Natural Landscaping Design Guidelines – A Guide For Developers
GUIDING PRINCIPALS OF NATURAL LANDSCAPING
Environmental Protection and Enhancement: The Village has already incorporated several environmental protection and enhancement features into design guidelines. Greenways and pocket parks, boulevards, and nature preserves are examples of how the Village is creating environmentally friendly development. Having naturally landscaped areas will further complement these design elements, while enhancing and preserving the area’s historical origin.
Energy Conservation: Studies indicate that areas that are naturally landscaped, especially retention ponds, use significantly lower amounts of energy for storm water management and flood control than traditional, manicured landscaping does.
High-quality Construction and Aesthetic Design: Other communities have received national attention for their beauty and design that combines town and landscape planning. While staff does not see the Village reaching the intensity of some of these towns, there are opportunities to incorporate and encourage natural landscaping in both existing and future developments.
Creating a Sense of Place: The Village is rooted in a Midwest prairie location, where architecture and landscaping are often inspired by the natural areas (prairies, farms, and marshes) that once covered the region. There are many historic buildings throughout that give residents a sense of place and times past, and natural landscaping will help further guide this concept by connecting residents and visitors to the areas natural origin.
VILLAGE DENSITY BONUS
The Village’s Design Guidelines for Planned Developments identifies native or natural landscaping as a BMP (Best Management Practice) to aid in handling storm water issues and to preserve water quality levels above ordinance requirements. Developers may or may not be aware that incorporating this BMP, among others, can result in a density bonus for their developments. Appropriate residential densities for each new subdivision in Plainfield will be determined on a case by case basis, but a maximum ten percent (10%) density bonus can be achieved for the incorporation of Best Management Practices and/or restoration of natural areas to handle storm water issues and preserve water quality levels above ordinance requirements. This would include the establishment of a functional ecosystem including prairie, streams or wetlands to allow for aquifer recharge and wildlife habitat.
These design guidelines are intended to vividly illustrate how natural landscaping may be incorporated around detention ponds, as well as emphasize that there are many alternatives to green grasses and reeds that one may incorporate into a naturally landscaped site. These design guidelines will prove useful for natural areas that are not adjacent to detention ponds as well by providing illustrations of plant species and simple descriptions of conditions these species thrive in. Furthermore, these design guidelines will illustrate the bright colors native plants can have and attractive flowers to inspire visual interest among those that are unaware of the options natural landscaping can offer.
Download file here
