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Falls Church staff seek first reading on commercial tree‑canopy ordinance amid debate over hardship rules and fees
Summary
City staff presented updates to a commercial district tree‑canopy ordinance and asked council for a first reading. Urban Forestry Commissioners urged approval. Council focused questions on hardship relief criteria, a $750 per‑250‑sq‑ft fee metric and whether street trees should count toward minimums.
City staff on Feb. 2 asked Falls Church City Council to schedule a first reading of a revised tree‑canopy ordinance for commercial districts, emphasizing technical code edits to align the proposal with state authority while keeping the policy goals intact.
The ordinance would set a 10% minimum canopy baseline in relevant commercial zones and create a hardship relief procedure and a tree‑canopy fund option for developers who cannot meet planting requirements on site. “Environmental sustainability and expanding our green space in the city is a City Council strategic priority,” Kathleen Norman…
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