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City council denies pole petition; last public shade tree on Glenwood Avenue to remain, commission told
Summary
Commission chair reported that a petition to place utility poles that would have required cutting the last public shade tree on Glenwood Avenue was not approved by the City Council after the Urban Forestry Commission recommended alternatives to protect the tree.
The Northampton Urban Forestry Commission was told on Oct. 15 that the city council denied a pole petition that would have required the removal of the last public shade tree on Glenwood Avenue.
The commission’s chair reported that the pole petition, submitted as part of a utility design for four new residential buildings near the end of Glenwood Avenue, would have required removal of a 7-inch pin oak. Commission staff and volunteers discussed alternatives with the utility company and the property owner and recommended the utility and developer find a different route to avoid taking the tree.
The chair said the commission’s recommendation was forwarded to the Department of Public Works and ultimately to City Council, which voted not to grant the pole petition. As a result, the public shade tree will remain and the utility, engineers and developer must find an alternative—either a different underground route or a different overhead routing—to provide power to the new buildings.
The chair emphasized that plans have not been submitted to the commission for any new routing and that commission staff have not yet seen alternative plans. No formal action by the commission was required at the meeting because the matter had been decided by council.
