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HomeMy WebLinkAboutReso - CC - 089-1988RESOLUTION NO 89-88 RESOLUTION ADOPTING WATER CONSERVATION GUIDELINES FOR NEW COMMERCIAL AND MULTIPLE FAMILY DEVELOPMENTS RESOLVED by the CITY COUNCIL of the CITY OF BURLINGAME that WHEREAS, due to below normal rain and snowfall the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has declared a water shortau- emergency, and this City has also declared a water emergenc-s- and established rules and regulations therefore, and WHEREAS, since 1977 the City of Burlingame has required developers to install low water use and drought resistant land- scaping, but has not had clear standards and definitions for such installations, and WHEREAS, San Francisco has called on all its wholesale customers, including the City of Burlingame, to adopt water conservation guidelines and the Parks, Planning and Public Works Departments of this City have reviewed those proposed by San Francisco and are recommending that they be adopted to give develoF ers and landscape architects clear requirements for such low water use and drought resistant landscaping, NOW, THEREFORE, the CITY OF BURLINGAME does hereby adopt the water conservation guidelines for new commercial and multiple - family residential developments as set forth ' - h" at hereto. ache l r_ I, JUDITH A. MALFATTI, City Clerk`of�-tom Cid of Burlingame do hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was introduced at a regular meeting of the City Council held on the 6th day of September 1988, and was adopted thereafter by the following Ivote: AYES: COUNCILMEN: AMSTRUP, BARTON, LEMBI, MANGINI, PAGLIARO NOES: COUNCILMEN: NONE ABSENT: COUNCILMEPd: NONE ?UA City Clerk EXHIBIT A CITY OF BURLINGAME WATER CONSERVATION GUIDELINES FOR NEW COMMERCIAL AND MULTIPLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS RESOLUTION NO. 89-88 Planting Design 1. The combined turf and water area should be limited to 25% of planted areas for industrial, commercial, multifamily residential with common area, and institutions. If turf is an essential part of a public or quasi -public development, such as playing fields for schools, a higher percentage can be allowed. No turf will be allowed in median strips of roadways and is discouraged in any long, narrow strip. The perimeter -to -area ratio for all turfgrass areas should be minimized to improve irrigation efficiency. Ground cover other than turf will be used on all slopes exceeding 10 percent. 2. The landscape plan should address functional energy, environmental and aesthetic conditions specific to the site, as well as water conservation. The organization and usefulness of the space, through the arrangement of architectural elements and plans, is important. There should be a functional relationship between the buildings, landscaping and their uses, the site itself, and the local community. 3. Plants and turfgrass should be selected which are best suited to the climate of the region and which require minimal water. Up to 5% of the planted area can be used for annual color plants that are not low water using. Water intensive landscape elements should be confined to areas of high visibility and to areas of high use. There should be a specific reason for each plant selection, based on the plants function in the design. The areas of turfgrass and annual color may vary within the total 30% allowed, but turf may not exceed 25% of the planted area. Decorative Use of Water 1. Water bodies that are part of the landscaping should be discouraged for new developments, unless the water body is an integral part of the operation of the development, such as a recreation area. The surface area of such a water body will be counted as turf in the calculations which limit turf to 25% of the landscaped area. 2 Irrigation 1. All parks, median strips, landscaped public areas, landscaped areas surrounding residential and commercial developments and industrial parks will have automatic irrigation systems designed by a landscape architect or other competent person. Soils tests should be performed as part of the design and plant selection process. 2. Specifications for the irrigation system will include a watering schedule with amendments for seasonal changes. Water used for irrigation should be minimized to the amount needed to maintain adequate plant health and growth; and the schedule should be followed in the subsequent maintenance program. 3. Low volume irrigation systems shall be required in areas where it improves efficiency of water use. This includes low volume sprinkler heads, drip emitters, and bubbler emitters. Low volume sprinklers are defined as "emitting less than 0.75 inches per hour of water." Water should be applied so that it soaks into the soils and is timed to apply the correct amount of water for each type of plant. The application rate should not exceed .25" per cycle and should not exceed .75" per hour. 4. Separate valves will be installed for turf and nonturf areas. In many cases mature plants require only infrequent irrigation. Separate valve watering will encourage plants to extend deeper roots and to become less dependent on frequent watering. 5. Electric controllers should be set to water between 7:00 P.M. and 10:00 A.M. Drip irrigation systems can operate at any time. 6. Sprinkler heads should have matched precipitation rates within each control valve circuit. 7. If a system is found to have overspray resulting in water wasted on paved or street areas, then system modifications to prevent overspray will be required before the installation will be finaled for the building permit. Soils 1. A layer of mulch (1 inch minimum, 2 inches preferred) should be added on the soil surface. This will reduce evaporation, moderate solid temperatures and discourage weeds. 2. Top soil tests should be performed to determine the type of soil, soil depth and uniformity. Soils can vary widely in their water -holding capacity, and these tests will determine how much water should be applied and how much runoff is likely to occur. 3. Decomposed organic matter or polymer products should be incorporated into the soil. This improves infiltration, water retention and soil structure. Grading should be minimized to avoid soil disturbance and wind erosion. Topsoil should be stockpiled for backfill where practical; stockpiled material will be covered to avoid wind erosion. Miscellaneous Inert material should be used as appropriate for landscaping needs. Inert material or pavement over a portion of the site with the remainder in drought tolerant groundcover offers an alternative to unbroken expanses of turf. Inert material or paving may be necessary where continual or heavy foot or vehicular traffic occurs. 2. Use of porous paving improves the percolatio Wood decking is a very It allows infiltration table. Loose aggregate drainage channels and infiltration of runoff eliminate the need for materials is preferred since this n of rain water into the water table. water conserving landscape treatment. of rainwater into the soil and water paving, mortarless tile pavers, open gravel or bark paving will permit water into the water table and may costly subsurface drainage systems. Adopted by City Council September 6, 1988