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Council weighs 10% commercial canopy requirement and further study for residential rules
Summary
City staff recommended adopting a 10% minimum tree canopy requirement for commercial properties under state authority, and councilors asked staff to study impacts and consider parallel residential measures.
City staff asked the Falls Church City Council Monday for direction on updating tree‑canopy rules, recommending a focused, near‑term ordinance to require a minimum 10% canopy coverage on commercial properties and a more detailed study before changing rules for residential zones.
Deputy or staff lead Wyatt Shields told council that state law (discussed during the meeting as Virginia Code §15.2‑961) allows localities to adopt commercial canopy requirements and that the staff recommendation was to pursue a “by‑right” 10% minimum for commercial parcels while taking more time to study residential districts (R‑1A, R‑1B and similar) because of interactions with stormwater and small lot sizes.
City Arborist Charles Prince told the council that current parking‑lot and buffer…
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