Chairman Gribb called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.

 

PRESENT:

Tom Gribb, Chairman Jill Anderson, Member Michael Schoeppach, Member Ray Shelton, Member Gene Wowk, Member Richard Luckett, Member Dennis Ottley, Member Joe Hornat, P&Z Commissioner Alan Caine, P&Z Commissioner Mary Caswell, P&Z Commissioner

Chairman Gribb led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

Karen Berchtold, OV Senior Planner, presented the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Ordinance (ESLO) Project and reviewed the following:
- Purpose
- Main Components
- Policy Development
- General Plan/Sonoran Desert Protection
- General Plan Policies
- ESL Public Participation Plan
- ESL Project
- PAC Purpose Statement
- Standards and Criteria of Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)
- Fieldwork and Mapping

Bayer Vella, Conservation and Sustainability Manager, said this phase represents raw mapping.  The next phase will define what areas we would like to incorporate into a zoning regulation.

Mr. Vella reviewed the following:
- Significant Resource Area (SRA) map
- ESL draft map
- ESL study area

 

Ms. Berchtold and Mr. Vella continued and reviewed the following:
- Next steps of Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and Public Advisory Committee (PAC) 
- Absolute preservation

 

Bayer Vella, OV Conservation and Sustainability Manager, presented the proposed code revisions and reviewed the following:

 

- Oro Valley and Water Conservation
- Sustainability and Landscaping
- General Plan Policies
- Solutions in General Plan
- Plant Palette
- Regulation of Turf
- Water Planning
- Water Savings
- Irrigation Specifications
- Rain Water Harvesting
- Rain Water Harvesting Requirements
- Private Sector- Benefit and Cost
- Public Sector - Benefit and Cost
- Process

 

Chairman Gribb asked what percentage of water use in a commercial property goes to landscape today and how would those numbers change if this were to come to fruition. 
Mr. Vella responded that he does not know the percentage on commercial property but 9 out of 10 commercial developments are on separate meters.  Mr. Vella said they have an immediate incentive to separate them.

Commissioner Hornat said with this new landscape code, you are not coming in my backyard but if you are a developer you are going to be in my front yard.  You are going to tell me how to space my trees, what kind of trees I can have and hold me accountable for the water arms.

Mr. Vella responded with the affirmative.  For residential landscaping the idea is to look at regulating for new commercial development front yards.  

Chairman Gribb said is it fair to say today we mandate overplanting?  Because we require that all plants of a certain type be saved and then reused on the premises.  

Paul Keesler, OV Development Review Division Manager, said it is very difficult to place all of the plants in the amount of area that you can create for landscaping.

Mr. Vella said that kind of provides a mitigation remedy with that scenario.

Joe Hornat asked how the new homeowner would get educated on this.  Mr. Vella said the water utility has a fantastic person working as the water conservation specialist and providing information in their water utility bills.

 

Member Luckett asked about the code addressing the functional needs of that development. 
Mr. Vella said we have the most conservative parking numbers of any parking code in Arizona because our code calculates a minimum and a maximum.

Member Luckett asked about pervious paving and if that is principal work.

Mr. Keesler said the Town has been looking into pervious paving.  Our concern is the ambient air which is full of all sorts of things we are worried about the clogged up basins.  We are looking for someone who has already had this installed so we can see what the effect is of the air around us.

 

MOTION: A motion was made by Member Schoeppach and seconded by Member Anderson to adjourn the joint study session at 7:40 p.m.

 

MOTION carried, 10-0