Item 5.1 - Workshop on Landscape and Irrigation RegulationsG1(( OF POIY�i
yF C`rY.IN THE C'-
City of Poway
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
DATE:
TO:
FROM:
CONTACT:
SUBJECT:
January 24, 2017
APPROVED
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APPROVED AS AMENDED
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(SEE MINUTES)
DENIED
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REMOVED
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CONTINUED
Resolution No.
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
Robert Manis, Director of Development Services
Jason Martin, Senior Planner"r"�""
(858) 668 -4658 / jmartin @poway.org
Workshop on Landscape and Irrigation Regulations
Summary:
At the September 6, 2016 City Council meeting, City Council Member Mullin suggested
that some City landscaping and irrigation regulations may be causing delays and
increased costs for single family home construction projects and should be changed
(Attachment A). City Council directed staff to return to a future City Council meeting with
a workshop for further discussion on the matter.
Recommended Action:
It is recommended that the City Council provide direction to staff regarding potential
changes to City landscaping and irrigation regulations.
Discussion:
To assist in the City Council discussion on this matter a brief general overview of the
regulations and the landscape and irrigation plan review and inspection process is
provided.
Overview of Regulations
Regulations and policies regarding landscape and irrigation are contained in multiple City
documents and are primarily within the City of Poway Landscape and Irrigation Design
Manual (i.e. the Manual). Besides regulations, the Manual contains much more
information and detail such as instructions on what to include on a landscape and
irrigation plan, specifications on sheet size (for the City filing system), scale (so that it can
be reviewed), and planting and irrigation specifications (to ensure the survivability of
planted materials and the efficient use of water), as well as other information intended to
educate and make the review and inspection process go smoothly. The Manual can be
accessed through this link to the City website http: / /poway.org /DocumentCenter/View /2812
or by pasting this link into an internet browser.
Regulations and policies are also included in various chapters of the Poway Municipal
Code (PMC), such as Chapter 12.32 (Urban Forestry) and Chapter 17.41 (Landscape
Efficiency); the Community Development Element of the Poway General Plan; and
multiple "Specific Plans ", which are the regulatory documents with particular regulations
for specific areas such as Poway Road, Old Poway Park, and the South Poway Business
Park.
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Workshop on Landscape Regulations
January 24, 2017
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Collectively these documents cover a wide variety of important landscape and /or irrigation
topics relating to:
• Public health and safety, and the protection of property, in fire hazard areas
• Irrigation efficiency /water conservation
• Storm water quality
• Erosion control
• Manufactured slope stabilization and appearance in hillside areas
• Native and mature tree preservation
• Street and parking lot trees for shade /cooling
• Maintenance of the "Tree City USA" status
• Enhancement of the City streetscapes, pedestrian walkways and sidewalks, and
public gathering areas
• Screening for unsightly activities, lights, and privacy
• Buffering between uses (i.e. between commercial and residential)
Many regulations, particularly those related to fire protection, water conservation, and
storm water quality /erosion control are mandated by the State. Others have come into
place over time as a result of prior City Council actions intended to reflect community
values to protect and enhance the visual character and quality of the City. The City's
regulations and policies not only adhere to State mandates, they address both the
functional and aesthetic benefits provided by landscape in the development of high quality
projects and community character.
The landscape and irrigation regulations as currently written, provide flexibility and
options that allow multiple ways to achieve compliance. An example is a change that was
adopted in September 2015 to provide options for the "zone B" area of fire fuel
management, which has been used by several projects since implementation. With this
change, project applicants can choose between organic and inorganic mulch for erosion
control on manufactured slope areas with a gradient less than 5:1, and can keep native
vegetation intact as long as it is kept trimmed. Additionally, staff has used discretion in
its interpretation of the regulations to help minimize landscape costs for projects. For
example, Section 17.08.230 of the PMC states that "Required front and street side yards
shall be landscaped and shall consist predominantly of trees, plant materials, ground
cover and decorative rocks..." Staff has interpreted that mulched areas, which are
sometimes extensive, can be considered a landscaped area thereby reducing the amount
of traditional landscape material required. Staff will continue to use its discretion in the
interpretation of regulations to help lower costs, while still maintaining the objective of
establishing high quality development projects.
Plan Review and Inspection
The City contracts with a landscape architect for landscape plan check and inspection
services for new landscape projects. The landscape plan check and inspection process
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works very similarly to the building plan check and inspection process.
Landscape and irrigation plans are required when a project site is in a fire hazard area,
when the project creates manufactured slopes, and when the project is required to comply
with landscape irrigation efficiency regulations. They are also required to address issues
relating to aesthetics such as the appearance of slopes due to grading in a hillside area,
buffering between uses, and on commercial developments. When the project site is
located in the fire hazard area the plan is required, pursuant to the PMC, to be submitted
and approved before the issuance of a building permit. On projects not in the fire hazard
area, staff requires the plans to be submitted before the issuance of other project plan
approvals (i.e. building and grading) to ensure that all plans are consistent to avoid
confusion at the site during construction. Staff has been flexible on timing.
As with building plans, landscape and irrigation plans are submitted and reviewed for
compliance with City regulations. For private development projects, the regulations do not
require that plans be prepared by a landscape architect. Although the plan check process
can be quicker if plans are prepared by someone with design experience. The initial
submittal is reviewed by the landscape consultant, a staff engineer, and by the Fire
Department when the project site is in the fire hazard area. Comments and needed
corrections are transmitted to the project applicant, the applicant updates the plans and
resubmits to the City. The cycle continues until the landscape and irrigation plan is
approved. The initial round of plan check occurs within 2 -3 weeks of submittal to the City.
Subsequent rounds of City review are typically shorter. It's important to note that the
overall processing time also includes the time spent by the project's designer in updating
the plans, which can vary from project to project.
The focus of review on landscape and irrigation plans for the typical single family home
being constructed in Poway (i.e. a larger home that required grading of the project site
and is in the fire hazard area) is fire protection, water efficiency, slope stabilization,
erosion control, and appearance of slopes due to grading in a hillside area. These are
briefly discussed below.
• State and City regulations require "fire fuel management" for projects located in
fire hazard areas which include but are not limited to a prohibition of certain types
of landscape and a stipulation on tree spacing /proximity to structures.
• State and City regulations require landscape and irrigation water efficiency which
involve such things as establishment of a water allowance, mandates for certain
types of irrigation, and irrigation audits.
• State and City regulations require planting of manufactured slopes and the
treatment of flat areas that are not landscaped to minimize erosion, minimize
pollutants in storm water runoff, and to stabilize manufactured slopes.
• City regulations require shrub and tree planting on manufactured slopes that have
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a gradient of 5:1 and greater to minimize visual impacts in hillside areas.
Once the landscape and irrigation plan is approved, work must be inspected. Inspections
are conducted by the City's landscape consultant, which is the same consultant who
approved the plans. Multiple inspections are done at different stages. Typically, the first
inspection is before construction to go over the landscape and irrigation plans with the
contractor, to review the construction schedule and to answer any questions regarding
City regulations. Subsequent inspections are conducted to ensure the different
components of the work are done pursuant to the approved landscape and irrigation plan
(i.e. planting, irrigation installation, and irrigation tests). If the inspection finds work is not
complete or in accordance with plans, there is a follow -up inspection to ensure it is
corrected. The number of inspections will vary from project to project.
Workshop
At the workshop staff will listen to all comments received from City Council and the public.
Staff will return at a future meeting with potential revisions to the Manual and /or PMC,
based on City Council comments and public input. Additionally, if City Council concurs
that the City regulations should be amended, staff will seek specific input from several
Poway developers and property owners who have recently built a single - family home and
experienced the landscape and irrigation approval and installation process.
Environmental Review:
The subject of this workshop is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA). Any subsequent action will be subject to further evaluation.
Fiscal Impact:
None.
Public Notification:
None.
Attachments:
A. September 6, 2016 Memorandum
Reviewed/ roved By:. I _ Reviewed By: Reviewed By:
a"�Vk�t_
Tina M. White
City Manager
Wendy Kaserman Morgan Foley
Assistant City Manager City Attorney
4 of 5 January 24, 2017, Item # 5.1
CITY OF POWAY
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: John Mullin, Councilmember0m
DATE: September 6, 2016
SUBJECT: Review of Landscape and Irrigation Requirements
The City of Poway has landscaping requirements for new construction in both its Municipal
Code and a separate Landscape and Irrigation Design Manual. It has come to my
attention that these requirements go far beyond what is necessary to protect the public
interest and, in fact, are imposing an excessive and unreasonable burden on new
residential construction projects. For example, we require commercial valves and fixtures
on residential projects and we require excessive and unnecessary inspections of non-
critical components by a third party inspector. This consequently results in excessive
delays in plan approvals and inspections because of the complexity of landscape drawings
and unnecessary inspections that the City requires.
The cost of compliance with these regulations is not thousands of dollars, but hundreds of
thousands of dollars. These are dollars we require to be spent on private property for
which there is no corresponding benefit to the contractor or the public. Prospective land
purchasers who are aware of these requirements are, in fact, reducing their purchase price
offers to offset the burden of complying with Poway's landscape requirements.
We are all aware of the fire protection management zones that must be installed and the
new irrigation standards imposed upon us by the state. We also have stormwater
protection responsibilities involving erosion control and bank planting. We have no reason
to go beyond those issues. I propose that we review the Poway Municipal Code and the
Landscape and Irrigation Design Manual to eliminate landscape requirements that are
unrelated to fire safety and mandated stormwater compliance.
5 of 5 ATTACHMENT A January 24;2017, Item # 5.1