The Human Services Committee approved a variation request for 1809 Grant Street under ordinance 15023 (protection of trees on private property), allowing the applicant to pursue a fee-in-lieu rather than planting a large shade tree in a very small backyard. Angela LaVerniere, the city’s tree preservation coordinator, said the property’s small size made a large shade tree impractical and indicated the applicant "is moving to pay the fee in lieu."

LaVerniere told the committee the fee amount corresponds to a valuation (recorded in the report as roughly 7.2 trees, or about $1,800.17) and that the fee will go into a reserve account devoted to tree-related spending for private-tree projects, tree giveaways and broader urban-canopy efforts; those reserve funds are kept separate from public-tree funds. The chair said she planned to vote yes, describing the request as consistent with the tree ordinance’s intent. The committee approved the motion by voice vote and the item will move forward per the ordinance process.

The committee took a voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.