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Robinson council adopts narrower, more flexible landscaping rules for development
Summary
After a public hearing, the Robinson City Council approved ordinance 2025-003 revising the city's landscaping requirements in the zoning code, adding professional-design thresholds, adjusting planting-size standards and tightening rules for trees near power lines.
The Robinson City Council voted to adopt ordinance 2025-003, amending Appendix A (Zoning) to revise Article 7 (landscaping requirements) and Article 12 (definitions), after a continued public hearing and staff presentation.
City planning staff member Brian said the changes are intended to create clearer standards for larger projects and greater flexibility for smaller ones. "These are code changes to the city's landscaping portion of the zoning code," Brian said, describing the package as a mix of tightened and relaxed provisions depending on site type.
The changes the council approved include: requiring design professionals for certain larger landscaping projects; adding an "alternate landscaping" approval pathway so staff can authorize departures that meet overall goals; lowering the minimum caliper for required trees from 3 inches to 2 inches and proposing a minimum 3-gallon size for shrubs; amending tree-survey triggers so sites without qualifying trees can be exempted; increasing the frequency of required parking-lot landscape islands (reducing the parking-space thresholds that trigger islands); moving the planting-list reference to an external landscape guidebook that staff can update; and adding explicit limits on tree species and mature heights under or near overhead power lines.
Brian told council members the intent is to avoid one-size-fits-all rules that create impractical or unsafe outcomes for certain land uses, such as large industrial facilities or sites with overhead utilities. "Sometimes people plant trees and don't realize the trees grow and they grow right into the power lines," he said, and the ordinance adds codified limits for those locations.
Council discussion focused on striking a balance between protecting the city's tree canopy and allowing reasonable, workable requirements for businesses. One councilmember who said they typically oppose reductions in ordinance standards nonetheless said the proposed approach "gives us more flexibility" and that the revisions appear to improve the code compared with the prior version. Council members also asked about enforcement and replacement requirements when required plantings fail; staff said maintenance and replacement obligations remain in place under the revised code.
The motion to enact ordinance 2025-003 was made and seconded during the meeting and carried on an affirmative voice vote.
The ordinance takes effect as provided in its text and includes a standard savings clause. Staff said the planning department and building inspectors will implement the new standards and update the referenced landscape guidebook as needed.
