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Council introduces technical updates to water‑efficient landscape (Willow) ordinance
Summary
Council introduced amendments to the city’s water‑efficient landscape ordinance to align code with current best practices and the city‑wide design guidelines, including updated definitions, irrigation standards, parking‑area canopy tree requirements and a revised plant list.
The City Council introduced by title Oct. 28 an ordinance to amend the Temecula Municipal Code’s water‑efficient landscape provisions (commonly known as Willow). Planning staff said the changes are technical and intended to update definitions, align requirements with the citywide design guidelines and clarify maintenance and review procedures.
Key updates include clarified definitions; a requirement for separate irrigation valves where plants have different watering needs; restrictions on inorganic ground cover (limited to 15% of landscape area and used as accents); canopy tree requirements in parking areas to reduce heat‑island effects; trimming clearances around utilities and fire apparatus; and a revised plant list that removes hazardous or injurious species (staff cited oleander as poisonous and removed desert spoon due to safety concerns).
Staff said the changes reflect modern irrigation practices and state standards and that the Planning Commission recommended adoption. The ordinance was introduced by title only; staff determined the action is exempt from CEQA under the common‑sense exemption. Council did not hold further public testimony on the item and directed staff to return with final adoption at a subsequent meeting.
Provenance: planning staff presentation and planning commission recommendation, 92:52–96:50.
