Riverside Municipal Code Ch. 17.04 Purpose and Intent

This title sets forth rules and regulations intended to further implement the goals and objectives of the General Plan, to control evacuation, grading and earthwork construction, including fills and embankments. It also establishes the administrative procedures for grading plan approval, issuance of permits, inspections, and establishes penalties for unauthorized grading activity. The purpose of this title is to protect life, limb, property, the public welfare and the physical environment by regulating grading on private property. It is further the purpose of this title to regulate hillside and arroyo grading in a manner which minimizes the adverse effects of grading on natural landforms, soil erosion, dust control, water runoff and construction equipment emissions. The required review of hillside/arroyo grading includes regulations to:

A. Ensure that significant natural characteristics such as land form, vegetation, wildlife communities, scenic qualities, and open space can substantially be maintained; to preserve unique and significant geologic; biologic and hydrologic features of public value; to encourage alternative approaches to conventional hillside construction practices by achieving land use patterns and intensities that are consistent with the natural characteristics of hill areas such as slope, landform vegetation, and scenic quality.

B. Maintain the identity, image and environmental quality of the City; and to achieve land use densities that are in keeping with the General Plan.

C. Minimize the visual impact of grading.

D. Minimize grading which relates to the natural contour of the land, and which will round off, in a natural manner, sharp angles at the top and ends of cut and fill slopes, and which does not result in a staircase or padding affect.

E. Stabilize steep hillsides, retain moisture, prevent erosion, and enhance the natural scenic beauty and, where necessary, require additional landscaping to enhance the scenic and safety qualities of the hillsides. This could include the retention of trees or replacement of trees and other vegetation.

F. Encourage a variety of building types and design, when appropriate, to materially reduce grading and disturbance of the natural character of the area.

G. Preserve and enhance existing community character, as defined by such factors as visual appearance, density, road widths and vegetation.

H. Preserve prominent landforms within the community, including, but not limited to ridgelines, knolls, valleys, creeks, rock outcroppings or other unique topographic features or viewscapes.

I. Preserve major hillsides viewscapes visible from points within the city so that they are not detrimentally altered by the intrusion of highly visible cut and/or fill slopes, building lines and/or road surfaces.

J. Scrutinize development in areas of exposure to high fire risk and develop reasonable mitigation measures to reduce such risk.

(Ord. 6453 § 1, 1998)