Prohibition of Ornamental Turf amendment approved by Mayor & Council
Published on June 08, 2023
On June 6, 2023, Mayor and Council approved Unified Development Code (UDC) amendments to prohibit ornamental turf in new commercial, industrial, institutional, and common areas of residential development to support further water conservation measures administered by Planning and Development Services (PDSD) and Tucson Water. Mayor and Council approved this with a 7-0 vote.
Mayor and Council initially directed this proposed amendment during the October 18, 2022, study session to discuss water conservation measures related to the City Drought Response.
Planning and Development Services Department and Tucson Water conducted outreach from January through April 2023, engaging the community on water conservation measures. The Planning Commission held a study session on March 15, 2023, and a public hearing on April 19, 2023, where the Planning Commission voted 9-0 to forward a recommendation of approval with some clarifying text adjustments.
The proposed text amendments include revisions to Unified Development Code (UDC) Landscape Standards (UDC Section 7.6.4) to prohibit all ornamental turf in new development and to include the following definition of ornamental turf developed for the Arizona Municipal Water Users’ Association (AMWUA).
- Grass areas with any single dimension of eight feet or less
- Grass areas exceeding a 4-to-1, or 25%, slope
- Grass areas that are not accessible by paved pathways and/or are restricted by physical barriers that prohibit accessibility
- Grass areas installed closer than ten feet to a street and/or in front entryways to residential neighborhoods or subdivisions where other recreational amenities do not exist
- Grass areas that are not utilized for active recreational purposes
Staff also proposes to include a new definition of active recreation in UDC Section 11.4.2 that would exempt the turf prohibition for areas such as schools, parks, sports fields, dog parks, or golf courses, or similar areas that commonly use turf for functional and recreational uses.
The UDC Text Amendment will go into effect on July 6, 2023
A complete copy of the proposed amendments can be obtained online at https://www.tucsonaz.gov/pdsd/water-conservation-code-amendments. If you have any questions concerning the proposed amendments, please contact Daniel Bursuck at 520-837-4984.