#15 - Zoning Text Amendment Landscape Standards

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8 f) Financial security. In cases where mitigation or tree replacement is required, the City may require that a financial security, in a form acceptable to the City, be provided as part of a development agreement, site improvement agreement or applicable permit to ensure compliance and performance of the Mmitigation Pplan. The financial security will be released to the applicant upon verification by the City that the Mmitigation Pplan was followed, and that all replacement trees have been installed in accordance with the approved landscaping plan, match or exceed approved plan quantities, and meet City acceptance requirements to begin the two year landscape warranty.are planted and are healthy The financial security may be used to replace any replacement trees that have become damaged, are not healthy, or are diseased after planting.do not satisfy the warranty criteria. g) Exceptions. 1) Exception standards. Notwithstanding the City's desire to accomplish tree preservation and protection goals, there may be instances where these goals are in conflict with other City objectives. These conflicts will most likely occur on small, heavily-wooded parcels. The City recognizes there may be instances where it is not practical or reasonable to have an applicant plant the total required replacement trees on the site. The City encouragesnters applicants to have the required number of tree replacements tress planted entirely on the site to the extent this is of as much as possible. The City will only approve the use of fee-in-lieu of tree replacement or other mitigation methods when all the required tree replacements cannot practically or reasonably occur on the site in the judgement of the City. Applicants may ask the City to approve exceptions to the City's tree preservation and replacement standards. The City Council may grant exceptions if all of the following conditions exist: a. It is not feasible to combine the subject parcel with adjacent parcels that could use the parcel as required green space; b. Strict adherence to the City's tree preservation and replacement standards would prevent reasonable development that is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and desirable to the City on the parcel; and c. The exception requested is the minimum needed to accomplish the desired development or redevelopment. 2) Reduced mitigation for exceptions. If the City Council approves an exception to the tree preservation standards, relief from the requirements of the standards may take the form of reduced mitigation requirements, greater allowable tree removal, higher thresholds for determining significant trees, or any combination of the above. The City Council will determine which form of relief best balances the objectives of the City and tree preservation. The City Council may require payment to the City of a fee-in-lieu of tree replacement, payment of additional park dedication fees; the implementation of woodland management practices by the applicant; or the planting of replacement trees on City property by the applicant under direction of the City Public Works Director; or a combination of these methods as a condition of the City approving relief or an exception from the City tree preservation and replacement standards. The amount of the fee-in-lieu of tree replacement is set forth in the City's fee schedule. 105.12.480 – Landscape Requirements Proposed Language: All development sites shall be landscaped, as provided in this section, in order to control erosion and runoff, promote conservation of water, moderate extremes of temperature and provide shade, aid in energy conservation, preserve habitat, provide visual softening of, especially, urban development, and generally enhance the quality of the physical environment within the cityCity.