Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout92-14 Landscape Standards and Requirements, Use of Drought Tolerant Plant MaterialORDINANCE NO. 92-14 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA, REGARDING USE OF DROUGHT TOLERANT PLANT MATERIAL AND WATER CONSERVATION MEASURES PERTAINING TO LANDSCAPE STANDARDS AND REQUIREMENTS. THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COSTA MESA DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. The City Council of the City of Costa Mesa finds and declares as follows: Costa Mesa is located in southern California, a semi -arid region; and Water conservation is a viable means of responding to water depletion affecting southern California, including use of drought tolerant vegetation to reduce the dependency on the water supply and provide effective drought planning; and The,City's current landscape and irrigation standards do not address drought tolerant vegetation, drought -related measures and green waste -to -mulch programs; and Drought. tolerant plant -material is acclimated to semi -arid environments, thereby reducing water demands; and Use of drought tolerant ground covers and mulch or composted material in landscape -planters further minimize water needs, weeds and erosion; -and Providing areas for mulch or compost also reduces the amount of green waste that would otherwise be landfilled; and The State Legislature has created the Water Conservation in Landscaping Act which requires local agencies to adopt a water efficient landscape ordinance by January 1, 1993, or comply with and enforce the "model water efficient landscape ordinance" prepared by the State Department of Water Resources; ACCORDINGLY, the City Council of the City of Costa Mesa hereby amends Title 13 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code as hereinafter set forth: Section 2. Section 13-263 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code is hereby amended as follows: Sec'. 13-263. Intent. It is the intent of this article to offer as much latitude as possible when designing required landscaping and irrigation. Water conservation measures shall be addressed through the landscape and irrigation design. Sustainable landscapes are encouraged through actions that conserve, recycle and reuse the resources which are invested in landscapes. Applicants are encouraged to take full advantage of the wide range of drought tolerant landscape materials and low water flow irrigation systems available within the framework established by these guidelines. Section 3: Section 13-263.1 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code is hereby added as follows: Sec. 13-263.1 Definitions .(a) Drought Tolerant Plant Material Those plants .that tolerate heavy clay to sandy soils with use of limited supplemental water. Said plants are able to thrive with deep, infrequent watering once their rootsystems are established (3-12 month average time period). Plants include those that naturally grow in areas of limited natural water supply (native and non-native plant species) and are adaptable to weather and soil conditions prevalent in Costa Mesa. (b) Low Water Flow Irrigation: A system of watering plant material using drip/trickle, reduced water emitting devices, low precipitation heads, soaker lines, or other similar mechanisms, which restricts the amount of water in :gallons per minute to allow for deep percolation into the soil. The low water flow irrigation system, combined with watering practices outlined in this article, will reduce water loss through evaporation, wind drift, and overwatering. (c) Compost: Biologically decomposed organic material which includes grass clippings, leaves and other garden debris and which may also contain vegetable and fruit refuse. (d) Mulch: Shredded or chipped wood from tree branches and trunks and from uncontaminated wood products or lumber; this material is often mixed with leaves and grass clippings for optimal effect. Section 4: Subsection (1) of Section 13-264 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code is hereby amended as follows: (1) Landscape and irrigation plans shall be required (except in the R1 District) for all projects -requiring approval by the development services director, planning commission, or city council, or for all city -initiated projects. Such plans shall be submitted for approval to the development services director. Said plans shall be prepared in accordance with requirements and standards established by the development services director pursuant to this article and maintained in the planning division. All unpaved areas shall be planted with an effective combination of trees, groundcover, lawn, shrubbery and/or approved dry landscape materials. Section 5: Subsection (7) is hereby added to Section 13- 264 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code as follows: (7) Landscaping which is a part of a registered historical site, -park, or golf course facility, as well as landscaping and systems for cemeteries may be exempted from the provisions of this Article, when deemed necessary and appropriate by the Development Services Director. Section 6: Subsection (2) of Section 13-265 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code is hereby amended as.follows: (2) Irrigation system shall consist of underground piped water lines with low water flow sprinklers and/or a drip or trickle irrigation system. The system chosen shall be designed to provide adequate coverage to all plant material., existing and proposed. Water meter and line sizes shall be calculated from total water demand; which should be, at least, the sum of the maximum irrigation demand and all building demand. Due to the varying irrigation requirements, separate control valves and/or sprinkler/emitter -heads shall be used when shrubs and turf are proposed on the same landscape plan. The irrigation system shall be designed so that overspray and runoff onto streets, sidewalks, structures, windows, walls, and fences are minimized. Landscaped areas should be watered between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. to provide maximum benefit to the plant material and to reduce unnecessary water loss through drift and evaporation. Section 7: Subsection (3) is hereby added to Section 13- 265 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code as follows: (3 ) Irrigation systems for projects one (1) acre or more in area shall use reclaimed water whenever such water is available to the site. Such systems shall be subject to appropriate health standards. Recirculating water shall be used for any decorative water'features. Section 8: Subsection (1) of Section 13-266 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code is hereby amended as follows: (1) All required landscaped areas, including landscaped areas within parking lots, shall consist of drought tolerant plant material and shall meet the following minimum requirements: Section 9: Paragraph (c) of Subsection (1) of Section 13- 266 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code is hereby amended as follows: (c) At least fifty (50) percent of all landscaped areas containing trees and shrubs shall be underplanted with groundcover, with the remaining areas to incorporate a minimum two inch (211) layer of compost or mulch. Groundcover shall be approved by the Planning Division. Section 10: Paragraph (d) is hereby added to Subsection (2) of Section 13-266 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code as follows: (d) Turf incorporated into the landscape design shall not constitute more than twenty-five (25) percent of the total landscaping area. The Planning Division may, however, approve a landscape plan incorporating up to fifty (50) percent turf area, providing the turf area serves a usable and beneficial purpose, such as active recreation. Said turf shall be of a drought tolerant variety. Section 11: Subsection (6) of Section 13-266 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code is hereby amended as follows: (6) Each landscape plan shall address the functional aspects of landscaping such as grading, drainage, minimal runoff, erosion prevention, wind barriers, provisions for shade and reduction of glare. Each landscape plan, shall demonstrate a concern for solar access, including exposure and shading of window areas. Section 12: Subsection (7) of Section 13-266 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code is hereby amended as follows: (7) The plant material selected shall be suitable for the given soil and climate conditions. Plant selection shall take into consideration water conservation through appropriate use and groupings of plants that are well adapted to particular sites and to particular watering needs, climatic, geological or topographical conditions. Section 13: Subsection (9) of Section 13-266 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code is hereby amended as follows: (9) Materials such as crushed rock, redwood chips, pebbles and stone are not satisfactory substitutes for live plant materials although their limited use may be approved by the Development Services Director. Mulch or compost may be used to fulfill part of the groundcover requirement as noted in section 13- 266(1)(c) of this Article. Artificial plants are not acceptable. Section 14: Subsection (10) of Section 13-266 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code is hereby amended as follows: (10) Landscaping shall be maintained in an orderly and healthy condition. This shall include proper pruning, mowing of lawns, weeding removal of litter, fertilizing, replacement of plants when necessary and application of -appropriate quantities of water to all landscaped areas. In addition, landscape maintenance practices which foster long-term landscape water conservation shall be employed. Said practices may include, but not be limited to, performing routine irrigation system repair and adjustments, scheduling irrigation based on CIMIS (California Irrigation Management Information System), use of moisture -sensing or rain shut-off devices, conducting water audits and prescribing the amount of water applied per landscaped acre. Section 15: Subsection (15) is hereby added to Section 13- 266 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code as follows: (15) Compost and/or mulch maintain a consistent and provide complete Section 16: used as a groundcover shall two inch (211) minimum layer coverage under shrubs. This Ordinance shall take effect and be in full force thirty (30) days from and after the passage thereof, and prior to the expiration of fifteen (15 ) days from its passage shall be published once in the ORANGE COAST DAILY PILOT, a newspaper of general circulation, printed and published in the City of Costa Mesa or, in the alternative, the City Clerk may cause to be published a summary of this Ordinance -and a certified copy of the text of this Ordinance shall be posted in the office of the City Clerk five (5) days prior to the date of adoption of this Ordinance, and within fifteen (15) days after adoption, the City Clerk,shall cause to be published the aforementioned.summary and shall post in the office of the. -City Clerk a certified copy of this Ordinance together with the names of the -members of the City Council voting for and against the same. CCP3(DTOL) PASSED -AND ADOPTED this day of , 1992. ATTEST: City Clerk of the City of Costa Mesa A4V ��J Mayolo of the City of Costa Mesa APPROVED AS TO FORM: iy City Attorney STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF ORANGE ) ss CITY OF COSTA MESA ) I, EILEEN P. PHINNEY, City Clerk and ex -officio Clerk of the City Council of the City of Costa Mesa, hereby certify that the above and foregoing Ordinance No. X11 -/L% was introduced and considered section by section at a egular meeting of said City Council held on the _� day of 1992, and thereafter passed and adopted as a holat regula meeting of said City Council held on the 3jKt day of 1992, by the following roll call vote: AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Seal of the City 1992. I have hereunto set my hand,ad affixed of Costa Mesa this day of Ci y Clerk and ex -officio Cl k of the City. Council of the ' ty of Costa Mesa