Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Works Landscaping topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council discusses inconsistent median landscaping, seeks clearer maintenance responsibilities
Summary
Council held a discussion on median landscaping and maintenance after councilmembers raised inconsistency and enforcement concerns. Development services staff outlined how medians are designed, who installs and maintains them, and recent improvements in code enforcement capacity.
QUEEN CREEK — Councilmembers held a procedural discussion about landscaping in arterial medians after concerns about inconsistent installation and upkeep along several roadways.
Councilmember Benning introduced the item, saying some arterials were landscaped and maintained while others were not, creating inconsistent appearances and confusion about responsibility. He asked whether the town should require median landscaping uniformly or assume maintenance responsibilities for medians it accepts.
Development services staff member Brett Burningham reviewed how median landscaping is handled in the development process: developers typically design and construct medians and associated landscaping when building half‑street improvements to town engineering and zoning standards. Initial maintenance often falls to the developer or builder and later transfers to homeowners associations (HOAs) or property owners. Staff noted landscape medians are expensive to install and costly to repair (staff cited an example cost of up to $3,000 to remove a large damaged tree).
Burningham described common breakdowns that create inconsistencies: some town CIP roadway projects were completed without median landscaping because of cost or funding timing; in some cases conduit for irrigation was not installed during construction, increasing later installation costs; and some medians were intended to be completed in later phases of multi‑phase projects. Staff gave examples including frontage near Banner Health and the Costco median area where fiber conduit or narrow width created installation constraints.
Staff said code enforcement has recently been restructured and accelerated to handle complaints faster. Victor Martinez, the new code compliance division manager, and recent hires will increase the town’s ability to monitor and pursue violations. Burningham noted that code enforcement typically notifies the HOA or responsible party when medians fall into disrepair; repeated non‑compliance can lead to citations.
Council members raised operational issues: median maintenance crews must obtain traffic control permits for safe lane closures or work in medians, and permitting and scheduling can be burdensome for HOAs. Deputy Transportation Director Julian Dreesing told the council the department would explore options to streamline repetitive traffic control processes while preserving worker and public safety.
Council discussion included suggestions to improve internal tracking so landscaping requirements shown at rezoning and site‑plan stages are carried through construction and into maintenance; several council members also urged staff to continue accelerating enforcement where medians degrade. Staff said addressing the issue will combine clearer internal project tracking, targeted HOA outreach and the newly staffed code enforcement team.
This item was for discussion; no council action or vote was taken. Councilmembers directed staff to continue refining enforcement and permitting processes and to return with options if policy changes are recommended.
