Zoning Text Amendment - Landscape Bond and Landscape Enforcement.

This amendment proposes the elimination of the requirement for a landscape bond (where required) and replaces the requirement with a Landscape Maintenance agreement.

The City intends to maintain minimum landscaping standards and to further provide for the protection of trees, in order to protect and preserve the appearance, character, and value of the properties within the city and thereby promote the public health, safety and general welfare of the citizens of the city.

The existing process of site plan review, which requires the property owner to provide security through a landscape bond to ensure that all approved landscaping is maintained, places additional cost upon property owners and places the onus on the City to approve, record and maintain a bond and then, if the landscaping fails, to pull the bond and use its own resources or contract with external agency to ensure that the landscaping is restored.

The initial landscaping is inspected at final CO.

Thereafter, the site owner is subject to Code Enforcement action to remedy any failings. This responsibility is carried through in perpetuity of the site being operated and until such a time that the approved site plan/landscape plan is amended.

The City will monitor the approved landscaping on an annual basis.



 

Staff recommend that the Planning Board forward the proposed amendments to the City Commission with a recommendation of APPROVAL.

Recommend Modified Approval.

OR

Recommend Disapproval.

Kev Freeman, Planning Director

Technical Review Committee - Amendments suggested by the Engineering Department have been incorporated.