25-02-2025
Beavercreek seeks to clarify language of Weed and Grass ordinance
BEAVERCREEK, Ohio (WDTN) — Before spring arrives, one local city is working to update ordinance language regarding lawns and landscaping.
On Monday night, Beavercreek City Council will be looking to address their laws after residents spoke out and urged the council to clarify their ordinances on weeds and grass in their lawns.
The language change will specify landscape beds can cover up to 50 percent of the front yard that can be filled with native plants, trees and more, but they must have a clear delineation from the rest of the lawn.
'When someone has a landscape bed that you can clearly distinguish between the landscape bed and the rest of the yard, because the rest of the yard needs to be, you know, a low growth vegetation like grass or something that's maintained ten inches or below,' said Matt Funk, Beavercreek zoning and code enforcement supervisor.
Dr. Don Cipollini has his own beds of native plants mixed with lawn, and says not only can they diversify the amount of species in your yard, but can save some money on the low maintenance of native Don Cipollini, a biology professor at Wright State said, 'They don't require the same kind of inputs, chemical inputs,' said Don Cipollini, professor of biology at Wright State University. 'These are plants adapted to this area. In the wild, plants growing out in nature aren't being fertilized, they're not being treated with insecticides and they manage to hang on through systems. They've evolved with the environment.'
Last year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed giving the monarch butterfly Endangered Species Act protections. The butterfly is a indicator species to tell how insect numbers are doing, and they have declined over the years along with insects, but a native bed with milkweed can grow their populations.'They were kind of removed from traditional grass lawns. They're removed from farm fields. So milkweed populations are declining. To bring back monarchs and help save them, the poster child for insect diversity, we need milkweeds and those things can be grown,' said Cipollini. 'They're actually beautiful plants.'
Beavercreek will address their weed and grass ordinance during Monday's meeting at 6 p.m. at Beavercreek City Hall. This will be a first reading, with a vote on the chance expected at the following meeting.
To follow along with Beavercreek City Council, watch the livestream here.
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