New Ordinance Prohibits Unwanted Bamboo

Sure, bamboo may seem charming when printed on shower curtains or dangling from the mouths of panda bears. But many in the College Park community are fed up with the too-fertile plant creeping into their yards.

Thanks to an ordinance passed Tuesday by the College Park city council, residents now have some recourse when it comes to overzealous bamboo encroaching onto their land from neighboring yards.

Property owners who fail to erect barriers to contain their bamboo can be fined $200 by the city for the first violation and $400 for violations that occur thereafter.

The ordinance would be enforced on a complaint basis only, meaning that if residents don’t mind their neighbor’s bamboo on their property, the city doesn’t mind either.

However, if a complaint is made, city staff will investigate the problem and warn the property owner, giving them time to tame their bamboo. Fines will be issued only if the property owner fails to address the problem after receiving a warning.

In his March 29 article, About Town columnist Joe Smith . Check them out if you're a bamboo owner and you want to keep not only neighborhood peace, but your hard-earned cash.