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Council reviews first reading of landscape ordinance changes to allow native-seed plantings, address wildfire risk
Summary
Planning staff presented a first reading of code changes that would allow native plantings grown from seed, tighten mulching rules, prohibit crumb-rubber infill, and expand web guidance on wildfire mitigation and pest management; no action was taken at first reading.
City planning staff presented a first reading on June 16 of proposed amendments to Lakeway—s landscape ordinances designed to encourage native, drought-tolerant plantings and to reduce wildfire risk.
Building and planning staff described two primary goals for the update: allow native plants grown from seed (which typically require different coverage and erosion-control timelines than sod) and include provisions that better address wildfire mitigation. Staff said the present code effectively discouraged seed-grown native plantings by imposing coverage and erosion-control requirements tied to sod installation; the proposed amendments would permit seed establishment under revised coverage and erosion-control rules.
The amendment package would also add wildfire-focused definitions and guidance, prohibit combustible mulch within five feet of a building or combustible area, ban crumb rubber as infill for synthetic turf, and set a specific permeability rate (30 inches per hour) for synthetic turf to address stormwater concerns. The proposal replaces the phrase "dead tree" with "disease and dead tree" to align code language with state code and clarifies erosion-control and mulching provisions.
Staff said the city would augment the code with an expanded web guidance section (increasing several web tabs) to provide residents with best-practice material on home hardening, defensible space, and fire-resistant landscaping. Presentations included references to Cal Fire—s post-fire analyses (for example, the Eaton wildfire study) to show how ember exposure and house hardening influence home survivability. Staff also described a pest-management approach that referenced U.S. EPA and U.S. Department of Agriculture guidance on integrated pest management rather than blanket pesticide approaches.
The item was taken as a first reading; staff invited public input and will return with a revised draft at second reading. A resident comment raised concerns about accumulated dead limbs and fuel in the Hamilton Greenbelt area; staff noted that greenbelt maintenance and fire mitigation are addressed through the city—s fire mitigation plan and separate operational programs rather than this code update.
No council action was required at first reading; staff will adjust the draft based on council and public input and return for a subsequent reading.
