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Residents urge stronger tree protections at Seattles 1 Seattle plan hearing, warn of heat and runoff harms
Summary
Scores of speakers argued the draft 1 Seattle plan and the 2023 tree ordinance would allow broad tree removal, reduce canopy for decades and worsen heat-island and stormwater impacts. Tree advocates called for rewriting the ordinance, shifting enforcement, and pausing some upzoning until protections are ensured.
A large group of residents and environmental advocates used Wednesdays comprehensive-plan public hearing to press Seattle councilmembers for far stronger protections for the citys urban forest, saying the mayors draft plan and a recently passed tree ordinance would not stop widespread mature-tree removal.
The core claim from multiple speakers: lot-coverage changes and reduced setbacks in the draft plan allow up to 90% of many residential lots to be covered with buildings and pavement, which critics say will make it impossible for mature trees to survive new development.
Key evidence presented: Don McFarland, speaking for Maple Leaf volunteers, said a neighborhood tree survey counted 784 trees in a proposed…
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