Kalamazoo, MI Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

The native-planting mandate is not citywide: it applies to parcels within the NFP Overlay, which covers land containing or adjacent to wetlands, water resources, woodlands, floodplains, slopes, natural heritage areas, and habitat corridors. For those parcels, any landscaping required elsewhere in Chapter 50, or under the code's separate Appendix A landscaping standards, must be planted with native species. The rule leaves room for creativity above the minimum: if a developer proposes extra landscaping beyond what Chapter 50 requires, the NFP Review Board may approve nonnative species, but only after finding they are noninvasive and will not cause adverse environmental impacts.

That discretion does not extend to species on Table 6.2-6, the Prohibited Planting List, or any species the Midwest Invasive Species Network recognizes as nonnative and invasive; those cannot be planted anywhere on the parcel, not just in the buffer area. The rule sits within the broader NFP site development standards at § 50-6.2(J), which also covers building setbacks, use restrictions tied to Chapter 39 wellhead protection, lot coverage, and stormwater screening for the overlay. Community Planning and Economic Development reviews plant selections as part of site plan review, and the NFP Review Board holds final sign-off on any nonnative substitution request tied to a wetland, water resource, or other protected natural feature on the site.