Deephaven planners back new site review rules and strengthen commercial landscaping requirements

The Deephaven Planning Commission voted unanimously on June 16 to recommend code changes intended to tighten landscaping and Site and Building Plan review standards for commercial and public/institutional properties.

Planning Director Pat Smith said staff recommends creating new public/institutional zoning districts and updated development standards so that additions or new buildings would not routinely need variances. The commission discussed whether commercial property owners should face landscaping requirements that differ from single-family homeowners; Chair Mike Petersen expressed reluctance to impose rules homeowners do not face, while other commissioners urged stronger standards to prevent underbuilt landscaping on commercial sites.

Much of the debate focused on measurement and thresholds. Commissioners and staff discussed triggering interior-parking landscaping for lots of a certain size and whether to set landscaping amounts proportionally to project value rather than by lot area. Smith said he has not seen other cities use a proportional development-value metric; many cities instead use tree counts based on lot size. After discussion, Commissioner Dan Goodrich moved to replace section 1310.09 with a new section 1323 establishing: interior landscaping for parking lots with 10 or more stalls at 5% of the parking area; minimum 50% tree species diversity among required plantings; and required landscaping equal to a minimum of 2% of the value of the development. Commissioner Kendall Carlson seconded and the motion passed 7-0.

The new standards allow the Planning Commission and City Council to waive requirements as necessary. Commissioners also asked staff to consider requiring a survey rather than a full site plan for certain reviews. The commission's recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council for consideration and formal adoption.