ORANGE : City OKs Standards for Landscaping

After a four-year effort, the City Council gave final approval this week to new standards for residential and commercial landscaping.

Council members unanimously approved an amendment to the city’s landscape ordinance and adopted a manual that will establish the minimum requirements for landscape design, construction and inspection on new public and private projects.

The 140-page book, which will undergo fine-tuning in the next few weeks, was designed primarily as a guide for developers and created with substantial input from the Irvine Co., a developer that plans to build more than 12,000 homes in the hills of east Orange.

Officials hope that the manual will help maintain a “positive aesthetic image” for new projects in the city. Projects covered include residential tracts, commercial and industrial developments and public works.

The manual provides direction on everything from sprinkler heads to tree stakes and includes a glossary to define 20 key terms, including mulch , topsoil , and water conservation .

It also offers recommendations on what trees, shrubs, vines and ground cover should be used. The New Zealand Christmas tree, cape honeysuckle bush and popular bougainvillea vine are examples of recommended greenery.