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Council discusses tightening water‑wise landscaping language, asks staff for work session
Summary
Council members debated whether the landscape ordinance should require a minimum amount of living plant material rather than permitting large rock‑only yards; staff reported low program participation and the council directed staff to return with draft language or send the issue to the Planning Commission.
Council members spent the largest portion of discussion on proposed clarifications to the city’s water‑wise landscaping requirements, prompted by comments at a prior meeting about park‑strip and yard coverage.
A council member (speaker 3) said the item was inspired by prior public comments and asked staff for feedback on which portions of the ordinance may need clearer wording. Council member Stewart (speaker 6) argued the ordinance should require some living plant material rather than allowing large areas of decorative rock alone: “Maybe you can't have more than 35% of the yard interred, but you need to have at least 10%… It doesn't have to be turf. Could be decorative grasses. It could be trees. It could be shrubs,” Stewart said.
Staff described recent participation numbers for city rebate programs—50 participants in 2022 for a park‑strip program; 16 participants in 2023 during a transition year for a whole‑yard program; and 11 participants in more recent outreach—and recommended increased promotion and public education. Staff and council discussed two procedural options: (1) place the topic on a council work session to draft specific language, or (2) refer the direction to the Planning Commission for recommended ordinance edits. Several council members favored a work session first to give staff clear direction before sending refined language to the Planning Commission.
The council did not adopt ordinance language or set a voting timeline; it instructed staff to return with options for a work session or to refer detailed wording to the Planning Commission.
