Landscaping

In the past, Engineering Services discouraged gardening on City boulevards for the following reasons:

Utilities

Utility corridors are often located below boulevards. These may include high voltage street lighting conduit as well as water, sewer, gas, telephone and cable services. The City requires quick access to these utilities for maintenance reasons. Furthermore, the City cannot accurately predict the location of these services due to the many factors encountered in the field during layout. Consequently, digging on the boulevard was discouraged.

Access

In addition to the access required for maintenance of underground services, access for pedestrians must be maintained. This includes access between the curb and sidewalk and access for vehicle passengers exiting cars.

However, in response to the many queries the City receives each year about boulevard gardening, a demonstration project was developed by the Planning Department in 2001. This successful demonstration project addressed the issues of utilities and access and proved that gardening on boulevards could be accomplished. Boulevard gardens are now allowed. More information on landscaping is available at Greenways - guidelines for planting on city boulevards.

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