Hernando staff outlines new buffer standards and AI-assisted plan checks to speed reviews and boost landscape performance

Planning staff and outside consultants told the Planning & Zoning Commission on Nov. 10 that Hernando County is launching a coordinated effort to standardize landscape-buffer requirements, add clear planting and opacity targets and introduce AI-assisted construction-drawing checks to make plan review faster and more predictable.

Planning manager Kay Griffith said the program grew from developer roundtables and a community survey that drew 198 responses. Staff proposed an ordered set of buffer "types" (A–G) that range from minimal screening along minor edges to high-opacity plantings for scenic corridors and sensitive residential adjacencies. Key technical targets included a 36-inch minimum shrub height at planting to achieve roughly 60% opacity at installation and a goal of 80% opacity within 12 months, backed by a maintenance-bond and inspection schedule.

Historic problems — including repeated re-submittals for missing plan elements, inconsistent buffer language, and disputes about whether a landscape or a structural screen was required — motivated two technology additions. Staff is piloting AI-assisted checks of civil construction drawings (to catch routine omissions such as missing north arrows, scales and signature blocks) and drone-assisted site verification for pre-construction condition surveys and buffer compliance checks. The tools are intended to reduce back-and-forth with applicants and to let staff count planting units and verify opacity more efficiently.

Commissioners broadly welcomed the direction but urged codifying clear setback and side-yard rules so developers and citizens have consistent expectations. Some commissioners also asked staff to make final guidance highly visual and public-facing to reduce confusion at hearings.

Next steps: Staff will continue developer roundtables, finalize a recommended buffer matrix and bring a code-rewrite package and draft ordinance language to the Board of County Commissioners for review. Cross-section requirements and a more prescriptive planting list are planned ahead of a 2026 implementation timeline.

Selected quote: "We want predictable reviews and clearer expectations — that lets residents and developers know what will be required before construction starts," Planning manager Kay Griffith said during the presentation.

Why it matters: The proposal aims to reduce repeated re-submittals, improve landscape survivability and give residents more reliable visual protection when new projects border housing or recreational areas.