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Council reviews tree-code concepts to align with Oregon housing law and preserve canopy
Summary
Consultants and staff presented four core code concepts — clear-and-objective standards for housing-related tree permits, exemptions and small-lot rules, incentives (native-tree credits, possible dimensional flexibility and stormwater credits), and a streamlined appeals path — and the council debated thresholds, fee-in-lieu calibration and homeowner options for moderate-risk trees.
Consultants from Cascadia Partners and city staff briefed the Lake Oswego City Council on an update to the city’s tree regulations on Tuesday, framing the work as a targeted effort to comply with recent state requirements while preserving the community’s tree canopy.
Sarah Goldstein, a Cascadia Partners consultant, said the project’s objective is "to amend Lake Oswego’s tree code and tree related provisions in the community development code as recommended by the urban community forestry plan update" and to preserve the city’s wooded character while supporting responsible development. The presentation focused on four substantive code concepts: (1) creating clear-and-objective standards for "needed housing" applications to comply with Oregon law, (2) creating incentives for preservation, (3) evaluating the appeals process to reduce delay, and (4) aligning development and non-development permit approaches.
Under the first concept, applicants for housing development would be allowed to…
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