Stow City planning staff seek Urban Forestry Commission input on draft tree preservation, landscape standards

At the Stow City Urban Forestry Commission meeting on April 14, Planning Director Zach Hown and Deputy Planning Director Sarah presented the first draft of Zoning Code Chapter 8, which contains community open-space provisions, tree preservation rules and landscape standards, and asked the commission for written comments and a future review session.

Hown told the commission the draft is the first delivery of chapter 8 and that the most relevant portions for the commission are section 11.08.05 (tree preservation and removal) and section 11.08.06 (landscape standards). He said the rewrite is part of a larger zoning-code update and that the city is “probably 8 months out from adopting anything.” Commissioners were asked to redline the draft, email comments, or prepare questions for a follow-up review at a steering-committee meeting expected in mid-May.

Why it matters: The chapter would set procedural and technical expectations for preserving mature trees, qualifying removals, and minimum plantings on new development or redevelopment. Commissioners flagged several specifics that could affect implementation, including how the code would reference a city species…