Tantramar council okays Estabrooks’ request for a draft ‘tall grass’ bylaw
Tantramar council has approved a motion asking staff to come up with a draft bylaw “to regulate tall grass or vegetative growth within Tantramar.”
Councillor Matt Estabrooks brought the motion forward in response to concerns he has heard from residents about possible fire hazards of long, dried grass near buildings, issues with long grass providing habitat for rodents, and the effect of unkept lawns on neighbouring property values.
In a slide presentation to council on Monday, Estabrooks said the Local Government Act’s dangerous or unsightly provisions do not cover lawns, and cited some other municipalities with lawn bylaws including Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe. Estabrooks said the intention of the new bylaw would be properties inside residential zones, “not farmer’s fields, or woodlands and fields without housing on the outskirts of our communities.”
Estabrooks also said he is “not necessarily convinced that a length measurement of grasses on residential lawns is a necessary component of this bylaw.”
“I feel discretion is critical in this area of the bylaw,” said Estabrooks. “I’m sure staff will determine how to quantify ‘unkept’ when or if they’re in research stage for us.”
Both Moncton and Riverview have bylaws that establish lawn height limits, but Dieppe recently amended its bylaw to remove a 20 cm height restriction, noting that Canadian case law suggests that “aesthetic criteria for lawn maintenance are arbitrary and unconstitutional.”… Continue