M E M O R A N D U M: FROM: City Development

DATE: August 18, 2010

TO: Environmental Commission
FROM: David Kanning, Planner II
SUBJECT: Native Landscaping/Natural Lawns

The City of Franklin Common Council, at their meeting on July 13th, 2010, directed the
Environmental Commission to examine the issue of natural/native landscaping in residential
neighborhoods by reviewing ordinances from other cities that have regulations pertaining to this
issue. The Environmental Commission discussed this topic at their meeting on July 28th, 2010,
and asked Alderman Doug Schmidt and me to examine it further prior to the next Environmental
Commission meeting. Alderman Schmidt and I have met twice since the July 28th meeting, and
have created an outline of potential new native landscaping/natural lawns standards that the
Environmental Commission may wish to consider for recommendation to the Common Council:

Native Landscaping/Natural Lawns in Residential Areas

1. Create a new “Natural Lawns in Residential Areas” section in the Municipal Code.
2. State the Purpose of the new “Natural Lawns in Residential Areas” section (i.e., to
promote native plant communities and to provide management regulations, etc.).
3. Define Natural Lawns (i.e., common species of grass and wild flowers native to North
America which are designed and purposefully cultivated to exceed twelve inches in
height from the ground), and state that they must be adequately maintained.
4. Require a Natural Lawn Management Plan Application for the following situations:

A.) A property owner who wishes to plant a Natural Lawn in the street yard (front,
rear, or corner side) of his/her residential property.

B.) The planting of a Natural Lawn on a residential property within five feet of a
shared property line of an abutting residential property, unless the property owner
who wishes to plant the Natural Lawn can sufficiently demonstrate to City
Development staff that adequate screening of the Natural Lawn will be provided
by a row of continuous shrubs (e.g., arbor vitae) or an opaque fence.

5. Add the following Natural Lawn Management Plan Application Requirements:

 A.) Description of type of Natural Lawn (Prairie Restoration, Natural Meadow, Bird
& Wildlife Sanctuary, etc.).

B.) The limits of the Natural Lawn graphically indicated on a scaled plan.

C.) A management/maintenance Plan.

D.) Written consent from an abutting residential property owner to plant a Natural
Lawn within five feet of a shared property line, unless the applicant can
demonstrate to City Development staff that the Natural Lawn will be screened by
an opaque fence or row of continuous shrubs (e.g., Arbor Vitae or equivalent), in
which case a Natural Lawn Management Plan Application would not be required..
Any subsequent abutting property owner may revoke such written consent,
thereby requiring the owner of the natural lawn to remove the natural lawn that is
located within the five-foot section abutting the neighboring property owner.

E.) Send completed Natural Lawn Management Plan Applications for front yard
Natural Lawns to all property owners within 300 feet of the proposed Natural
Lawn site. The Planning Manager should deny the Natural Lawn Management
Plan Application if 51% or more of property owners within 300 feet of the
proposed front yard Natural Lawn site provide written objections.

F.) An Application Fee of $25.00

G.) Review of Application to be conducted by the Department of City Development,

in consultation with other City Staff, as determined appropriate by the Planning
Manager. Planning Manager shall act to approve or deny the application, based
upon the application standards.

H.) Any appeal of the Planning Manager’s decision shall be made to the Board of
Zoning and Building Appeals (BZBA).

6. Enforcement of Noxious Weeds should be subject to Section 178-3-F of

the Municipal Code, but add a provision stating that the Planning Manager
(or Weed Commissioner) can order the removal of an approved Natural
Lawn by revoking the Natural Lawn Management Plan Permit, should
weeds become a reoccurring problem.
7. Property owner who receives the notice of intent to revoke their Natural
Lawn Management Plan permit can appeal that decision to the BZBA.

Since weeds have also been a topic of discussion. I have attached (electronically) for your use
and information a document titled “A Field Guide to Terrestrial Invasive Plants in Wisconsin”
from the Wisconsin DNR website.