GEORGETOWN, Texas — New developments in Georgetown could soon have new landscape regulations to follow.
Earlier this week, the Georgetown City Council discussed updating the city's Unified Development Code (UDC), which was created more than 20 years ago, in order to conserve more water.
“We’re trying to make sure that the new construction that comes in … has more drought tolerant landscape, so it doesn’t need to require as much watering,” Kevin Pitts, Georgetown City Council Member for District 5 and Mayor Pro Tem, said.
Georgetown has been under water restrictions for several years and limits lawn watering to certain days. Currently, the city’s code actually requires grass and sod in yards. Pitts said that by changing some of the code, it would not only conserve water but would also make it easier on developers.
“I know that there are builders out there that have said they wish they didn’t have to put all this landscaping in, but it’s required right now, so that’s why we’re trying to do is make it easier to make the code more water conscious,” Pitts said.
But many residents in Georgetown are fond of their grass lawns.
“I love my lawn,” Reid Biersdorff said. “It’s kind of my hobby, is taking care of my lawn … I like the appearance it gives to the house and taking pride in my yard.”
On June 11, Sofia Nelson, the Planning Director for the city of Georgetown, gave a presentation on potential updates to the UDC and also gave the council several recommendations. Among them were increasing native landscaping, reducing the maximum amount of turf allowed and not allowing St. Augustine grass to be installed.
“Using that drinking water to pour on our lawns for non-native tropical plants and plants that don't survive here is not very wise,” Pitts said.
At the meeting, council members also discussed the dissonance between the city’s code to preserve water and Homeowner’s Association (HOA) requirements of residents.
“It's not 100% clear, you know? We're telling people to go to one day a week watering and people can't keep their yards green, and then they're getting violation from their HOA because their yards aren't green,” Pitts said.
Pitts said the legislative task force is looking at trying to get the Texas Legislature to clarify whose laws are above the other, even though the city council believes it should be the city’s.
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Currently, homeowners in Georgetown aren’t required to change their existing lawns, but the city does have a rebate program in place if homeowners change their landscape to be more water-wise. Pitts said two sessions ago, the council was discussing the possibility of increasing the maximum amount homeowners could get in a rebate, ranging from around $600 as a minimum to around a $3,000 maximum.
Before updates are made to the development code, Pitts said city staff will work on more ideas and changes to the code. Then the Development Advisory Committee will review those and make recommendations, which will then go back to the council.
They expect to vote on these changes to the entire code by the end of this year or possibly early next year.
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