City staff tables tree preservation code amendments to incorporate legal review
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Summary
Staff proposed amendments to chapters on tree preservation and protection that would emphasize incentives for preserving canopy and strengthen pre‑/during construction protections; staff requested tabling the item to integrate legal feedback following the city's 2024 urban forestry management plan adoption.
City staff presented proposed amendments to the development code (chapters 167.04 and 167.05) intended to clarify permits and strengthen provisions for tree preservation before and during construction, but staff recommended tabling the item to allow time to integrate feedback from the city legal team.
Staff noted the amendments follow the city council’s 2024 adoption of a 10‑year Urban Forestry Management Plan, which set five guiding principles and 15 goals based on a 2022 arborist assessment and stakeholder input. The plan emphasizes preserving and expanding canopy for carbon sequestration, heat‑island reduction, stormwater control, air‑quality benefits and human health. The proposed code revisions would shift the emphasis toward incentives for preservation rather than mitigation alone and clarify permit standards for preservation and construction protection measures.
Because legal review remains outstanding, staff recommended tabling the amendments to incorporate required revisions before a formal hearing. Commissioners did not raise substantive objections at the agenda‑setting session but accepted staff’s request to postpone the item so legal comments can be integrated and a revised packet prepared for the regular meeting.
No formal action was taken at the agenda‑setting session beyond the staff recommendation to table the amendment until legal feedback is addressed.