These provisions are applicable to all new development, new construction, or rehabilitation of development in all nonresidential zones, and nonresidential development in any zone, related to any area on the development that is landscaped, or required to be landscaped under county ordinances. It applies to multiple family dwelling projects with more than six units, manufactured home parks, and commercial, manufacturing, and planned development projects.
A. Construction Standards:
1. Hot water recirculation systems shall be installed, unless hot water delivery can be demonstrated to occur without first displacing more than 0.6 gallons of system water.
2. WaterSense labeled fixtures shall be installed, including, but not limited to faucets, showerheads toilets, and urinals.
3. Energy Star qualified appliances shall be installed.
4. All shell units with ground floor square footage, or individually platted, shall be separately metered, submetered, or equipped with alternative technology capable of tracking the water use of the individual unit, and the information shall be made available to the individual unit. Individually platted condominium units are excepted if a property owners association owns and maintains the water lines and meters. All nonresidential projects require separate water meters for all outdoor water usage, including landscaping.
5. During construction, all carwash projects shall be plumbed and use water recycling systems. At all times a carwash shall limit the maximum amount of water to 35 gallons of potable water per vehicle washed.
6. Manmade ornamental water features are limited to 25 square feet per parcel and are limited to the parcel.
7. All golf courses using water district or municipal water supplies shall have separate water meters for irrigation. Irrigation with potable water is prohibited. Each golf course development shall submit and follow a water budget with the Landscape Documentation Packet and identify water conservation measures for regular county and water provider review.
8. Outside misting systems shall only operate during the May through September time period where the daily high temperature is 90 degrees Fahrenheit or greater.
B. Landscape Standards
1. All new construction, new development, or rehabilitation of development, in all nonresidential zones, or as defined in Section 4 in any zone, shall meet the Landscape Design Standards and Irrigation Design Standards of this chapter.
a. Grass is not permitted outside of an Active Recreation Area. In addition, grass is prohibited in park strips, streetscape frontages, parking lots, roundabouts, medians, driveways, within 10 feet of a roadway, and in all landscape areas less than eight feet wide, and on any slope that exceeds 25%.
b. Landscape and irrigation installers shall follow the plans that have been signed and approved by the county.
c. Each project shall propose and follow an approved Planting Plan that has a minimum of 40% vegetative cover of a landscaped area with water-efficient shade trees and bushes adequate in number and configuration to visually enhance the project, prevent heat islands, and prevent soil erosion. The configuration of the vegetation in the Planting Plan is in the sole discretion of the county.
d. If secondary irrigation water is available, each project shall connect to the system for all outdoor water use. A county may make minor exceptions, allowing use of treated water for outdoor plantings in small beautification areas, in its sole discretion.
2. Required Documentation:
a. Landscape Documentation Package: A copy of a Landscape Documentation Package shall be submitted to and approved by the county prior to the issue of any building permit. A copy of the approved Landscape Documentation Package shall be provided to the property owner or site manager. All packets and plans are required to have suitable plants, water use, and irrigation system design, using the plant lists from the Washington County Water Conservancy District, and that follow locally adaptable and environmentally sustainable practices that emphasize xeriscape design. The Landscape Documentation Package shall be prepared by a professional landscape architect (PLA) and shall consist of the following items:
(1) Project Data Sheet containing the following:
(A) Project name and address;
(B) Applicant or applicant agent’s name, address, phone number, and email address;
(C) Landscape architect’s name, address, phone number, and email address; and
(D) Landscape contractor’s name, address, phone number and email address, if available at this time.
(2) Planting Plan. A detailed Planting Plan shall be drawn at a scale that clearly identifies the following:
(A) Location of all plant materials, a legend with common and botanical names, and size of plant materials;
(B) Property lines and street names;
(C) Existing and proposed buildings, walls, fences, utilities, paved areas and other site improvements;
(D) Existing trees and plant materials to be removed or retained;
(E) Scale: graphic and written;
(F) Date of design;
(G) Designation of hydrozones, and
(H) Details and specifications for tree staking, soil preparation, and other planting work.
(3) Irrigation Plan. A detailed irrigation plan shall be drawn at the same scale as the Planting Plan and contain the following information:
(A) Layout of the irrigation system and a legend summarizing the type and size of all components of the system, including manufacturer name and model numbers;
(B) Static water pressure in pounds per square inch (psi) at the point of connection to the public or district water supply;
(C) Flow rate in gallons per minute and design operating pressure in psi for each valve and precipitation rate in inches per hour for each valve with irrigation equipment (i.e., sprinklers, drip emitters, bubblers, etc.); and
(D) Installation details for irrigation components.
(4) Grading Plan. A grading plan shall be drawn at the same scale as the Planting Plan and shall contain the following information:
(A) Property lines and street names, existing and proposed buildings, walls, fences, utilities, paved areas and other site improvements; and
(B) Existing and finished contour lines and spot elevations as necessary for the proposed site improvements, as well as drainage.
b. Plan Review, Construction Inspection, and Post-Construction Monitoring.
(1) As part of the building permit approval process, a copy of the Landscape Documentation Package shall be submitted with a county provided pre-submittal checklist completed to initiate a review and approval process before construction begins.
(2) All installers and designers shall meet state and local license, insurance, and bonding requirements, and be able to show proof of such.
(3) During construction, site inspection of the landscaping may be performed by the county Building Inspection Department or other entity tasked with approvals.
(4) Following construction, and prior to issuing an occupancy permit, an inspection shall be scheduled with the Building Inspection Department or other appointed entity to verify compliance with the approved landscape plans. The Certificate of Substantial Completion shall be completed by the property owner, developer, contractor or landscape architect and submitted to the county.
(5) The county or other appointed entity reserves the right to perform site inspections at any time before, during or after the irrigation system and landscape installation, and to require corrective measures if requirements of this chapter are not satisfied. (Ord. 2022-1206-O, 4-19-2022; amd. Ord. 2023-1246-O, 12-19-2023)