Crafton to hear appeal after $10,000 penalty for unauthorized removal of street tree at 82 Belvedere

Crafton Borough officials told council on Sept. 24 that the borough had assessed a $10,000 violation after an unapproved removal of a public street tree at 82 Belvedere and that the property owner intends to appeal the penalty at the Oct. 9 council meeting.

Economic development staff reported the removed tree was a mature London plane in the public tree lawn (street tree). The borough’s licensed arborist prepared an appraisal that calculated the tree’s value; the arborist’s report ran more than a dozen pages and resulted in an appraisal north of $10,000. To simplify enforcement paperwork, the borough set a $10,000 penalty. The property owner, who resides in Colorado, has submitted an appeal packet and several renter letters in support; the owner will appear by Zoom for the Oct. 9 appeal hearing.

Why it matters: Borough code prohibits removal of trees located in the public tree lawn (between sidewalk and curb) without borough approval. Staff said the borough will follow local hearing procedures for appeals; the appeal is an administrative local-agency hearing before borough counsel and may be recorded. The arborist is available Oct. 9 to explain the appraisal methodology if borough counsel requests technical testimony.

Next steps

Staff said the matter will come before borough counsel at the Oct. 9 meeting for a local-agency-style hearing on the appeal. Council was told the property owner might request mitigation or a reduction of the penalty; staff…