Staff outlines Shade Tree code revisions; commissioners request Shade Tree Commission input before action

Staff presented a package of proposed changes to the city's Shade Tree code and related landscape and subdivision provisions and asked the Planning Commission for initial feedback on April 2.

Planning administrator David Riggs summarized the package as staff edits combined with recommendations from the Shade Tree Commission. Changes span multiple code sections and proposed actions include adding invasive species to noxious-weed language, relocating the pollinator-friendly front-yard program into Title 9, clarifying which body approves subdivision street landscape plans, and simplifying the shade-tree-calculation method to a nominal one-large-tree-per-4,500-square-foot ratio to align with the citywide objective of roughly 40% canopy coverage.

Staff said the simplified tree metric would substantially reduce the number of trees required on some parcels compared with current calculations; the staff example estimated the new approach would be roughly 25% of what the current code would require on the same parcel. Commissioners pressed staff on fee-in-lieu language in the draft, with one commissioner expressing concern that the fee could operate as a de facto "tree tax" on small businesses that cannot physically accommodate required plantings on site.

Schedule and next steps Staff said the Shade Tree Commission will meet on Thursday and that planning staff can bring formal or informal comments back to the Planning Commission at the next meeting. Commissioners asked staff to provide Shade Tree Commission feedback before the Planning Commission takes further action.

Ending The Planning Commission did not adopt code changes at the April 2 meeting; staff will gather Shade Tree Commission input and return the package for further consideration at a future meeting.