Landscape Ordinance Touts Water Efficiency

Water efficiency and aesthetically pleasing planting practices are at the heart of changes to the Midland, Texas landscape ordinance recently approved by the city?EUR??,,????'?????<

Non-residential developers could have to comply with a new landscaping ordinance meant to lower outdoor water use after the Midland, Texas Planning and Zoning Commission approved the draft.

Having been in the works for about nine months, the ordinance makes changes to the existing landscaping requirements with the aim of providing developers more flexibility while also incentivizing water efficiency and more aesthetically pleasing planting practices, city staff said.

Among the changes, shade trees with a minimum of a three-inch caliper would be the only option for trees planted on the street front or parking lot area of a property. Previously developers could plant shade or ornamental trees on street fronts.

Developers are required to plant one tree per 30 linear feet of street frontage and at a rate of at least one per 15 parking spaces for the first 151 spaces, according to a draft of the ordinance. The number of trees required has not changed.

The ordinance also creates a list of “undesirable tree species” that if planted will not count toward a developer’s tree requirements. The trees included, which are the fruitless mulberry, the Siberian elm and the salt cedar, are known for high water consumption, Melland said.

With 60 percent of Midland's water use during summer months going toward outdoor irrigation, city staff said they wanted to incentivize developers to conserve water.

Developers have to obtain a certain number of points to be granted a building permit and the points process also was changed in the ordinance. Instead of granting points for extra trees, as was done before, the new ordinance would grant points by tree and also provide more points for rainwater harvesting systems and the use of drought tolerant sod as the primary source of turf grass, among other things.

Points will be deducted for landscaping more than 20 percent of the required area with turf grass, for the use of fescue and/or St. Augustine grass as the primary source of turf grass, if undesirable trees are planted and if the slope within 10 feet of the street or parking area exceeds 20 percent, according to the draft.