§ 6.06.05. Street Trees

A.

Street Trees Required

The planting of street trees along local and collector roadways of subdivisions shall be required. One street tree for each lot shall be required. In addition, one street tree for every additional 50 linear feet, or portion thereof, of yard frontage shall be required for subdivision lots with yard frontages greater than 100 feet. In residential subdivisions where the majority of the lots are 7,000 square feet or less in size, one street tree shall be planted per lot within the road right-of-way. For lots on culs-de-sac, one street tree shall be planted on every other lot beginning with the lot at the cul-de-sac entry. Along collector and local streets not fronted by lots, one street tree shall be required per 50 linear feet of roadway on both sides of the road right-of-way. If palms are used, they shall be planted at half the average spacing.

B.

Tree Specifications

All street trees shall be shade trees unless otherwise approved. Street trees shall have a minimum height of six feet and be Florida Grade #1 or better in quality. Palms may be substituted for shade trees at a 2:1 ratio. However, no more than 20 percent of the total number of street trees shall be palms. When palms are approved for use as street trees, they shall be a single trunk species having a minimum clear trunk of eight feet and a minimum DBH of eight inches. In subdivisions requiring the planting of more than 100 street trees, a minimum of two species shall be required. Each species shall minimally represent 25 percent of the total number of street trees; and individuals of each species shall be planted in a manner to achieve a uniformed appearance along the roadway.

C.

Location and Placement

1.

Street trees shall be planted within the road right-of-way a minimum of five feet from the back of curb and a minimum of three feet from the inside edge of a proposed or established sidewalk. When possible, street trees should be centered and evenly spaced in front of the lot and evenly spaced on roadways not fronted by lots.

2.

When not feasible to plant trees in the road right-of-way, as determined by the Administrator, plantings shall be permitted on the lot, provided the trees are installed within five feet of the right-of-way.

3.

Street trees shall be planted a minimum of ten feet from any above ground utility, such as transformer pads and fire hydrants.

4.

Maximum flexibility shall be given to the placement of street trees to accommodate improvements such as driveways, utilities, lighting, etc. The Utility Notification Center should be notified to verify the location of utility lines prior to planting.

5.

Street tree plantings shall be in compliance with the planting standards and roadway landscaping guidelines described in Guidelines for Landscaping Hillsborough County Roadways.

D.

Credit

1.

If tree replacement is required, street trees larger than one inch DBH can be credited inch-for-inch toward the tree replacement inches for each inch above one inch. Street trees required in residential subdivisions shall be credited inch for inch for replaceable trees located within the design road right-of-way. See Section 4.01.07 for replaceable tree requirements.

2.

Where an existing tree is preserved and meets the minimum size and quality criteria and generally meets the street tree locational criteria, it shall be credited toward the street tree planting requirement.

E.

Timing

Street trees to be planted adjacent to common areas, parks, ponds, etc. shall be planted prior to acceptance/final approval of the improvements facilities for a platted unit. Street trees adjacent to lots may be planted concurrent with lot development and shall be planted prior to the issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy for each residence.

(Ord. No. 02-13, § 2, 8-1-02; Ord. No. 08029, § 2, eff. 2-1-09)