Spring Landscaping

I have spent a lot time outdoor recently either working on the farm or in my own yard cultivating various plants in hopes of beautifying and producing fruit. I have seen many neighbors and City residents at the local nurseries and home improvement stores and have spoken with them about their plans for Spring cleaning, and improving their homes and yard. In turn these individual efforts enhance our entire community and provides us with a better sense of 'place' within West Valley City. Below is a portion of the City Ordinace that deals with landscaping and below that I have listed a few of my favorite water wise and native Utah plants that you may consider using in your yard or business:


247103.
REAL PROPERTY; REQUIRED LANDSCAPING; MAINTENANCE
REQUIREMENTS.
(1) All developed residential parcels in the City shall have and maintain the following
landscaping:
(a) Landscaping shall be installed in front yards between the front line of the house and the sidewalk on the entire width of the lot excluding the driveway.
On corner lots, landscaping shall be installed in all areas between the sidewalk and the side line of the house between the front property line and the rear property line which are visible from the public right of way.
(b) Landscaping shall include at least one tree and a combination of lawn, shrubs or groundcover. Deciduous trees shall be a minimum size of 2inch caliper. Conifer trees shall be at least six feet in height. Groundcover may include vegetative vines, lowspreading shrubs, or annual or perennial flowering or foliage plants. Groundcover may also include mineral or nonliving organic permeable material in not more than 50 percent of the net landscaped area.
Mineral groundcover may include such materials as rocks, boulders, gravel, or brick over sand. Species, size, and placement of landscape elements shall be determined by the homeowner; however, low water use landscaping is encouraged.
(c) At the time the water supply line to a house is installed, the builder shall furnish and install a stop and wastevalve with an access sleeve and capped mainline to the surface to facilitate future sprinkler system installation. The stop and waste valve may also be located inside the home with a mainline
extended to the exterior of the foundation wall and capped.
(d) On lots over one half acre in size, landscaping shall only be required on 80 feet of street frontage to the depth of the front yard setback. On corner one half acre lots, 80 feet of frontage shall be landscaped on each street. The 80 foot frontage may include customary access drives.

The following are some of my favorite Utah Native plants:

Blue Sage Salvia-- An upright, woody-based perennial with several branched stems having mid-dark, grey-green foliage. Produces beautiful pure blue blossoms in dense clusters from late-summer to autumn. Prefers dry to medium moist soils and requires full sun.

Firecracker Penstemon --Upright, woody-based, evergreen or semi-evergreen perennial with blue-green leaves. In early summer, bears tubular, bright scarlet flowers. Prefers poor to moderately fertile, well drained soil and full sun. Great for dry desert-scapes. Attracts butterflies.

Mexican Hat--A fun fast growing daisy-like flower that requires no water once established. Flowers may be fully yellow or yellow and burgundy. It has a green, turning to brown, cone shaped center with petals hanging from the bottom edge, almost "hat-shaped." It blooms best in full sun from May to August.

Sundancer Daisy --Everblooming Utah native perennial. Forms tight mounds of small grass-like leaves with numerous yellow, daisy-like flowers growing on slender stems above the plant. Tolerant of many different soil types, including poor ones, as long as they are well-drained. Needs very little water once established.

Information on New Apartments

This past week I was able to meet with the staff and take an in depth tour of the new Kelly Benson Apartments which is located a block away from the Bangerter Highway at 3100 South. There has been many questions about this over the past couple of years and it was good to see the facility and talk with the staff about the role that the apartment complex will play in the community. My questions were answered during the tour and I was pleased to see the contributions made by the local neighborhood in donations and labor to get the apartments ready for move in. Currently 22 of the 59 apartments are occupied and the remaining should be leased by July. The following are some information points about the new apartments:

PURPOSE: The Kelly Benson Apartments will help bridge the gap in affordable housing for seniors with disabling conditions in Salt Lake County by providing housing, rental subsidies, and services to help ensure successful tenancy. In addition to being a cost effective alternative to care centers, placing these individuals in permanent supportive housing will prolong and improve their quality of life.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 59 units of housing located at 3120 South 3600 West, serving as many as 70 individuals. The project will provide permanent supportive housing for seniors age 55 and older with disabling conditions including those who have been homeless or chronically homeless. This is a nonsmoking building, but covered areas for smoking outside will be provided.
STAFFING: The Kelly Benson Apartments will initially be staffed 24/7. Property management and case management services are located on-site.
SUPPORTIVE SERVICES: Our goal is to help tenants achieve stability by providing wrap-around services. Supportive services will be provided by Housing Authority staff as well as partnership agreements with local social service providers. On-site case management will help tenants access resources that will allow them to age in place.
TENANCY: The Kelly Benson Apartments will be made available to tenants who meet program requirements such as income, passing criminal background checks, and paying rent and complying with basic tenancy requirements.
OBTAINING A VOUCHER: Kelly Benson Apartments has 40 Project Based Section 8 vouchers. It may potentially have 8 Project Based Shelter Plus Care vouchers, and has 11 two bedroom units without a rental subsidy. Individuals must be placed on the Kelly Benson waiting list at the Housing Authority of the County of Salt Lake to obtain any voucher.
ACTIVITIES AND SERVICES: Many activities and services will be available on-site at Kelly Benson Apartments. Kelly Benson will continually offer new activities, providing social outlets and learning opportunities for the residents.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: If you are interested in volunteer opportunities, please contact the Kelly Benson Service Coordinator, Jenny White at 801-270-1321 or JennyWhite@hacsl.org.