Council votes brief moratorium while staff consider landscaping‑rock ordinance changes

Residents raised concerns about enforcement inconsistency under the landscaping ordinance after several homeowners installed decorative rock to boulevard edges and front yards. A resident said she had been unable to reach planning and zoning staff before receiving violation notices and asked whether the city would permit rock if certain safeguards were in place.

Council members and staff discussed options including a moratorium on enforcement, amendment of the landscaping ordinance, and creating clear standards for rock size, containment and locations (boulevards versus parking pads). The city attorney advised that changes to the code should be made through ordinance revisions, not ad‑hoc approvals, and that a moratorium could be used to stop enforcement while the code was rewritten.

Councilmember motioned for a temporary moratorium on enforcement of the landscaping notice; the motion carried. The council asked staff to prepare a comprehensive amendment to the landscaping ordinance rather than address cases one‑by‑one, and to return with proposed code language and recommended standards for rock size and containment.

“I would prefer to address these issues comprehensively and changing the code and not a one‑by‑one patchwork,” the city attorney said. Councilmembers said they do not object to allowing boulevard rock under uniform standards but emphasized avoiding equipment damage and snow‑removal hazards.

Staff also cleared that some existing rock installations are likely grandfathered; the attorney said preexisting uses could continue subject to code conditions and that zoning changes raise constitutional takings questions if they remove significant property rights. The council's moratorium gives staff a short window to draft ordinance language and enforcement guidance for a future meeting.