Summary of Changes

Water Conservation

• Eliminates automatic irrigation requirements for low-water plantings.
• Requires more efficient irrigation systems.
• Restricts nonfunctional and non-hybridized turf.
• Requires use of the City-maintained Plant List, emphasizing regionally appropriate and drought-tolerant species.
• Requires smart irrigation controllers that adjust watering schedules based on weather and soil conditions.

Wildfire Defensible Space

• Incorporates Class II defensible space requirements from the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code.
• Limits landscaping and other flammable materials adjacent to buildings.
• Requires regular maintenance of landscaping to reduce wildfire risk.

Landscape Areas

• Enhances screening standards and provides additional compliance options.
• Requires landscaping along parking lot perimeters and within riparian areas.
• Consolidates existing streetscape requirements to improve usability.
• Removes the current alternative compliance provision due to ineffectiveness and unclear language.
• Eliminates interior landscaping requirements to reduce unnecessary plantings and support water conservation.
• Removes parking lot setback landscaping requirements and replaces them with updated parking lot screening standards.

Plantings

• Reduces minimum plant sizes to better align with local availability.
• Allows substitutions when planting requirements conflict with defensible space needs, easements, or similar constraints.
• Requires all plantings to comply with the City Plant List.

Plant List

• Includes plant species appropriate for Steamboat Springs’ climate.
• Provides key details such as mature height, spread, nativity, and water requirements.
• Identifies ignition-resistant plants as designated by the Colorado State Forest Service.
• Will remain outside of the code to allow for regular updates over time.

Minimum Requirements for Plans

• Requires landscape plans to be stamped by a Colorado-licensed landscape architect.
• Requires irrigation plans to be certified by an irrigation design professional (effective date to be determined by Planning Commission/City Council).

Other Code Updates

• Updates additional sections of the Community Development Code, including:
  • Article 2 (Zone District Standards)
  • Article 3 (Use Screening)
  • Article 4 (Buffering, Fencing, and Retaining Walls)
  • Article 8 (Definitions)