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An ordinance amending Section 15.64.131 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws to permit landscape architects to prepare and stamp plans for Tier I and Tier II residential infill development.
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WHEREAS, development plans for regulated residential infill can currently only be prepared and stamped by licensed land surveyors or professional engineers; and
WHEREAS, a review of landscape architecture programs has demonstrated that certified landscape architects have completed coursework including hydrology/hydraulics and are qualified to prepare and stamp Tier 1 and Tier 2 regulated residential infill development plans; and
WHEREAS, allowing for the preparation and stamping of Tier 1 and Tier 2 projects by landscape architects will be an overall benefit to that process.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:
Section 1. That Section 15.64.131 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws is amended by deleting Subsection D thereof in its entirety and replacing it with the following:
Prior to the net addition of at least eight hundred to square feet of impervious area or issuance of a building permit, a sufficient development plan and supporting information required by the latest version of the regulated residential infill guidance document shall be submitted to and approved by the metropolitan department of water and sewerage services. Plans for Tier I and II projects can be prepared and stamped by a licensed land surveyor, a professional engineer, or a landscape architect. Tier III plans shall be stamped by a professional engineer.
Section 2. This ordinance shall take effect from and after its final passage, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.
Agenda Analysis
Analysis
This ordinance, as amended, amends Section 15.64.131 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws to permit landscape architects to prepare and stamp plans for Tier I and Tier II residential infill development.
The current code provides that a sufficient development plan is required before a building permit is issued or a net total of more than 800 square feet of impervious surface is added to a property. That development plan must be prepared and stamped by a licensed land surveyor or professional engineer. Supporting information must be submitted to and approved by the Metropolitan Department of Water and Sewerage Services (“MWS”).
The proposed ordinance would split the requirements for sufficient development plans and supporting information by tiers, as outlined in another subsection of the code as follows:
• Tier I consists of projects creating between 800 and 2,500 square feet of additional impervious area, where the total lot impervious area exceeds thirty percent.
• Tier II consists of projects creating between 2,500 and 8,000 square feet of additional impervious area.
• Tier III is for projects creating between 8,000 and 15,000 square feet of additional impervious area.
This ordinance, as amended, would allow Tier I or Tier II development plans and supporting information to be prepared and stamped by a licensed land surveyor, professional engineer, or a licensed landscape architect. Tier III plans and supporting information would be required to be stamped by a professional engineer only.