Let's Not Reduce Landscaping Requirements for Central El Paso

"Landscape Development Infill Area". Click on image to enlarge.

In an email message to leaders and neighborhood associations in the central El Paso district that she reperesnts, Rep. Susie Byrd writes about the "Landscape Development Infill Area" that reduces required landscaping by 30% - essentially stripping new landscaping requirements for new building projects in the area of town that needs greening-up the most. She writes:

Dear Central Area Neighborhood Associations:

I wanted to make you aware of a change to our landscaping code that will result in new commercial developments in Central having 30% less landscaping than other areas of the City. This change to the code was made yesterday without notification to Central Area Neighborhood Associations or input from these associations. The 30% reduction in landscaping for Central was recommended by the development community and supported by City staff. All three citizen advisory boards who reviewed the changes recommended that the 30% reduction in landscaping for Central be eliminated.

Because of the lack of notification and input from Central Area Neighborhood Associations and because all three citizen advisory boards had voted against it, I urged City Council to postpone action on this section of the landscaping code until such time as Central Area Neighborhood Associations could be advised of the change and have a chance to participate in the decision. Rep. Niland, who made the motion, and Rep. Lilly, who seconded the motion, refused to accept the friendly amendment and the whole ordinance with the 30% reduction in landscaping for Central passed seven to one. I supported other changes in the ordinance but could not support the 30% reduction for Central. Because of this, I was forced to vote against the entire bill.

Some background. We used to ask that developers only landscape 7.5% of their commercial developments, half of what our peer cities in the Southwest ask. In the spring of this year, we changed the code to require 15% of a development be landscaped plus adding trees to the parkway and the frontage buffer to increase shading and comfort for pedestrians. This brought us up to par with our competitor cities in the Southwest. The development community felt like we went too far and so asked for some concessions. They asked us to allow the parkway and frontage buffer landscaping and trees be included in the 15% calculation at a meeting of a Legislative Review Committee (LRC). This seemed like a common sense change. We agreed to expedite the changes as long as all of the citizen advisory boards who provide input in matters related to the Landscape Ordinance had a chance to review the changes. During this LRC meeting, no mention was made of a 30% reduction in landscaping for new commercial developments in Central.

I am not sure at what point this change was added, but I do know that none of the impacted Neighborhood Associations were notified of the change or given a chance to participate in the decision-making.

Rationale for the change. At yesterday’s meeting, City staff told us that the 30% reduction for Central change was requested by the development community and that the rationale for the change was to encourage more commercial investment in Central by reducing the costs to developers. No analysis was provided about how much of a cost reduction this would be. No analysis was provided about what this would look like for these types of commercial developments. No examples were given to demonstrate that this disparate treatment in Central would encourage more of the kind of development we want in Central.

Policy considerations. I get calls from you guys all the time wanting to know how the city can encourage more commercial investment in Central. We want better grocery stores, more restaurants and entertainment and better retail. We are all bothered by the flight of capital out of the Central core and to the edges of town. To combat this, the City has put together a very aggressive set of incentives to encourage this type of development. We have standard administrative waivers to waive setback requirements, parking maximums and other regulatory hurdles that don’t make sense for Central Area development.

But what I hear from you again and again is that you want new development in Central and Downtown to take on the character of the neighborhood. You don’t want eastside suburban development to take over Central. You don’t want strip center development that you would see on Zaragoza to land in Central. That’s why we live in Central. We love the character of Central. The great thing about the landscaping code is that if you build in the character of Central (buildings up to the lot line, parking in the rear), you only have to put in trees in the parkway because you don’t have any area to landscape. You already get a reduction in landscape BUT ONLY IF YOU BUILD TO THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD. If you build in Downtown or Central up to the lot line and respecting the design of the existing neighborhood, your landscaping requirements are minimal.

But if you are bringing suburbia to Central, you used to have to landscape to the same code as all other suburban development. 15%. Why should we be treated any different? But because of the change that Council made yesterday--with no consultation with affected Central neighborhoods--if you are going to build a strip center in Central you only have to provide landscaping for 10.5% of the developable area (that is the 30% reduction). Essentially, City Council provided an incentive to build strip centers in Central that are out of character for our neighborhoods. And they did this all without asking you whether you thought this tradeoff was necessary or in keeping with your values for development in Central.

There might be a chance to have this reconsidered if enough people from Central weigh in with City Council. Rep. Acosta and Rep. Ortega seemed open to consultation with impacted neighborhoods. Rep. Niland and Rep. Lilly seemed especially keen on just passing the ordinance without taking it to the neighborhoods for consideration. Maybe if they hear from enough people they will re-consider.

Let me know what you think about the change to the code as it impacts Central. If you need more information about the change, City staff has said they would be glad to meet to provide information about the change. I could host a meeting.

Hope all is well. Let me know if you have any questions.

Susie

If you agree with Ms. Byrd (and I hope that you do), please contact City representatives and let them know that you want the "Landscape Development Infill Area" portion of the new landscaping code re-visited. Citizens should have know that they are being heard - and not just the development community.

Here's the distinction that developers and some members of Council fail to make: They see landscaping as an expense that deters building and infill in the central corridor. In fact, landscaping – greening up the area – is an investment which will have significant paybacks for business owners, the City and the general wealth and economy of the City.

In a study by the Center for Urban Horticulture trees were found to have a positive impact on consumer behavior. Shoppers were willing to pay more for parking in well-landscaped lots and actually pay more for goods and services – a definite positive force for community wealth and the metropolitan economy. See a graph on product pricing in shopping areas with trees and those without.

Developers, businesses, Chambers of Commerce and City Council members would do well to see that adding landscaping (not subtracting from it) actually encourages business profitability and can lead to an increase of wealth in the City as a whole and, thus, give added revenue to the City itself for services that can further promote the quality of life in El Paso.

Take time to read several studies showing the business benefits of urban landscaping.