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)
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