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Shoreline council extends six-month protection for very large trees in town-center zones
Summary
The Shoreline City Council unanimously adopted Ordinance 10 36 to extend interim rules prohibiting removal of trees 60 inches diameter at breast height or greater in the TC‑3 and TC‑4 zoning districts for six months while staff pursues a permanent tree code update.
The Shoreline City Council voted unanimously Monday to extend interim regulations that bar the removal of very large trees in parts of the city’s Town Center subarea.
The council adopted Ordinance 10 36, extending the interim rule that prohibits cutting any tree 60 inches or greater in diameter at breast height (DBH) within the Town Center 3 and Town Center 4 zoning districts for six months. The interim rule, first enacted in January as Ordinance 10 31, was due to expire on July 27.
Staff told the council the extension is temporary while the city develops a comprehensive tree-code update, which will include public engagement and is not expected to be adopted until 2026. The city’s project manager said the update will include a 10–12 member advisory group and broader community outreach via surveys and focus groups.
Public speakers at Monday’s meeting urged protections for trees on and around the state Fircrest campus and urged the council to consider trees alongside housing and transportation goals. Kathleen Russell, speaking for Safe Shoreline Trees, said a clearing and grading permit issued to the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services allows removal of about 175 trees for a nursing facility, laundry and parking lot on the Fircrest campus. Russell told the council that a hearing-examiner decision dated May 3, 2024, requires that 80% of trees on the Fircrest campus be retained and that an annual tree inventory be provided to the city. She said there are approximately 2,444 trees at Fircrest and that the project’s plans call for retaining 80% of them.
Other residents urged the council to weigh trees against broader city goals. Matthew DeAngelis cited staff-produced climate and economic development reports showing that transportation (44%) and residential heating (23%) account for a majority of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions and asked the council to prioritize measures that reduce car dependence.
Council members said they heard competing perspectives and emphasized the need to balance tree preservation with goals for housing density and walkability. One councilmember described the 60-inch DBH threshold as applying to exceptionally large, “centerpiece” trees and said the council expects the tree-code rewrite to consider a narrow set of such specimens for long-term protection.
Clerk-conducted roll call on the motion recorded unanimous support. The ordinance extension will remain in place for six months while staff proceeds with the code update and outreach described to the council.
The council also described how hazardous trees are exempt from the interim rule and said maintenance of the long-term approach will hinge on the forthcoming code rewrite and public engagement schedule.
