(A) The purpose of this subchapter is to establish minimum standards for the design, installation, and maintenance of landscaped areas that require the use of appropriate native vegetation and to promote the preservation of indigenous plant communities on-site. The town recognizes the significant benefits of establishing and protecting appropriate native vegetation and, therefore, the necessity to maximize the use of appropriate native vegetation in all public and private landscaped areas within the town.
(B) It is the intent of this chapter that these minimum landscape requirements be incorporated in order to promote the public health, safety, and welfare by:
(1) Protecting and promoting appropriate native vegetation;
(2) Promoting microhabitats in urban areas for the conservation of wildlife by establishing new wildlife habitat and maintaining existing wildlife habitat;
(3) Creating larger, more connected plant habitats, helping ensure the future of native plant species by increasing their ability to respond to changes in climate;
(4) Conserving scarce water resources by promoting water-efficient landscaping through the use of appropriate native plants which, once established, typically require much less water than other species;
(5) Reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to maintain landscaping;
(6) Reducing the negative impacts of landscape maintenance on local air quality;
(7) Reducing the negative impacts on the land from the use of inappropriate vegetation and poorly planned landscaping;
(8) Reducing the financial costs of landscape maintenance; and
(9) Encouraging creative landscaping designs that further the above stated goals.
(1998 Code, § 46-130) (Ord. O-2009-04, passed 8-11-2009)