Planning commissioners consolidate, tweak city landscape requirements
Posted on Tuesday, July 25, 2006
A proposed codification and consolidation of Fayetteville landscape requirements unanimously passed the city's Planning Commission Monday.
It could make the city just a little cooler and just a little greener.
An amendment added to the proposed ordinance would require that all tree planting locations "shall attempt to achieve shade "for parked cars, benches and pedestrian walkways by locating the trees on the southern or western parts of the development areas.
"If you look around in parking lots, people park under trees first," said Commissioner Alan Ostner who proposed the amendment.
As for greener, the proposal includes plantings in detention ponds and a requirement for one tree per lot in new residential subdivisions.
In addition, developers will need the seal of a registered landscape architect if the proposal passes the city's Ordinance Review Committee and City Council in the weeks to come.
Three landscape architects spoke to the value of adding that requirement.
Requiring a licensed professional helps insure public health, safety and welfare while preserving and enhancing the beauty of Fayetteville, said Fran Beatty of Fayetteville, who of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
"If we truly want to be a beautiful city, clean and green, then I think being very assertive and clear about expectations is important," she said.
Kim Hesse, a landscape architect and developer, said a landscape architect offers the advantage of someone with an overall viewpoint, someone who is not just looking at the plants or just the drainage.
"We are trying to not just look at the plants or choose which plants are best in certain locations. We are trying to look at the entire site and the impact that site will have not only on the structure, the developers; but for the residents who use that site, whether they live there, or they work there or they shop there," she said.
Hesse said the additional requirements of the proposed code may appear to add cost for developers but the result will be a better product. The results will help market the sub-division or large scale development and add to its livability, she said.
Landscape architect Melissa Evans also supported the changes, saying they were good for the city overall and create a more userfriendly code.
"Quality of life is always a very elusive and difficult thing to define and I think you've gone a long way to actually do that in these regulations," Beatty said.
Street planting standards would also be a new direction in the proposed code.
Most of the ordinance, however, is a compilation of existing pieces of ordinance which can be found in five separate chapters of Fayetteville's Unified Development Code.
Because of that division, it can sometimes be difficult for applicants, and even city staff, to determine which part of the code applies to a specific situation, Jeremy Pate, director of current planning, told commissioners.
Rezoning The commission voted 6-1 to approve rezoning of about 20 acres west of Rupple Road and east of Meadowlands Subdivision. Jorgensen and Associates requested to rezone about seven acres to residential single family - four units per acre; about eight acres to RMF-12; and about five acres commercial. David Jorgensen explained the intent was "to have more diversity"than an earlier rejected proposal. With the new zoning request, Jorgensen and Associates included a bill of assurance that dealt with a variety of potential issues, including design, tree plantings, materials, types of windows and doors and compatibility. "The good news is you have a chance to review each and every one of these things as they go through the process," he said, adding," What we want to do is bring something to the Planning Commission that has some character. "Ostner cast the lone negative vote. He said that the new proposal was a better mixture of uses but said, "… they're still homogenous zone."
Sycamore Center The seven commissioners attending Monday's meeting voted to deny a request that would allow for more parking spaces at Sycamore Center, 1680 North College. Owner Richard Thomas requested the opportunity to reduce green space along College Avenue and Sycamore Street or some other alternative, such as moving the sidewalk.
The center has never been completely occupied by businesses in part due to the lack of parking the owner's representative, Philip Hadfield, told the commission.
He said two tenants would be moving out if the plan to add parking was not approved by the commission.
Hadfield said Thomas had worked his way up the street trying to find a way to share, buy or lease parking with other property owners.
"We are coming to you because we've tried pretty much everything else," Hadfield said.
Commissioner Candy Clark described the property as an oasis on College Avenue. She said she would like to put more green space on College Avenue as opposed to more concrete.
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
