"We're just making a few tweaks here and there to help further our reputation as a water wise community," Director of Planning and Development Services Bradley Dushkin said at a Feb. 11 agenda packet briefing.
Two-minute impact
Round Rock City Council unanimously passed an update to the city's landscaping ordinances, which the Planning and Zoning Commission originally recommended with a 5-3 vote in January. The ordinance changes will effectively reduce irrigation needs in required landscape areas by reducing the use of nonfunctional turf grass, and adjusting the use of screening elements, parking lot landscape buffers, and residential trees.
"These requirements that we're proposing will only apply to new development," Dushkin said.
Digging deeper
Under the new guidelines, developers will not be able to install turf in narrow planting strips and have to increase the soil depth under the turf by 2 inches. Additional requirements include either limiting turf to no more than 50% of pervious space on the property, or using native grass blends without restriction. Turf grass is common for nonresidential developments, but has no function purpose and consumes excessive water, according to the city.
Screening and parking lot landscape buffers provide visual barriers through plants. The updates require evergreen shrubs at least 2 feet tall, and remove shrub requirements around dumpsters, which the city said will reduce costs for developers. The tree planting amendments reduce the number of trees required on smaller residential lots, which will ensure proper spacing for healthier growth while addressing conflicts with utilities, according to the city.
What residents should know
Round Rock answered frequently asked question about the updated ordinance online.
