All three communities have new approaches and ideas to enhance their home town zoning ordinance.

Gillete, Wyoming offers an incentive program for existing land uses that are not in compliance with the recently passed landscape ordinance. New Braunfels, Texas is proposing amendments to their point based system of compliance to make their ordinance more environmentally friendly. Kenner Louisiana has modeled their draft code after two Louisiana cities that can make it the best landscape code in the state if adopted later this year.

It is informative to look at what some not-so-well known communities are doing with their landscape laws.

Gillette, Wyoming in a new twist on landscape codes is paying business owners to comply with their new landscape code passed one year ago this month. Thought to be the first program of its kind in the nation, this Wyoming community has developed a unique and creative grant program that will pay existing businesses who do not comply with the current landscape code to get into compliance at tax payer expense.

The Gilette City Council has set aside fifty thousand ($50,000.00) dollars for this landscape grant incentive program which must be matched on a dollar for dollar basis. The fund will match up to a maximum $5,000 on any project, thereby ensuring that $100,000 of new landscaping is installed in existing commercial districts of the city. Maintenance is required of all landscape improvement projects installed with city money.

Grants must be used to meet the standards of the community landscape code. The parks and beautification board are in charge of the program and approve all landscape designs funded.

New Braunfels, Texas is considering amendments to their recently passed tree and landscape ordinance that backers expect will make it the most environmentally and comprehensive landscape ordinance in the country.

Over 29 amendments are being considered by a committee of citizens who are working together to propose changes. Historic New Braunfels, which is near Austin, recently adopted a landscape code based upon the un-commonly used and very complicated point based system that requires a certain number of points be acquired in each landscape design to be in compliance with the code. This ordinance puts the emphasis on points rather than design so landscape architects generally do not prefer this type of ordinance.

Proposed amendments call for diversification of trees and shrubs and additional shade islands in parking lots. Amendments are expected to decrease the spacing between trees and allow for the planting of vines on chain-link fences to better make them fit into the landscape. Most of the proposed amendments are aimed at greening the community and reducing the amount of paving and concrete so that visitors will not think of the community as a paved over place.

Kenner, Louisiana has recently drafted revisions to their community landscape code that add more landscaping to certain commercial, multifamily, PUD and institutional zoning districts.

The current draft landscape code is considered by local landscape architects as one of the best in the state of Louisiana in terms of its structure, context and detailed design requirements.

Modeled after the successful Baton Rouge ordinance developed in the 1990s and the city of Mandeville ordinance developed in the 1980s, this draft version is a significant improvement over the existing code. The draft code provides regulations for the design of street yards, which are called ?EUR??,,????'??green belts?EUR??,,????'???, vehicular use area interiors, parking lot screens, general site open space, trash storage areas and yard buffers. In addition this landscape code sets standards for irrigation, on-site storm water management, tree preservation, tree pruning, and landscape maintenance.