Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tree Code Changes topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Athens Shade Tree Commission to revisit code-change ideas after city pauses proposed rules
Summary
Commission members reviewed sample tree-code language from other cities and discussed regrouping after Speaker 1 said the city has stopped pursuing earlier code changes that would have affected street-tree rules; members flagged soil-access standards and aim to work cooperatively with city council.
At the Nov. 13 meeting, Speaker 1 told the Athens Shade Tree Commission that city-proposed code changes affecting the commission and planting requirements had been the subject of public opposition and that the city "is no longer pursuing those" changes. Speaker 1 said the commission could regroup and identify constructive language it wants to pursue with the city.
Speaker 1 referenced example code language shared by Anne Bonner from other jurisdictions, including Tacoma, Washington and Mason, Ohio, and said some provisions look useful even if the commission would not adopt another city's code wholesale. Speaker 1 also relayed a suggestion from Andy Stone that "a roughly a street tree should have about a thousand square foot of soil access," noting that soil volume/placement standards might be an area to formalize.
No formal motion or vote was recorded on code changes at the Nov. 13 meeting. The commission discussed aiming for a cooperative approach with the city and said it would consider which provisions to propose and bring them forward for review by city council in the future.
