§ 17.8.355 ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICE.

   All property owners, developers or other persons proposing to modify land in the city limits of Forest Grove are encouraged to integrate the habitat-friendly development practices listed in Table 8-1 as part of any modification of the site . Those practices within road rights-of-way or other public property shall be approved by the City Engineer . Other practices shall be approved by the Community Development Department. Said approvals shall be obtained:

   A.   Where no land use permit is required, prior to any physical modification of the site ;

   B.   Where any land use permit is required by the Development Code, concurrent with an approval of the permit; or

   C.   Where there is a Natural Resource Area and alternative discretionary development standards are used pursuant to the requirements of § 17.5.040.

Table 8-1: Habitat-Friendly Development Practices*

Part (a): Design and Construction Practices to Minimize Hydrologic Impacts

1.   Amend disturbed soils to original or higher level of porosity to regain infiltration and stormwater storage capacity.

2.   Use pervious paving materials for residential driveways , parking lots, walkways and within centers of cul-de-sacs .

3.   Incorporate stormwater management in road rights-of-way.

4.   Landscape with rain gardens to provide on-lot detention, filtering of rainwater and groundwater recharge.

5.   Use green roofs for runoff reduction, energy savings, improved air quality and enhanced aesthetics.

6.   Disconnect downspouts from roofs and direct the flow to vegetated infiltration/filtration areas such as rain gardens.

7.   Retain rooftop runoff in a rain barrel for later on-lot use in lawn and garden watering.

8.   Use multi-functional open drainage systems in lieu of more conventional curb-and-gutter systems.

9.   Use bioretention cells as rain gardens in landscaped parking lot islands to reduce runoff volume and filter pollutants.

10.   Apply a treatment train approach to provide multiple opportunities for stormwater treatment and reduce the possibility of system failure.

11.   Reduce sidewalk width and grade them such that they drain to the front  yard of a residential lot or retention area.

12.   Reduce impervious impacts of residential driveways by narrowing widths and moving access to the rear of the site .

13.   Use shared driveways .

14.   Reduce width of residential streets , depending on traffic and parking needs.

15.   Reduce street length, primarily in residential areas, by encouraging clustering and using curvilinear designs.

16.   Reduce cul-de-sac radii and use pervious vegetated islands in center to minimize impervious effects, and allow them to be utilized for truck maneuvering/loading to reduce need for wide loading areas on site .

17.   Eliminate redundant non-ADA sidewalks within a site (i.e., sidewalk to all entryways and/or to truck loading areas may be unnecessary for industrial developments ).

18.   Minimize car spaces and stall dimensions, reduce parking ratios and use shared parking facilities and structured parking.

19.   Minimize the number of stream crossings and place crossing perpendicular to stream channel if possible.

20.   Allow narrow street right-of-ways through stream corridors whenever possible to reduce adverse impacts of transportation corridors.

*These development practices represent the state of scientific knowledge at the time of this Code’s enactment, if more effective habitat-friendly practices become available, they should be used.

Part (b): Design and Construction Practices to Minimize Impacts on Wildlife Corridors and Fish Passage

1.   Carefully integrate fencing into the landscape to guide animals toward animal crossings under, over or around transportation corridors.

2.   Use bridge crossings rather than culverts wherever possible.

3.   If culverts are utilized, install slab, arch or box type culverts, preferably using bottomless designs that more closely mimic stream bottom habitat.

4.   Design stream crossings for fish passage with shelves and other design features to facilitate terrestrial wildlife passage.

5.   Extend vegetative cover through the wildlife crossing in the migratory route, along with sheltering areas.

Part (c): Miscellaneous Other Habitat-Friendly Design and Construction Practices

1.   Use native plants throughout the development (not just in NRA).

2.   Locate landscaping (required by other sections of the Code) adjacent to NRA.

3.   Reduce light-spill off into NRAs from development .

 

(Ord. 2009-01, passed 3-9-2009; Ord. 2013-3, passed 5-22-2013)