O'Fallon Zoning Commission Hears Landscaping Ordinance

At Thursday night’s O'Fallon Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, an ordinance was introduced amending regulations on landscaping in the city.

Assistant Director of Planning and Development Shannon Gerard said the combined regulations will hopefully resolve some of the street damage and safety issues the city has been having with trees and landscaping.

Part of the ordinance would require trees to be more than 15 feet away from the road to help drivers see around corners. To stop roots from damaging roadways and sidewalks, no trees would be allowed within 25 feet of a stop light or stop sign.

The ordinance would also prohibit most landowners from removing 25 percent of the trees on a lot at any time. This is an amendment to the former rule which allowed 25 percent removal every two years. 

If a resident refuses to address a landscape violation, the city would take action to correct the issue and leave the resident with the bill. 

The ordinance also includes a list of trees that grow well in the O’Fallon area that residents are encouraged to plant to keep the lot up to code. The list is taken from the Missouri Urban Tree Book, published by Missouri Department of Conservation.

The commission has tabled the ordinance for review until its meeting in November. The proposed ordinance is still in draft form, so the commission has time to make changes.

Commissioner Robert Englehart said he welcomes some landscaping reform in the city.

“Maybe we’ll come to an agreement as to where we’ll put these trees,” Englehart said.