Council holds public hearing on extending interim ban on removal of very large trees in two town-center zones

Shoreline City Council on Monday held a public hearing on whether to extend an interim ordinance that bars removal of trees measuring 60 inches diameter at breast height (DBH) or larger in the Town Center 3 and Town Center 4 zoning districts.

City staff told the council the interim regulation, adopted in January as an emergency ordinance, has a six-month term and staff recommends a six-month extension while the city completes a holistic update of the private-property tree regulations in subchapter 5 of the development code. "The extension ... would be effective for another 6 months," staff said during the presentation.

The issue drew five in-person public comments and sustained council discussion. Multiple speakers representing the Shoreline Preservation Society and neighborhood groups urged the council to preserve large trees and to study protections more broadly. Kathleen Russell of the Tree Preservation Code Team said, "We ask council to…