Alta planning commissioners amend tree-removal rule to allow defensible-space work with approved site plan

The Alta Planning Commission voted to amend the town—s vegetation-management ordinance so property owners may remove trees for required WUI defensible space if they submit a site plan that the building official approves.

The amendment modifies Section 9-3-3(f) to say the removal-and-replacement rules do not apply to defensible-space requirements of the adopted Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) code so long as "a site plan indicating trees to be removed is submitted and approved by the building official." Commissioners approved the change by voice vote.

Commissioners said the change is intended to remove a potential conflict between the town—s existing tree-protection rules and new WUI requirements, while keeping town oversight. "So long as the site plan indicating trees to be removed is submitted and approved by the building official," the amended language makes explicit how defensible-space work will be processed under the town—s vegetation rules.

The change followed a public hearing held at the start of the meeting. Public commenters urged care in how the WUI and local code interact. Mark Levin, who submitted written comments and spoke during the hearing, said he supports using fire-resistant construction and fuel-reduction work but asked for clear exceptions to the town—s restrictions on construction and tree removal for properties that lack year‑round access. "I think those are good things," Levin said, while urging the commission to include language allowing exceptions when the fire authority accepts equivalent mitigation.

Logan Page, speaking on behalf of family members who had submitted emailed comments, likewise asked the commission to add language that would allow alternatives where year‑round access is not possible, such as on some lots in Grizzly Gulch. "I wanted to encourage that type of verbiage when you—re making other adjustments to town code, for that verbiage to get laid in as well, to protect landowners and homeowners," Page said.

The meeting included a technical response from Unified Fire Authority (UFA). Jay Torgerson, a battalion chief with UFA, told the commission the WUI code does require year‑round access but also allows the fire official to accept alternative measures. "If we don—t have a road that allows us to get a fire engine in there, then we may say you gotta have a sprinkler system in your building or you gotta have an alarm system or you have to have a fire pump," Torgerson said, citing examples used elsewhere in the UFA jurisdiction, such as water reservoirs and pumps at remote lodges.

Torgerson also said UFA does inspections tied to permits and will not conduct routine inspections of private residences after final approval. "After the building is finished and completed, there's a final inspection that's done. But that's it. We don't ever go into a private home or residence after that to do an inspection," he said.

Commission discussion centered on preserving town oversight while enabling defensible-space work. Some commissioners said they did not want property owners to be able to remove trees solely for aesthetics without review; others stressed property-rights concerns. Commissioners agreed to keep a requirement that a site plan be submitted and approved so defensible-space tree removal is not done solely at a homeowner—s discretion.

Action: The commission moved, seconded and approved the amendment to Section 9-3-3(f) as described. The motion recorded a voice vote of five ayes and no recorded nays or abstentions. The amendment text added the site-plan submission and approval requirement to the exception for defensible-space work.

What the amendment does and does not do: The change clarifies that the town—s removal-and-replacement rules do not automatically prohibit tree removal when the removal is for WUI defensible space. It does not eliminate town review; instead, it requires property owners to submit a site plan that the building official reviews and approves, and it preserves planning-commission review for larger developments when applicable. The commission also discussed but did not adopt broader rewrites of the vegetation ordinance at this meeting.

Next steps and context: Commissioners and staff said the town must adopt the WUI code by the end of the year to comply with state requirements and that other refinements can be drafted and returned for consideration. Staff and UFA officials said alternative means and methods (for example, a fire-protection plan, sprinkler systems, on-site water supplies or pumps) will be considered where year‑round access or fire-flow conditions make standard fire apparatus access impractical.

Public-record items: Written comments referenced during the hearing included submissions from Mark Levin and Chris and Dawn Page. The commission closed the public hearing before moving to regular business and then approved the 9-3-3(f) amendment during the regular meeting.

Votes at a glance - Amendment to Town Code Section 9-3-3(f) (allowing defensible-space tree removal when a site plan is submitted and approved by the building official): approved, voice vote; yes: 5, no: 0, abstain: 0.

(For procedural detail: commissioners amended the section to add an explicit site-plan approval step and then voted to adopt the amendment. The public hearing on the WUI adoption and related code changes was held at the start of the meeting; comments and written submissions are in the meeting record.)