Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Council Mulls Landscaping
MAYOR EXPECTS READINGS TO BE WAIVED
FARMINGTON — The City Council is expected to adopt a new landscape ordinance at its 6 p.m., July 8 meeting at City Hall.
The council left the 25-page ordinance on first reading in June to allow time for public comment.
Mayor Ernie Penn said last week that he expects the council will waive the second and third readings of the ordinance Monday night and then vote on whether to adopt the ordinance, which is mainly geared toward landscape requirements for new commercial development.
Penn said he believes the council should go ahead and approve the ordinance because the city has had inquiries from people about possible commercial development.
“I think we’re going to have some new commercial development in the future so we want to have that in place before then,” Penn said.
The Farmington Planning Commission has discussed a landscape ordinance for about two years, with Commissioner Judy Horne doing the bulk of the work.
Penn recognized Horne for her efforts at the June 10 council meeting and gave her a “key” to the city. He noted that she spent countless hours of her own personal time researching information for a landscape ordinance
“Judy is a proponent for our city and always is looking at ways to make our city better,” Penn said.
No citizens addressed the council about the landscape ordinance on June 8 but Penn read a letter from Farmington resident Ashley Phillips, who expressed concerns on how the ordinance would affect residential development. Phillips also commented on the proposal at the planning commission’s May 28 meeting.
His letter to the council reiterated the same concerns he made to the planning commission.
Phillips wrote that he was in favor of most of the ordinance, except the sections dealing with residential development. Phillips said the ordinance would increase the cost of developing a subdivision in Farmington, making it harder for home builders to make a profit here. He asked the council to table any proposed residential requirements in the ordinance until a later date.
“If the ordinance is passed in current form then other cities in the region will have a competitive advantage when it comes to residential development,” Phillips wrote.
Horne told the council that the ordinance has minimal requirements for residential development. It does not require any landscaping for subdivisions but does require a developer to pay a $600 fee per lot or to dedicate .02 acre per every quarter acre for a city park. Even then, Horne said, the ordinance gives a lot of flexibility for the dedicated park space.
“Today’s home builders want parks, want trails, want the green space,” Horne said, adding she would be glad to talk to Phillips about his concerns.
Penn added that he did not believe Farmington’s ordinance was restrictive, especially compared to what other cites require.
“We by far are not exceeding or are over and above other cities,” Penn said. “We’re doing the right thing. It’s the right step forward.”
Steve Tennant, city attorney, said he wanted to work on the penalty section of the ordinance before the July 8 meeting. He said the penalty for failure to maintain landscaping of property would probably be a fine of up to $500.
The ordinance also would require developers to provide the city with a performance bond to ensure compliance with the landscape installation and a guarantee that landscaping materials would survive two years. The developer would forfeit the performance bond if these requirements are not met.
“I want to do enough to put developers on notice that you are going to do it, not walk away from it,” Tennant said at the meeting.
In other action on June 8, the council approved two resolutions.
The first resolution set a July 8 public hearing on the closing of an easement at 125 Terry St. The existing drive for 125 Terry St. is on city property and the new owners of the home, the Houstons, have asked the city to vacate the easement and give it to them so they can make improvements to their driveway. City Business Manager Melissa McCarville said the city does not maintain the easement. City staff recommend vacating the right of way. A public hearing is the first step in the process to vacate city land.
The second resolution expresses the willingness of the city to use state aid street monies for city street projects that include resurfacing and reconstructing parts of Rheas Mill Road and Double Springs Road around the school campus.