Greenspace plan to be more specific

The city’s master plan may soon state that greenspace is preferable to hardscape, which is a departure from the original wording of the plan: “Reduce the use of shrubs and bushes to a bare minimum.”

The shift toward more downtown greenspace comes at the direction of the Greenspace Policy Committee. The group was created during the debate about Braza Brazilian Steakhouse on Main Street, which sought to create an outdoor dining area on a sparse plant bed. That request was ultimately approved, but not before months of debate.

The City Commission directed Tim Litchet, director of neighborhood and development services, to suggest changes to the master plan and greenspace policy. Litchet created a diverse committee to help draft those changes, which the commission will review April 5.

Although he believes the process was fair, one committee member is disappointed with some of the group’s conclusions.

“My hope was that we were going to come up with a policy that favored both (greenspace and hardscape),” said Andrew Foley. “But I don’t think that happened.”
Foley feels that the greenspace policy has shifted too far in the other direction, so it expresses a preference of plants over people.

For example, the new wording in the master plan states that greenspace “provides environmental and economic advantages and is generally preferred over hardscape.”

Part of the debate over Braza’s request to install 110 square feet of pavers in a plant bed to accommodate outdoor dining tables had to do with the ambiguity of the current policy.

It asked that if someone wanted to reduce the quantity of greenspace that he increase the quality of the plantings, but city staff had a different interpretation of “plantings” than many citizens.

City staff believed that the “quality of plantings” didn’t refer to actual plants, but instead referred to the quality of the plant-bed design.

Foley thinks the new wording is going to be just as subjective.

“I still don’t know how staff is going to interpret this,” he said. “It’s still very ambiguous.”

The proposed greenspace plan contains more specific provisions that should help the next time a situation such as the one with the Braza restaurant arises. For instance, the plan asks that a business looking to pave over existing greenspace only be approved for the minimum amount necessary, and it will be required to install new landscaping in the remaining green space.

Litchet said he was pleased with the outcome, but realizes that not everyone is going to be happy with it.
“With strong feelings on both sides, it’s not going to be everything to everyone,” he said.

Contact Robin Roy at [email protected].