Landscaping and Landscape Buffers Text Amendment

Landscaping and Landscape Buffers Text Amendment

This is on the work session for the City Council on Tuesday, February 20 at 2 p.m.  I cannot believe this has taken them a whole year to get around to approving something.  Here is a copy of the latest version. 

Here is the letter I wrote a year ago, asking for it to be approved immediately.  A lot of good that did..

You can watch the City Council Work Session on youtube, and or write the City Council an email (council.comments@slcgov.com) and tell them what you like or don’t like and to get this approved now.  It looks like they may take a vote without a public hearing, because there was apparently a public hearing on this a year ago or so.

The text below was the original plan we reviewed in early 2023.  

The city is updating its landscaping regulations to better address the effects of climate change.  And, this is part of the implementation of the Urban Forest Action Plan.

The updated Landscaping and Landscape Buffers chapter will:

• Clarify, simplify, and reorganize the Landscaping chapter to be more user-friendly.

• Improve accessibility of landscaping best practices for improved compliance and conservation.

• Enhance the livability of the community by reducing the urban heat island effect, improving air quality and endurance of the urban forest by fostering tree health and preservation, and instilling the importance of community appearance as experienced from the public realm.

• Address the use of turf and artificial turf on private and public property.

• Specify the responsibilities of property owners.

• Reduce unnecessary water consumption by requiring water-wise and drought-tolerant landscaping choices.

• Improve water quality by promoting low-impact development strategies to reduce stormwater runoff.

• Allow all residents of the City to continue to be eligible for rebates for replacing turf with water- landscaping.

• And, reflect potential changes to the State Code during the 2023 legislative session.

Here is the proposed ordinance.

This was on the March 20 2023 SHCC Luz meeting via Zoom at 6 p.m.

If you want to comment on this, send me an email at judi.short@gmail.com, or the City Council above.

I will forward any comments I receive to the City Council.

Judi Short
judi.short@gmail.com