STONE HARBOR – Stone Harbor Borough Council reintroduced a lot grading ordinance, at its March 16 meeting.
The ordinance was introduced in November 2020, but failed adoption.
At the time, the ordinance contained a controversial provision that would’ve allowed drip irrigation for grass grown between the street curb and sidewalk.
The measure was favored by the borough’s Planning Board. It was opposed by the borough’s Flood Mitigation Committee, which stated a preference for limiting that zone to stones and similar materials, eliminating irrigation.
A larger issue surfaced in the 2020 debate. It centered on a perceived need to better reconcile the ordinance to other ordinances dealing with bulkhead heights and setbacks. A committee was assembled to consider the necessary reconciliations.
Mayor Judith Davies-Dunhour said the ordinance that was introduced March 16 is essentially the same ordinance that failed in November, minus the controversial sections that dealt with the zone from the sidewalk to the street.
