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PZ Recs / Staff ReportSTAFF REPORT HEARING DATE: TO: FROM: SUBJECT: August 23, 2011 Mayor & City Council Sonya Watters, Associate City Planner 208-884-5533 E IDIAN~- IDAHO ZOA-11-004 Unified Development Code Text Amendment -Water Conserving Landscapes I. SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF APPLICANT'S REQUEST The City of Meridian Planning Department has applied for a Zoning Ordinance Amendment (ZOA) to amend the text of certain sections of the Unified Development Code (UDC) to encourage the use of water-conserving landscape designs. Please see Section VII below for a complete list of the proposed UDC amendments. II. SUMMARY RECOMMENDATION Staff is recommends approval of the proposed text amendments to the UDC based on the analysis provided below and the Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law listed in Exhibit B. The Meridian Planning & Zoning Commission heard this item on July 21.2011. At the public hearing, the Commission moved to recommend approval of the subiect ZOA request. a. Summary of Commission Public Hearing: i. In favor: Planning Department ii. In opposition: None iii. Commenting: None iv. Written testimony: None v. Staff presenting application: Pete Friedman vi. Other staff commenting on application: None b. Kev Issue(sl of Discussion by Commission: i. None c. Kev Commission Change(s) to Staff Recommendation: i. None d. Outstanding Issue(s) for City Council: i. None III. PROPOSED MOTION Approval After considering all staff, applicant and public testimony, I move to approve File Number ZOA-11- 004 as presented in the staff report for the hearing date of August 23, 2011 with the following modifications: (add any proposed modifications.) Denial After considering all staff, applicant and public testimony, I move to deny File Number ZOA-11-004 as presented during the hearing on August 23, 2011 for the following reasons: (You should state specific reasons for denial.) Continuance After considering all staff, applicant and public testimony, I move to continue File Number ZOA-11- 004, to (insert specific hearing date), and direct staff to make the following changes: (insert comments here.) IV. APPLICATION FACTS A. Site Address/Location: NA B. Applicant: Planning Department City of Meridian 33 E. Broadway Avenue Meridian, Idaho 83642 C. Applicant's Statement/Justification: Since its implementation on September 15, 2005, Staff has requested several other amendments to the UDC. Staff continuously tracks the UDC in order to identify issues that hinder the ability to efficiently and effectively administer the code. See applicant's narrative for more information. V. PROCESS FACTS A. The subject application is for a Unified Development Code amendment as determined by City Ordinance. By reason of the provisions of the Meridian City Code Title 11 Chapter 5, a public hearing is required before the Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council on this matter. B. Newspaper notifications published on: June 27, and July 11, 2011(Commission); August 1, and 15, 2011 (City Council) C. A public service announcement was broadcast faxed on June 23, 2011 (Commission) & July 28, 2011 (City Council) regarding this application. VI. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN POLICIES AND GOALS The City's Comprehensive Plan is a vision and policy document for guiding development and the transportation needs in the City of Meridian. Staff finds that the subject Unified Development Code Amendment complies with and furthers the goals and objectives of the 2002 Comprehensive Plan. The specific objectives and actions that support the proposed amendment are listed below: • "Amend the Unified Development Code and Future Land Use Map to implement this plan." • "Reduce reliance on City water (potable) for irrigation through use of recycled water, public education and adoption of water conserving landscape guidelines." (Chapter 5) The subject application proposes to adopt water conserving landscape guidelines and incentives in accord with the objectives of the Comprehensive Plan. VII. UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE The applicant has identified specific sections of the UDC that should be amended for the code to function efficiently and to more appropriately meet the needs of our customers and the City. This application includes changes to only one section of the UDC as follows: Chapter 3, Article B: LANDSCAPING REQUIREMENTS The proposed changes are noted below in strike-out/underline format. The column marked "Reason for Change" indicates the intended purpose of the text amendment. Text Reason for Change 11-3B-1 PURPOSE: D. These regulations are intended to encourage pFereete the use of ~atiae-grad ether water-conserving landscape designs and low water use plant materials and to discourage landscaping that requires high water use for maintenance, such as large expanses of lawn or turf. The proposed changes offer incentives for inclusion of water conserving landscape designs at the direction of the Comprehensive Plan. Encourages alternative landscape designs that use less water. 11-3B-5A STANDARDS AND INSTALLATION: A. Approved Tree Species D1~^^+,--~,-~-n",a~,-ial: 1_The publication titled "Tree Selection Guide For Streets And Landscapes Throughout Idaho" by the urban forestry unit of the Boise parks and recreation department (latest edition) is hereby adopted by this reference as the city of Meridian's list of approved and prohibited tree speciesplant material. The publication categorizes the trees by size as class I, class II, or class III trees. 2. In addition to the trees identified above. Table 11-3B-1 lists approved water-conserving tree species. TABLE 11-3B-1 APPROVED WATER-CONSERVING TREE SPECIES Common Name Botanical Name Deciduous Hedge Maple Acer campestre Amur Maple Acer ginnala Rocky Mountain Maple Acer glabrum Bia Tooth Maple Acer grandedentatum Box Elder Acer negundo Norway Maple Acer platanoides Pacific Sunset Maple Acer truncatum x platanoides Serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia Red Bud Cercis canadensis Green Ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica Honey Locust Gleditsia triacanthos Kentuck Coffeetree * G mnocladus dioicus Sweetaum Liauidambar styraciflua Tulip Tree * Liriodendron tulipeifera Crabapple MaIUS Spp London Plane Tree * Platanus x acerifolia Chokecherry Prunus virginiana Hiaan Cherry Prunus sub Pear Pyrus calleryana Bur Oak * Quercus macrocarpa Chinese Scholar Tree * Saphora japonica Section Text Reason for Change Conifer Blue Atlas Cedar Cedrus atlantica `glauca' Lawson's Cypress Chamaecypris lawsoniana Alaskan Cedar Chamaecypris nootkantensis Rocky Mountain Juniper Juniperus communis Utah Juniper Juniperus utahensis Colorado Spruce * Picea pungens Vanderwolf Pine Pinus flexilis Austrian Pine * Pinus nigra Ponderosa Pine * Pinus ponderosa Scotch Pine " Pinus silvestris Note: * Prohibited in parkways and/or required parking lot landscaping 3_The city recognizes that new plant varieties are being produced every year and will consider other species not listed in these publications. Copies of the publications will be available at the planning department. Section Text Reason for Change 11-36-5B Table X11-3B-2 Formattin clean-u 11-3B-5D Table X11-3B-3 Formatting clean-up 11-36-5 STANDARDS AND INSTALLATION: H. Mulching: Mulch shall be used in all required planting areas. Approved mulches may be organic, such as bark or soil aid, or they may include rock products, such as "permabark" or similar products. Use of mulch, organic or rock, as the only ground cover in required planting areas is prohibited. ~egeiTe~ Relocated text in #N below 0 ^+ m^+~~ri+~i ,.,i+" ..,..In" „~^,+ „n,+^r .,n,+ ^r^„n,+ +"^ ^I^n+~ pea gravel, drain rock, road base gravel, and similar products shall not be used as mulch. All mulch shall be contained by a curb or other edging material to contain the mulch and prevent it from migrating to adjacent surfaces. If rock mulch is used, a weed barrier fabric shall be used beneath the rock. Impermeable plastic weed barriers are prohibited because they restrict water and oxygen to the plants. N. Vegetation Coverage: Required landscape areas shall be at least seventy percent (70%) covered with vegetation at maturity, with mulch used under and around the plants. An exception may be approved by the director for Allows exceptions to the water-conserving designs that meet both the followin4 standards: standards for vegetation 1. The design incorporates a variety of water-conserving trees as set forth in coverage to be approved for Table 11-3B-1, water-conserving plants, boulders, rocks, decorative walls water conserving designs. and/or permeable hardscape materials such as pavers and flagstones; and 2. Required landscape areas shall be at least forty percent (40%) covered with vegetation at maturity. 0. Water-conserving Design: To qualify for the exceptions for water-conserving designs as set forth in this chapter, the applicant shall demonstrate_ the followin 1. The design includes water-conserving trees as set forth in Table 11-36-1. 2. The design includes plants that can thrive in climates with approximately ten (10) to twelve (12) inches of annual rainfall. 3. Lawn and turf areas shall not comprise more than fifty percent (50%) of the total landscaped areas and shall consist of water-conserving grasses, including but not limited to, buffalo grass, blue gamma grass, compact fescue, zerilawn, and/or rhyzomotuous tall fescue. 4. Herbacious and/or perennial ground cover shall be drought-tolerant and able to withstand dry conditions once established. As a guide, refer to the recommended plants in the City of Boise Parks and Recreation "Water Conservation Guidelines." 11-36-6 IRRIGATION STANDARDS: B. Performance Specifications: ;; Tee--(-~sepies~a°+°i e~ ie'fgatien eh^II c+~+^ rl^c~inn rniv nirnm^n+c m^}^ri^Ic nnno+n ~n+inn mc++hn'!c. ^nrl nnin+ i i i 1. Coverage: The irrigation system shall be designed to provide one hundred percent (100%) coverage within lawn areas with "°^~'„~ +~Q head-to-head spacing or triangular spacing as appropriate or point-to-point dri at each lant or lantin area. Section Text Reason for Change 2. Matched Precipitation Rates: Sprinkler heads shall have matched precipitation rates within each control valve circuit 3. Irrigation Bis~ists Hydrozones: Sprinkler heads irrigating lawn or other high water demand areas shall be circuited so that they are on a separate hydrozone er--districts from those irrigating trees, shrubs, or other reduced water demand areas. 4. Overspray: Sprinkler heads shall be adjusted to reduce overspray onto impervious surfaces such as streets, sidewalks, driveways, and parking areas. D. Nonootable #rigatien Water: Use of nonpotable irrigation and/or re-use Allows for re-use water to be water is required when determined to be available by the city public works used for irrigation when department as set forth in section 9-1-28, "Pressurized Irrigation System", of available. this code. Water availability during the fall and spring seasons is also required by connecting to city potable water, city re-use water, and/or an on- site ^r °^ ^^ °'+° well as a secondary source, °~^°^+ uih°r° Y°rie^~n° . An exception may be approved for water- conserving designs as set forth in 11-36-50. In such cases, the reauirement for a secondary source may be waived by the director. If city potable water is used, a separate water meter is required VIII. EXHIBIT A. Required Findings from the Unified Development Code Exhibit A -Required Findings from Unified Development Code 1. Unified Development Code Text Amendments: Upon recommendation from the Commission, the Council shall make a full investigation and shall, at the public hearing, review the application. In order to grant a text amendment to the Unified Development Code, the Council shall make the following findings: A. The text amendment complies with the applicable provisions of the comprehensive plan; The Commission finds that the proposed zoning ordinance amendment complies with the applicable (limited) provisions of the Comprehensive Plan. Please see Comprehensive Plan Policies and Goals, Section 6, of the Staff Report for more information. B. The text amendment shall not be materially detrimental to the public health, safety, and welfare; and The Commission finds that the proposed zoning ordinance amendment will not be detrimental to the public health, safety or welfare. C. The text amendment shall not result in an adverse impact upon the delivery of services by any political subdivision providing public services within the City including, but not limited to, school districts. The Commission finds that the proposed zoning ordinance amendment does not propose any significant changes to how public utilities and services are provided to developments. All City departments, public agencies and service providers that currently review applications will continue to do so. Please refer to any written or oral testimony provided by any public service provider(s) when making this finding.