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Politics & Government

Daffodil Hill's Makeover Could Come Soon; Church Plans on Temporary Hold

While the City Council discusses the Daffodil Hill beautification, the Clayton Community Church asks that its mixed-use development application be put on temporary hold.

Since 2005, the city's business and community leaders have been looking to landscape a bald-looking patch of hill at the corner of Clayton and Marsh Creek roads where the Clayton Town Center sign stands.

A drought and the city's desire to broaden the scope of the project to include the entire hill delayed the project.

But now it's possible that ornamental grasses, flowering bushes, trees and, yes, daffodils will cover "Daffodil Hill" by the end of the year. That is, if a current landscaping proposal receives approval from the City Council Tuesday night, and the Clayton Business and Community Association agrees next week to fund the project. 

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The City Council is scheduled to review the project at its meeting Tuesday.

In other city business, the Clayton Community Church has asked city staff to put a temporary hold on processing its controversial application for a mixed-use development on Main Street. The church is facing increased costs for the environmental impact report. A higher-than-expected number of public comments came in regarding the report, and the firm hired by the city to prepare the EIR will need additional time to address those, according to a city staff report. 

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City staff said a project of this size and complexity will dictate a more lengthy and costly process. Pastor Shawn Robinson said the church needs to explore its options given "the most current developments of this journey." The church will decide its next steps before the end of October, according to an email Robinson sent the city.

As for Daffodil Hill, which rises at the southeast corner of the intersection, city planners are recommending that the council allow a contractor hired by the CBCA to landscape the city-owned property. The contractor would also modify an existing irrigation system.

But, under a plan recommend by city staff, the CBCA would not just pay for the landscaping, it would also be responsible for maintaining the landscaping for the first six months; this would include replacing any plants or irrigation equipment that fail.

"It is not the city's intent to perform work or expend funds on this project," says a staff report.

After that six-month period, the city would take over ongoing maintenance.

Plans call for installing a wide variety of plants, shrubs and trees, ranging from irises to to Lions Tall Sage shrubs to California live oak trees. These plants are typically drought tolerant and low maintenance. 

A committee of CBCA members first began looking into the possibility of landscaping Daffodil Hill in the fall of 2005. The original idea was to upgrade the area just around the Town Center sign. But in 2008, the city decided to use redevelopment funds to help cover the cost of building a new trail and directional signs on the site. That project cost around $155,000, with redevelpment funds covering $90,000 and the CBCA contributing $65,000.

New plans to landscape the entire hill were put on hold due to a drought but were revived when water restrictions were lifted last year. City staff estimates that the landscaping will cost the CBCA around $9,500.

The CBCA hopes a contractor can begin work on the landscaping in early October and be finished in 45 days.

The City Council meets 6:30 p.m. in Hoyter Hall in the Clayton Community Library, 6125 Clayton Rd.

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