Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 08/20/2018

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included in this sale. He stated that if left undisturbed during the construction, that portion of the property could remain as is. Chairperson Valentine asked if prairie restoration could be a viable option for that portion of the site. City Planner Anderson stated that there is existing turf and therefore the applicant would have to modify the existing conditions. He stated that option could be explored with the applicant. Council Liaison LeTourneau stated that if the Council is going to weigh in on sod versus seed, he would like input from the Board on that discussion. Board Member Fetterley stated that it is a large portion of the property and therefore can appreciate a form of prairie restoration. She stated that if there is not proper irrigation, seed may not establish, and that area could appear run down. She noted that even sod will not maintain itself if there is not irrigation. Board Member Bernard stated that it did not appear that anything would be disturbed during construction and therefore perhaps that portion could just remain as is and seed would be used for disturbed areas. He stated that he would be okay with seed and that would match the existing area that will not be disturbed. Chairperson Valentine stated that he would agree that something viable should be the desired outcome. Board Member Hiatt asked if there is an irrigation requirement for the property. City Planner Anderson stated that there is not an irrigation requirement for the property. He noted that following the input from the Board, Planning Commission and City Council, the irrigation requirement was removed in attempt to align more with the concept of water conservation. He noted that the seed label seems out of context, in the parking lot area, and therefore staff has asked for clarification. He noted that staff does not oppose the use of seed but simply needs to draw attention to it because of the language in the City Code. Board Member Covart asked the estimated cost and work to convert the existing excess area to prairie. City Planner Anderson provided additional details on the steps that would be needed, noting that it would be a bit of work and would take multiple years to establish prairie. Motion by Board Member Hiatt and seconded by Board Member Covart to recommend approval of the Landscape Plan, contingent upon compliance with the Staff Review Letter, adding direction for the applicant to consider options for the south end of the property including prairie restoration. Motion carried. Voting Yes: Chairperson Valentine, Board Member Hiatt, Covart, Bernard, Fetterley, Madison, and Moore. Voting No: None. Absent: None. Environmental Policy Board / July 16, 2018 Page 3 of 5