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Developer seeks turf removal, tree changes and dark-sky adjustments for Cherokee Village plan; staff wants irrigation condition
Summary
Applicant for Cherokee Village asked to amend its approved landscaping plan to remove turf from detention basins, keep street trees (about one per 50 feet, two per lot frontage) and reduce street lighting for dark-sky compliance; county staff recommended adding irrigation for park-strip trees and Chair recommended approval subject to staff conditions.
An applicant representative for Cherokee Village told Weber Countyadministrative reviewers on Thursday that the developmentis seeking a landscaping-plan amendment to align with Weber County Waterwise Landscape Standards and dark-sky guidance.
The county record shows that the Cherokee Village conditional use was originally approved in 2019 with final approval of Phase 1 granted in 2021. At the meeting, a county planning staff member (Tammy) said planning had reviewed the amended plan but asked the applicant to clarify how much living plant material would remain under the revised approach.
The applicant representative, introduced in the record as Miss Seidla and identified on the record with an affiliation to Heritage Land Development, said the revised plan would remove turf and other plant material from detention basins and replace it with rock and weed barrier; it would retain street trees according to guidance (roughly one tree per 50 feet and two trees per lot frontage). The applicant also requested removing certain street lights from the plan to better meet the countys dark-sky guidance. The applicant asked that tree-installation responsibility be shifted to builders where feasible; the applicant said trees are usually installed after homes are built.
Planning recommended that irrigation systems be included for each park-strip street tree. The applicant and staff discussed bonding: staff confirmed a landscaping bond exists for the development but did not state an amount on the record. Chair recommended approval of the landscaping amendment subject to staff findings and added conditions that the landscaping plan be approved by staff and include plant material and an irrigation system meeting Weber County ordinance.
Why it matters: the changes would reduce turf-maintained areas (conserving water), alter street-lighting for dark-sky considerations, and change who is responsible for tree installation. The countys requirement to preserve living plant material and irrigation affects long-term landscape health, maintenance responsibilities, and bonding obligations.
Clarifying details: the applicant proposed replacing turf and plantings in detention basins with rock and weed barrier; target tree spacing cited was approximately one tree per 50 feet and two trees per lot frontage; staff suggested irrigation be provided for park-strip street trees; the existence of a landscaping bond was confirmed but the bond amount was not specified in the record.
The transcript shows the chair recommending approval with staff conditions; the provided segments do not include a formal roll-call vote.
