Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Trees topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council to inspect trees near Bloomington and Morrell after sight-line and ordinance concerns
Summary
Councilmembers raised safety concerns about trees and plantings north of Morrell Street that may obstruct sight-lines at intersections and potentially violate tree-spacing rules. The council directed staff to inspect the area and return with recommendations.
Councilmembers raised safety and ordinance-enforcement concerns about trees planted near Bloomington and Morrell streets, and directed staff to inspect the locations and return to the council with recommendations.
A councilmember told the meeting that current setback language for corner vision clearance — stated in the meeting as 20 feet from intersection property lines — should be extended to 25 or 30 feet in some locations to improve sight lines for drivers and school-related traffic. The same speaker noted several trees north of Morrell that appear to be planted too closely together and said one small tree blocks a no-parking sign.
City staff said the trees in question are on city property in the right-of-way and that the city has historically used a permissive process that allows planting with permission from the public-works director; one councilmember suggested removing the permission option so plantings would be disallowed on city-owned rights-of-way. Staff also reported the homeowner adjacent to several of the trees had previously been contacted and was upset; the council discussed options including paying a homeowner’s planting costs if the city removes trees, and involving the city attorney to resolve rights and process.
Councilmembers agreed to an on-site inspection before taking enforcement action. One councilmember said, “I’ll bring it back in next week,” and another clerk recorded direction to bring the item back on a subsequent agenda in two weeks so the council could decide after a field review.
No formal amendment to the city code or an immediate vote was taken; the council’s action at the meeting was to direct staff to inspect the area and report back with findings and recommendations.
