Beavercreek council advances landscape code revision after extensive public comment; council asks staff to clarify grandfathering and erosion exceptions

Beavercreek City Council on Monday advanced Ordinance 25-05 to a second reading after a lengthy public hearing and council discussion about how the proposed landscaping rules would treat native plantings, mailbox plantings, erosion-prone areas and existing large front-yard gardens.

The ordinance would repeal the current Section 97.1 (“weeds and grass”) of the Beavercreek Codified Ordinances and add a new Section 97.10 to clarify yard maintenance and landscaping rules. Staff presented the draft language and said the changes focus on defining what “managed and maintained” means and on drawing clearer lines between lawns and landscape beds. In the staff presentation, a planning staff member said the proposed code would limit landscape beds in required front yards to 50% of the required front-yard area, require landscape beds to have “obvious shapes and edges,” and call for a three-foot setback between landscape beds and side/rear property lines unless a fence protects a neighbor’s yard.

The council opened the ordinance for public comment. Ten…