Planning & Zoning Policies & Practices
Natural Resources Conservation
Despite all of our exploits into space, there is still only one known planet hospitable to human life. All life on this planet is sustained by delicate systems that dictate the flow of nutrients and energy. It is important that local governments work in concert to cause as little disruption to these systems as possible. Here are some of the mechanisms our partners use to do just that.
Independence
- Has policies declaring that subdivisions must be designed in a manner that does the least amount of damage to the natural environment (61)
- Has requirements for natural resource inventories (62)
Jackson County
- In the County Plan, Strategy of the Future, there is an Environmental Conservation Tier:
- Public parks steep slopes, floodplains, and/or other parcels of land with certain environmental characteristics should experience little or no development
- The policies of this development tier are reflected in the Unified Development Code
Johnson County
- Requires subdivision developers submit an environmental resources analysis plan that accounts for the natural resources of the particular plot (63)
Lee’s Summit
- Encourages the preservation of bodies of water, native plants, and forests
- Any developer wanting to bulldoze or remove existing vegetation must submit a tree conservation plan?(64)
Lenexa,
- May ask developers to avoid cutting down trees, if it can be done
- Grants tree credits if trees are preserved?(65)
- Require native plants in all water quality Best Management Practices
- Allows residential properties be retrofitted to include native plants, provided they have an approved plan
- Encourages use of native plants to address standard landscape requirements
- Has a stream setback ordinance that addresses land up to 75 feet from the stream bank.
- The ordinance is more conservation intense closer to the stream
- Includes stream setback and forests in Level-of-Service calculations
- More trees planted or protected in a certain area means more points
- Does not allow development within a certain distance of a body of water with Zone of Influence
Olathe
- Allows for xeriscaping and encourages native species in the landscaping chapter of their Unified Development Ordinance
Last updated January 27, 2011 Communities that wish to update their information |