THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 28, 1996 TAG: 9608280423
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KATRICE FRANKLIN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: 57 lines
City officials are going beyond comprehensive land plans in preparing for how Suffolk will look in the future.
This week, planners unveiled the first draft of a new landscape ordinance that sets aesthetic standards for building subdivisions and commercial sites. The current ordinance requires developers to include landscaping but does not specify what's acceptable.
``This is the beginning of the process,'' Elizabeth Friel, a city planner, said. ``We require landscaping now, but we don't have set standards. We felt it would be more fair and efficient to have actual standards.''
The proposed ordinance comes at a time of tremendous growth. The city is revising its land-use plan, a blueprint for future development. Community meetings will be held later this year.
Officials said the proposed landscape ordinance should also help in mapping the city's future.
``My view of the ordinance is that it helps beautify the city,'' E. Dana Dickens III, vice-chairman of the planning commission, said. ``The city is beginning to develop, and we're at a point for setting up a standard for what the city's going to look like from now forward.''
The proposed ordinance has four basic parts: screen, using trees to separate businesses from roads and subdivisions; street, which requires a certain amount of vegetation along public roads; sign, which requires vegetation around signs; and parking lot landscaping, which provides shade to vehicles and helps direct the flow of traffic.
Each section has a minimum requirement of vegetation based on the size of the development or the number of parking spaces. The ordinance also comes with a list of trees that the city approves and disapproves of.
``We looked at landscape ordinances from eight other localities,'' Yolanda Hipski, a city planner, said. ``None of this should be out of the ordinary.''
Friel said the ordinance seeks not only to enhance and protect the city's appearance, but also to make the landscape application process run better.
Under the old ordinance, the city's Beautification and Litter Control Committee reviewed landscape plans the third Monday of each month, but the plans had to be submitted to the planning department by the first of the month.
That delayed development by a month and forced the beautification board to focus more time on applications and less on community improvements.
``The beautification and litter control committee wanted to have this ordinance for a couple of years,'' Friel said. ``And the way that Suffolk is growing now, it has become increasingly important that we get these standards in place. We feel good landscaping will add economic value to the property within the city.''
City officials hope to hear from developers on the proposed ordinance before the middle of next month, when the Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a work session on the changes. The commission hopes to hold a public hearing on the ordinance in October. The City Council is expected to hold its hearing in November. MEMO: FOR DETAILS
Call the planning department at 925-6485. by CNB