Monrovia staff outlines tree-preservation tools, cites oak ordinance and project examples

Director Bermejo presented an overview of Monrovia's tree-protection tools and how the Planning Commission and staff apply them to development reviews. The presentation described the Oak Tree Preservation Ordinance, hillside development standards, and the use of conditions of approval to protect significant trees on private and commercial properties.

Bermejo said the Oak Tree Preservation Ordinance, adopted in 1987, is intended to preserve healthy oak trees to maintain Monrovia's scenic character, protect property values, and conserve natural resources. The ordinance establishes a permitting process for the removal, pruning or significant alteration of protected oak trees and provides for administrative review through the Development Review Committee (DRC). In emergency circumstances that threaten life or structure, the police, fire or community services departments may authorize immediate removal, Bermejo said. He noted the municipal code provides penalties for unauthorized removal of protected oaks, with elevated penalties for non-single-family developments.

Bermejo emphasized that beyond the oak ordinance, the city relies on hillside development standards and project-level conditions of approval to preserve significant vegetation. He illustrated the range of approaches with two past projects: the Chick-fil-A proposal at 820 West Huntington Drive, where council-directed arborist studies and strict, enforceable monitoring and replacement conditions were used to preserve a large sycamore; and the In-N-Out project, where tree-retention language was structured to balance tree preservation with traffic and economic factors.

Commissioners and staff discussed practical trade-offs: preserving mature trees, maintaining neighborhood compatibility, balancing property-owner rights, and the enforcement cost to the city. Bermejo said staff has increasingly incorporated native-tree selection and drought-tolerant landscaping into project conditions, noting council preference to avoid non-native palm trees on new developments.

Several commissioners praised the overview and the city's use of conditions and arborist reports as tools to achieve results on case-by-case reviews. Bermejo said staff would continue to bring updates and draft condition language as projects and council direction warrant.