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Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback with us. Council approved an amending by-law on May 25, 2022 that included a new maximum turf grass height of 20 centimetres (8 inches) and standards for naturalized areas. For more information please refer to Amended lot maintenance standards. This project is now closed.
The City of Waterloo is looking to amend the Lot Maintenance bylaw in order to allow for additional options to naturalize yards. Naturalization replaces cultivated lawn in a yard with maintained gardens that display purposeful design. In the face of pressures brought on by a changing climate and a growing city, naturalized areas support biodiversity and can help keep our urban ecosystems healthy.
We will be proposing an amendment to the bylaw that would support naturalization, with guiding principles to permit these additional options for yard styles, while ensuring neighbourhood standards are maintained.
regulates the basic standards for maintenance and aesthetics of exterior of a property in the city
sets out grass cutting, garbage, wood storage, weed control and material disposal standards
requires dead, decayed or damaged trees and branches be removed
non-compliance can result in an order of compliance on site
if compliance is not obtained in the issued timeframe, an officer may conduct the work to correct the violations at the owner’s expense and charges may be laid
Naturalization is NOT an abandoned, unmaintained lawn. The amendment will include guidance on things like:
plant and grass height
buffer strips (grass or ground cover trimmed or cut to a specified height or less between any naturalized area and neighbouring property)
required control of noxious weeds
encouraged use of local and native species of plants
Although naturalization can involve less work than a lawn, these gardens are not maintenance free. You will need to plan the layout, and there will be some weeding and possibly some pest control. You may also need to add compost, soil or mulch. But once established, you can let the plants grow as they would in nature—leave them through the winter to provide shelter for beneficial insects and seeds for other wildlife
Please let us know what you think we should consider in creating rules to allow space for naturalized yards in the City of Waterloo.
Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback with us. Council approved an amending by-law on May 25, 2022 that included a new maximum turf grass height of 20 centimetres (8 inches) and standards for naturalized areas. For more information please refer to Amended lot maintenance standards. This project is now closed.
The City of Waterloo is looking to amend the Lot Maintenance bylaw in order to allow for additional options to naturalize yards. Naturalization replaces cultivated lawn in a yard with maintained gardens that display purposeful design. In the face of pressures brought on by a changing climate and a growing city, naturalized areas support biodiversity and can help keep our urban ecosystems healthy.
We will be proposing an amendment to the bylaw that would support naturalization, with guiding principles to permit these additional options for yard styles, while ensuring neighbourhood standards are maintained.
regulates the basic standards for maintenance and aesthetics of exterior of a property in the city
sets out grass cutting, garbage, wood storage, weed control and material disposal standards
requires dead, decayed or damaged trees and branches be removed
non-compliance can result in an order of compliance on site
if compliance is not obtained in the issued timeframe, an officer may conduct the work to correct the violations at the owner’s expense and charges may be laid
Naturalization is NOT an abandoned, unmaintained lawn. The amendment will include guidance on things like:
plant and grass height
buffer strips (grass or ground cover trimmed or cut to a specified height or less between any naturalized area and neighbouring property)
required control of noxious weeds
encouraged use of local and native species of plants
Although naturalization can involve less work than a lawn, these gardens are not maintenance free. You will need to plan the layout, and there will be some weeding and possibly some pest control. You may also need to add compost, soil or mulch. But once established, you can let the plants grow as they would in nature—leave them through the winter to provide shelter for beneficial insects and seeds for other wildlife
Please let us know what you think we should consider in creating rules to allow space for naturalized yards in the City of Waterloo.
We'd like to know what you think about what we could include in the Lot Maintenance bylaw amendment to help guide naturalization as an option for yards. This information will help the project team develop our report and recommendations to Council. The survey will be open through March 25, 2022.
Individual survey responses will not immediately be made available publicly, but your feedback (including overall results of polls and surveys, and in some instances, unidentifiable and randomly chosen quotes or comments from surveys) may be published in publicly available reports at the end of the consultation period. Please note, if you choose to provide personal information in your comments, it will be available for City staff reviewing responses to this survey. Responses to surveys are subject to Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.56 (as amended) and can be a part of a Freedom of Information request. For more information, please refer to our privacy policy.
