Written by the reviewer from the ASR + docket; [verbatim-ASR] = quoted machine transcript; [paraphrase] = reviewer's wording, not a quote.
0:00 All right, I will call to order the March 9th, 2026 meeting of the Housing, Planning
0:05 and Development Committee.
0:06 We have all members present, plus a couple of other council people.
0:11 First order of business, approval of the minutes of the March 2nd, 2026 Housing,
0:15 Planning and Development Committee.
0:16 I'll make a motion to approve.
0:24 Main order of business tonight, substitute ordinance 02-2026 pertaining to amend the
0:34 Chapter 1775 for weeds, the codified city ordinance of the City of Lakewood for the
0:40 purpose of establishing regulations for front yard plantings.
0:43 We've been around the block on this a few times.
0:47 I think we're pretty much to the end here.
0:50 So I'll turn it over to Commissioner Parmoley for his thoughts.
1:01 My thoughts are it was a long Monday back and it was nice to come to work to be
1:10 Yeah, we updated the diagram like we talked about last time.
1:15 So corner lot, two-foot, two-foot, interior lot, two-foot, two-foot, kind of makes sense.
1:21 Not as heavy-handed, you know, as the four-foot for the corner lots.
1:26 Still gives us a little bit of sight triangle that we can work with there in the corners
1:33 We had a little bit of, well, it wasn't language change, it was a number change.
1:39 Councilman Baker pointed that one out, so I think that got edited.
1:44 Kind of ready to get this one just in the books so I could spend some time with the
1:50 property maintenance staff before we start getting heavy in the planting seasons.
1:55 All right, great, thanks.
1:58 One thing I wanted to bring to attention, so Councilman Bullock, you had pointed out
2:02 something you thought was in there.
2:03 I'm not sure that's the case, but what was your, where you thought there was a discrepancy?
2:13 Yeah, let me find the, so in subsection three, so under 177, 177503B3, on any other lot,
2:32 managed landscapes shall have no less than a setback of no less than two feet from
2:40 the public right of way, two feet from the side property line, see figure two interior
2:44 Okay, wait a minute, that's the wrong section.
2:47 On the corner lot, managed landscapes shall have, so this is section two, a setback
2:53 of no less than two feet from the public right of way and two feet from the side
2:57 So I think the diagram, the substitute diagram doesn't show that, it shows just
3:03 two feet from the public right of way, but not from the side property line.
3:09 Or the interior lot has an error because the interior lot diagram, I don't know if
3:16 we can display on screen the diagram if we scroll down.
3:21 All right, so and scroll up just a little bit, a little bit more, a little bit more.
3:26 So if you can see section two, we actually need to see section two.
3:31 Yeah, wait, too much, sorry.
3:34 You could probably click on the margin and it'll tighten if you do that.
3:37 That would be ideal.
3:42 No, click on the space in between.
3:47 Okay, well, so maybe just let's go on the picture.
3:53 So okay, the point I'm driving at is are we sure that the charts match the
4:01 And I'm confused about the interpretation here.
4:04 It says on any other lot in three, setback of no less than two feet from the
4:09 public right of way and two feet from the side property line.
4:11 So the bottom right, figure two, interior lot shows two feet from the public
4:16 right of way, which is the bottom of the picture of the sidewalk, and then
4:19 two feet from the side property line.
4:21 So that, the interpretation would be that the driveways, normally one
4:26 driveway belongs to the property, so maybe the orange zone shouldn't be
4:30 there for one of the driveways.
4:33 Or if it's correct that it should be there for both of the driveways, then the
4:37 implication would be that the corner lot diagram in figure one also should
4:44 No, because if you're on a corner lot, that is your driveway.
4:49 So the driveway in the corner lot diagram belongs to whom?
4:54 That would be that property owner.
4:56 Because opposite of that, you have the right of way being the sidewalk.
5:00 So your argument is that that diagram is accurate.
5:03 Then how is then the interior lot diagram accurate?
5:06 Because one of those driveways would have to be to the homeowner
5:09 who owns it in the yard.
5:12 Or I think, so my analysis there would be that this is showing the
5:21 And so over that orange line could be a driveway, right?
5:26 Because there are some instances where your driveway and your neighbor's
5:28 driveway is the property line, right?
5:30 Like there's literally, so this is just showing what you can do on your
5:34 lot if you have a driveway next to your lot.
5:39 I mean, the other thing we could do is take one of the orange
5:41 boundaries out of one side of the interior lot.
5:44 I think that's the point of crux of the issue.
5:47 So if you just, if you labeled one driveway owner's driveway and remove
5:52 I mean, if you want to dial it in that tight, that's fine.
5:56 Just for the sake of having them hear what we're saying, unless we're
5:59 trying to render the two properties on Warren Road that lack.
6:05 Because I mean, with the corner lot too, that orientation, I mean,
6:08 your driveway, you know, like Franklin and Clarence, right?
6:11 Like your driveway is on Franklin.
6:13 You don't have a driveway on the opposite side like that corner lot.
6:17 So I think if we take one side off of the interior lot, like, you know,
6:24 we take the right side off and then the left driveway would be
6:31 Yeah, we can do that.
6:32 So probably all that needs to happen is that change and then a
6:35 little explanatory owner's driveway, like my colleagues are saying,
6:40 and owner's over driveway.
6:44 And if we were to have an agreement that we'd expect that update by the
6:50 floor of the council meeting next time.
6:55 You know, maybe the committee would be willing to refer out with
7:03 That'd be my thought.
7:04 Yeah, and I'll just get the updated diagram because it'd be nice,
7:07 I don't know if it's possible, the way our...
7:12 Is it possible to add that in with the ordinance when it actually gets
7:17 Or is that something that we'd have to go through amlegal or whatever
7:21 to have them do that?
7:27 Because we don't have any other ordinance that we actually have
7:31 Like, we don't have any pictorial explanation.
7:38 I can get that cleaned up.
7:40 I think that makes a lot of sense.
7:42 Are there any other comments from the committee?
7:47 From the other colleagues?
7:53 So, Commissioner Parmelee, we talked last meeting about this,
7:56 but the enforcement and education rollout of this I think is going to
8:01 be a significant deal to have a reasonable implementation and notice
8:08 to a homeowner who may well have been doing this because it's either
8:13 legal today or ambiguously legal today,
8:17 and even if they missed reading the proper standards,
8:21 they've sunk a bunch of money into their yard.
8:23 So, you know, the city may be technically correct to say,
8:27 hey, you got to rip it all up, but I think it's best if we have
8:31 some kind of notice, some discretion in how we implement this
8:37 with, of course, the most clear and timely enforcement on the public
8:43 right-of-way sightline blockage, right?
8:48 We work with folks as much as they want to work with us.
8:52 Which is your standard operating procedure?
8:56 So, I mean, if we, you know, this thing rolls out,
8:58 you know, it gets approved during next council meeting,
9:03 you know, administration's office,
9:05 we like doing some PR stuff on social media,
9:08 post it on the city's website, on Housing and Buildings' website,
9:12 have a chat with the property maintenance inspectors and Mark Jewett,
9:17 get this thing rolling this year.
9:20 Again, it's just having something in our back pocket
9:23 that gives inspectors some directive.
9:26 But if we do get those complaints that come,
9:28 and if there is stuff that is greater than three-foot within that
9:32 two-foot boundary and it's a legit complaint,
9:34 I mean, we'd have to cite it under the ordinance,
9:37 under the new ordinance, you know,
9:39 that they'd have to clip that back and maintain it.
9:42 It'd be cited under the old ordinance as well.
9:47 All that stuff that hangs over the sidewalk, it's cited.
9:50 But, I mean, we're, like I said before,
9:53 it's obvious there's a lot going on in the city,
9:55 and we're not looking for trouble.
9:58 And the rollout is going to be soft.
10:00 It's not going to be heavy-handed.
10:02 I mean, we've all worked with each other for a long time.
10:04 That's not how we operate unless we have to,
10:08 and I don't like doing that.
10:10 But it's going to be a good season of coaching
10:13 and having these conversations and fielding the phone calls
10:17 and, you know, hey, can I plant X, Y, Z there,
10:20 or whatever that's going to be.
10:22 It's going to be a coaching moment for us and my staff
10:25 and the general public as well.
10:27 But just like any other new ordinance rollout,
10:30 it's a good year of feeling it out process,
10:34 and we might be talking about this again,
10:37 you know, a year after rollout.
10:39 Maybe we have to dial it in or make some changes.
10:41 But it gives folks opportunity.
10:44 I mean, I'm a big property rights advocate,
10:46 but it gives folks the opportunity to be able to do what they want,
10:50 you know, on their premises,
10:52 but gives us a little more leeway when it comes to enforcement
10:56 and just the vagueness of the ordinance that we had prior to.
11:02 It makes it rough on the property maintenance inspectors.
11:05 There is going to be a learning curve for staff and residents.
11:09 Yeah, and I appreciate that.
11:11 You do work with people who work with us.
11:15 I just want to get on the record that that's the intent here again.
11:19 I can picture one corner lot property in particular
11:23 who have perennials, I'm sure, within the two-foot orange zone.
11:29 We have a property block over from us that, you know, kind of...
11:34 You know, some of them are going to be higher than the height.
11:36 Now, they probably don't block any sight line because of the position.
11:41 So there's going to be stretches where it would be a problem
11:43 and other stretches where it wouldn't be a problem.
11:45 So that's the kind of thing.
11:46 We're not going to make a diagram for everything.
11:49 So that's where the educational process you just said is crucial.
11:53 Ordinance, I mean, just like any state building code, right?
11:56 I mean, you have to have reasonable interpretation
11:58 and put your common sense hat on with a lot of this stuff, too.
12:02 Like I said, it's going to be a learning curve for all.
12:05 But that first year will be a good, you know, feel this ordinance out,
12:10 kind of see where it gets us,
12:12 and maybe it will come off without a hitch.
12:17 You know, we'll give it a peek.
12:19 But I think we've spent some time on this thing,
12:22 and we were all pretty generous,
12:24 and there was a little give and take involved.
12:27 And we landed where we landed, and I think it's a good spot.
12:31 We'll take the new car out this summer and see how it drives,
12:34 and then, you know, might be back in the shop next year.
12:38 Yeah, on that note, I definitely want to thank you
12:41 for your work on this, Commissioner Parmelee.
12:44 Thank you. Thanks for your help.
12:45 It makes a lot of sense.
12:46 And to Councilman Baker, who kind of kicked this effort off.
12:51 For the record, again, we'll just say this explicitly allows these things.
12:55 This is why we're doing this. This is not punitive.
12:58 This is to weed out bad act.
13:01 See what I did there? Weed out.
13:04 Waiting on that one first of all.
13:06 Weed out bad actors who were just trying to use an ordinance
13:10 to not take care of their yards.
13:12 So it's not what we're looking for.
13:14 Exactly. And so just want that out there on the record
13:16 for folks watching at home.
13:18 So this is really trying to bring,
13:20 and it's in alignment with the rest of our maintenance standards.
13:23 So we're not having two different sets of standards for folks who have a lawn
13:26 and for folks who choose to do a natural planting yard.
13:29 So I appreciate all that effort.
13:31 Any other final comments from my, please?
13:34 Yeah, I'll say thank you, Commissioner Parmelee.
13:36 I think this is a, you know, good way to start, see where it goes, right?
13:40 And I do think that I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the IWIP
13:44 and kind of what this might do for stormwater kind of retention
13:50 and maybe like attenuation on certain private properties that if people,
13:55 you know, turf grass, my front lawn is turf grass.
13:58 I like the way it looks.
14:00 It doesn't do a great job of absorbing stormwater.
14:03 And there are other things you can do to absorb stormwater.
14:07 And if we give people permission to be creative
14:11 in a way that isn't them just not maintaining their lawn,
14:15 it can potentially attenuate down all the way to our wet weather issues
14:20 by holding back some of that water.
14:23 So I think that needs to at least be mentioned.
14:27 But I think I could see this, you know, us tweaking it a little bit.
14:30 I do think kind of the idea is that there's a buffer zone
14:33 that the public needs to see things.
14:36 And beyond that, this is about private property rights.
14:38 And just because someone likes one thing
14:40 and someone likes another thing, well, that's their property
14:42 as long as it's respectful and fits the code.
14:45 So with that note, I will make a motion to substitute the ordinance
14:49 with the version that's in Granicus.
14:51 With the updated diagram?
14:54 Well, no, so the diagram I think is going to have to happen
14:56 on the floor of full council.
15:01 So I think the substitute would be this version
15:03 and then we just let President Keppel know that on the floor
15:05 there'll be a rager that we'll have to add in.
15:08 I'm happy to second that motion.
15:10 There's a motion to second. All in favor?
15:14 Thank you again, Mr. Parmar.
15:16 Motion to recommend.
15:19 I will make a motion to refer this back favorably to all of council.
15:26 That's all the business before council or before the committee.
15:29 Well, thanks for being here, Mr. Parmarly.
15:31 Go home and enjoy the weather.
15:33 We'll talk to you next time.