between the roadway and pedestrian zones.
a. If the sidewalk is six feet wide or wider, then canopy trees shall be planted in cutouts in the sidewalk. The centerline of the tree shall be at least two feet from the back of curb, and at least four feet from the property-side edge of the sidewalk. If the remaining clear sidewalk space between the tree planter and the property-side edge of the sidewalk is less than four feet, a grate shall be used to cover the planting hole. In all cases, the minimum effective clear sidewalk width shall be forty-eight inches minimum, sixty inches minimum preferred. Tree grates shall meet accessibility standards and allow for tree trunk diameter growth.
b. Alternative Design. Where in-ground sidewalk tree planting is demonstrated to the building official as being a unique condition, then irrigated, above-ground planters may be used to meet the sidewalk tree requirement. Planter design, tree selection and placement shall be subject to approval by the building official.
c. In the downtown area where tree street lighting is proposed, an electrical connection shall be provided in accordance with the currently adopted national electrical code.
5. Residential Buffers. When a commercial zoned development abuts a residential zoned development or residential lots, a ten-foot-wide buffer shall be required. Trees located in the residential buffer shall be large or medium trees from the City of El Paso Approved Plant list, with a mature canopy width of thirty feet, the maximum spacing shall be, one tree for every thirty linear feet. When applicable this is in addition to the standard landscape requirements. When this chapter may cause conflict with another ordinance, the more stringent shall apply. Where there is at least a thirty-foot-wide pond or utility easement separating the commercial property from the residential property lines, the buffer requirements shall be determined by the building official or designee.
(Ord. No. 019874, § 1, 5-12-2026)