Green parking areas.
Omaha Municipal Code § 55-928
in effectSec. 55-928. - Green parking areas.
(a) Purpose. This section is intended to elevate the quality of parking lot design by incorporating additional landscaping and screening. Benefits included increased storm water retention, a reduction in the heat island effect and improved pedestrian environments.
(b) Off-street parking and loading. The off-street parking and loading standards of article XIV shall apply to all parking lots pursuant to this section, with the exception of section 55-740 (f) and (g) concerning landscaping and screening.
(c) Landscaping requirements. The landscaping requirements of this section shall supersede the landscaping requirements of section 55-740(f) and (g).
(1) General provisions. The following general provisions apply to all landscaping pursuant to this section.
a. Design and performance. All landscaping shall comply with the provisions set forth in article XIII, "Landscaping and Screening" (section 55-711 et seq.).
b. Additional landscaping requirements. In addition to this section, all development shall comply with the provisions of article XIII, section 55-711 through section 55-730, concerning landscaping and screening, as applicable to the project.
c. Maintenance. All landscaping areas shall be continuously maintained free of weeds, debris and litter. Required landscaping and/or features fulfilled by this section shall be replaced as necessary to maintain ongoing compliance.
d. Curbs. All landscaping areas shall be protected with concrete curbs or barriers with equal performance unless designed and approved as a storm water management feature.
(2) Interior landscaping. Interior landscaping shall be provided within the limits of the parking facility and shall not include landscaping otherwise required such as front, side or buffer yards, or perimeter landscaping.
a. Minimum internal landscaped area. The minimum total area of interior landscaping shall be no less than seven percent of the total paved parking area, including drive aisles that do not provide access to a parking stall.
b. Location of landscaping. The interior landscaped area shall be provided through the use of interior landscape islands, peninsulas, strips between parking rows and un-parked corners that are distributed evenly throughout the interior of the parking area.
c. Trees. The following minimum standards shall apply to trees within interior landscapes areas.
1. Quantity. The minimum total number of overstory trees within the interior landscaped area(s) shall be the total required interior landscaped area divided by 350.
2. Minimum area. All landscaped areas including a tree must be no less than eight feet in any one direction and a minimum area of 150 square feet.
3. Distribution. Trees shall be distributed evenly throughout the interior of the parking area.
d. Exceptions. The following exceptions apply to interior landscaping within green parking areas.
1. Reduction of required stalls. If the minimum number of parking stalls required by section 55-734 cannot be achieved due to compliance with this section, the director may authorize up to a ten percent reduction in the required minimum number of stalls or up to two percent of interior landscaping.
2. Small parking areas. Parking areas less than 5,000 square feet may be allowed a reduction in the minimum interior landscaped area, provided that the minimum number of trees calculated for the interior landscaping area is provided elsewhere on the development site and/or as approved by the director of planning.
3. Vehicle fueling canopies. The area under vehicle fueling canopies and associated access drive lanes that do not serve parking stalls shall be excluded from the total area calculation for parking lots pursuant to this section.
(3) Perimeter landscaping. Perimeter landscaping shall include the continuous landscaped area(s) which shall constitute the physical edge that surrounds the parking facility, and may include or be part of any other required landscaping such as front, side, buffer-yard areas.
a. Minimum width. The minimum width of perimeter landscaping shall be determined by adjacency to features as described in sections 1-2 below.
1. Street property line. Minimum perimeter landscaping width shall be ten feet when adjacent to a public or private street. This minimum shall be increased to 15 feet when adjacent to an arterial street, or a primary street within an ACI or TOD district.
2. Side or rear property line. Minimum perimeter landscaping width shall be five feet when adjacent to a side or rear property line. This minimum shall be increased to ten feet when adjacent a residential district.
b. Exceptions. The following exceptions apply to perimeter landscaping within green
1. Reduction of perimeter landscaping width. Parking areas requiring a 15 foot wide perimeter landscaping by this code that is less than one acre and that conforms to the sidewalk requirements pursuant to section 55-924 may reduce the minimum width to no less than six feet if permanent screening is provided per section 55-928(d).
2. Common development. Perimeter landscaping between sites is not required for a parking area that is designed as one larger common parking lot serving two or more sites.
c. Parking lot screening - Type 1. When perimeter landscaping meets one of the following conditions, the parking lot shall be screened from view with plants that reach a mature height of no less than three feet. Landscaped berms, grade changes, hedge rows, shrubbery, or any combination may be used to fulfill this requirement provided that the view of the parking lot is effectively screened from view.
1. Adjacent to an arterial street.
2. Adjacent to a primary street within an ACI or TOD district.
3. Adjacent to a residential district separated by a street.
d. Parking lot screening - Type 2. Any parking facility which adjoins a residential district by common property line shall provide a fence, wall or landscape screen not less than four feet in height for the length of the common boundary. A grade change, terrace or other design feature which effectively blocks the sight line of headlights into the residential property may satisfy this requirement, subject to the approval of the planning director.
e. Trees. All perimeter parking lot landscaping areas adjacent to streets shall provide overstory trees 40 feet on center.
f. Use of the right-of-way. The 15 feet wide perimeter landscaping required by this section may include up to five feet of contiguous and adjacent landscaped right-of-way.
(d) Permanent screening. The design of permanent screening shall be comparable in design with the principal site architecture and meet the following requirements:
(1) General standard. Long continuous undifferentiated walls shall be avoided. The design shall incorporate an assembly of various elements such as walls, columns, gates, fences, gaps with intervening landscaping, lighting or other features to provide visual interest and pedestrian scaled features.
(2) Design. The design of permanent screening shall be approved by the planning director after consideration of the location and size of the lot, site context in relation to pedestrian activity and adjacent street or building design.
(3) Height. The height of the screening elements may be varied between a maximum of 48 inches a minimum of 30 inches.
(4) Location. The permanent screening shall be on the parking lot side of the perimeter landscaping allowing for no greater than two feet for vehicle overhang and shall conform to provisions for sight obstructions of this Code.
(5) Trees. The required trees shall be located within a gap between structural elements with a minimum width of no less than six feet in any one direction.
(6) Effective landscaping width. Perimeter landscaping width reduced by this section shall be considered the dimensional equivalent of the original minimum requirement for purposes of compliance with other section of this code.
(e) Other applicable requirements.
(1) Exterior lighting. Exterior lighting in green parking areas shall comply with the requirements of chapter 44, article V, division 5 of the Omaha Municipal Code.
(Ord. No. 37810, § 8, 8-14-07; Ord. No. 38907, § 5, 12-21-10; Ord. No. 39358, § 8, 6-19-12; Ord. No. 40303, § 4, 3-31-15; Ord. No. 42341, § 13, 10-27-20; Ord. No. 43098, § 1, 9-13-22; Ord. No. 44722, § 1, 7-14-26)
Source: City of Omaha, Municipal Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/ne/omaha/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=OMMUCOCHGEORVOII_CH55ZO_ARTXXIIURDE_S55-928GRPAARFetched: 10/28/2026