Sioux Falls, SD (KELO AM) - A newly updated City ordinance allows for additional flexibility in plantings in parking strips while preserving the functionality of the public right-of-way. The ordinance will not be strictly enforced until 2018, but the City is educating the public about the ordinance and working with property owners to create an even more beautiful Sioux Falls.
“It really was necessary for us to update this ordinance and establish landscaping standards that preserve the functionality of the right-of-way as a corridor for public and private utilities and vehicle and pedestrian traffic—and also to help create vibrant streetscapes,” says Mark Cotter, Director of Public Works.
The updated ordinance allows turf or native grasses; City-approved street trees; annual, biennial, or perennial plants; cultivated flowers; wildflowers; and fruits and vegetables. To maintain the safety of the right-of-way, some restrictions apply. Those include:
- · Plants must be maintained at a height of no more than 36″ from the top of the curb.
- · Neither plants with thorns, spines, or other sharp rigid parts, nor evergreen or deciduous shrubs are allowed.
- · Plant material may not overhang or encroach onto the sidewalk.
- · Wood mulch may be used only on a limited basis around plantings as a water-conservation measure.
- · Turf grass must be maintained at a height of no more than 8″.
- · Boulders and structural encroachments like retaining walls, fences, and steps are prohibited.
- · Landscaping pavers, edging, and nominal-size rock mulch may be used in up to one quarter (1/4) of the parking strip, but can’t spill onto the street or sidewalk.
- · “Street” trees may be planted on the right-of-way, but the tree must be a species or variety approved and listed by the Forestry Division of Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation, and the tree must be pruned and trimmed per City ordinance and guidelines.
“Plantings are encouraged in the parking strip as long as they are maintained to create safe visual site lines for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists,” says Matt Tobias, Code Enforcement Manager. “We want to work with property owners if they have any questions regarding how the new ordinance impacts their properties.”
The ordinance will be phased in to allow adequate time for property owners to make changes. This year the City is working to educate residents regarding the ordinance, including offering information about the best things to plant in the parking strip, working with landscapers and gardening clubs, and more. In 2017, properties out of compliance with the ordinance will be begin receiving warnings, and strict enforcement of the ordinance will begin in 2018. However, if a property’s parking strip landscaping poses an immediate health or safety threat, the property owner will be asked to remove the items now.
More information about the ordinance is available at www.siouxfalls.org/ROWlandscaping.