Lakewood committee substitutes front-yard plantings ordinance after public input; measure remains in committee

The Lakewood Housing Planning Development Committee met Sept. 8 and discussed Ordinance 18 20 25, a proposed amendment that would create an affirmative allowance for managed natural front-yard plantings while keeping safety-related limits on height and sight lines. The committee approved a substituted version of the draft but left the ordinance in committee for additional review and public education.

The ordinance as introduced sought to permit naturally managed landscapes in front-yard setback areas while retaining code authority for the building department to cite unsafe conditions. Committee members and city staff described changes circulated before the meeting that narrow several of the originally proposed setbacks and clarify how existing code provisions about sight lines and obstruction would be applied.

Chair (unnamed) said the intent was not to pass the ordinance that evening but to solicit more public comment and allow the administration and stakeholders to refine the language. "No. No. It's not my intention to pass this this evening. This is simply for discussion purposes," the chair said.

Under the version proposed at the meeting, setbacks in many typical locations were narrowed compared with the administration's earlier draft. The administration initially proposed a 4-foot setback from the right-of-way and a 4-foot setback from property lines, with a 2-foot setback from driveways. The substituted draft reduced side-yard setbacks to 2 feet and retained 2 feet along driveways as a practical width for ordinary lawn-mowing equipment (committee discussion cited typical mower widths of about 20–24 inches). Committee members also discussed larger corner-lot setbacks (for many intersections the draft keeps a larger corner setback, often referenced as 4 feet) to preserve sight lines where turning and crossing activity is highest.

The substitute also cross-references two existing code sections that the building department already enforces: one provision allowing citation where plantings obstruct motorist or pedestrian sight lines (referred to in the meeting as code section 177501(b)) and another allowing citation where vegetation overhangs or impedes the public right-of-way (referred to as 177502). Under the draft language discussed at the meeting, a planted area within the defined setback may exceed 36 inches if it is not obstructing pedestrian or motorist sight lines or overhanging the right-of-way. Turfgrass in setback areas was discussed as being limited to 6 inches, consistent with the city’s existing tall-grass standard.

Assistant Director Swallow (city staff) clarified the jurisdictional limit for tree lawns: "The tree lawn area is considered part of the public right of way. We do have an ordinance that prohibits placing anything in the public right of way," Swallow said, adding that Public Works regulates the space between sidewalk and street and the building department starts at the edge of the sidewalk. The committee emphasized that the proposed ordinance applies from the sidewalk back toward the house and does not change Public Works' authority over the tree lawn. Swallow said the city typically responds to complaints and will not always remove modest plantings where they are not obstructive, but when vegetation impedes the public right-of-way the city would notify property owners to remove it.

Members of Keep Lakewood Beautiful, including Agnes Michalak, offered to assist in refining species lists and educational materials. Resident Allison Welch sought clarification about whether the 6-inch turf limit applied to native-meadow plantings; the chair answered that the draft intends to allow taller native or ornamental plantings so long as they do not obstruct sight lines or overhang the right-of-way. President Keppel suggested coordinating education with the city’s public information officer and KLB to show residents what types of plantings are appropriate and safe.

Committee members raised several implementation points: (1) building-safety staff requested clear, objective standards the property maintenance inspectors can apply consistently and asked staff to consult public safety on corner-lot setbacks; (2) members noted the need to avoid changing standards midseason that would require residents to remove plantings they had cultivated for years, suggesting any new rules be phased in with outreach and grandfathering considerations; and (3) the committee intends to update illustrative figures referred to in the ordinance before subsequent hearings.

Formally, the committee approved substitution of the chair’s redlined draft as the working baseline for future deliberations; the motion to substitute was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote, and committee leadership said the item will remain in committee for additional edits, outreach and at least one more public hearing. The committee indicated a likely timeline of additional work through the fall and potential rollout in the first quarter of next year, contingent on drafting, public education and coordination with Public Works and public safety.

The committee also approved the minutes from its June 23, 2025 meeting earlier in the session.

Next steps described by city staff and committee members include circulating updated figures and the redlined draft to Keep Lakewood Beautiful for technical input on species and prohibited plants, consulting public safety on corner‑lot setback distances, coordinating a public education campaign if the ordinance advances, and scheduling another committee meeting to consider further edits and any recommended grandfathering or implementation provisions.

Votes at a glance: the committee approved a motion to adopt a substituted draft of Ordinance 18 20 25 as the working baseline (substitution approved by voice vote; recorded as "substituted" and retained in committee) and approved minutes for the June 23, 2025 meeting (voice vote). Specific roll-call tallies were not recorded in the meeting transcript available for this report.

The meeting also included a separate presentation request about a transit feasibility study; that item was introduced after the plantings discussion and will be considered at committee discussion of transit options in a later agenda segment.