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Commission hears expert on tree‑preservation trade-offs; asks staff to draft incentive and enforcement options
Summary
Landscape architect Lance Cheely briefed the commission on tree-preservation tools (canopy targets, singular-tree protections), enforcement costs, and trade-offs for developers; commissioners asked staff to return with concrete trade-offs and incentives to reward canopy preservation.
Landscape architect Lance Cheely presented a detailed review of tree-preservation approaches, potential ordinance language, enforcement pitfalls and developer costs, and recommended that North Augusta adopt clear, enforceable rules that balance canopy targets with practical development considerations.
Cheely framed tree policy goals in three buckets — environmental benefits, aesthetics and place-making — and explained how those goals translate into different ordinance tools. He outlined two common approaches: canopy-area targets (for ecosystem and neighborhood cooling benefits) and singular-tree protections (to preserve large, place-making specimens). "Begin with the end in mind," Cheely told the commission, urging them to define what the city wants and then write the ordinance to deliver that outcome.
He warned that preservation requirements can add hidden costs to projects — tree surveys, arborist grading, and back-end enforcement — and that strong language without enforcement capacity often fails in practice. Cheely advised short, clear ordinance language and robust enforcement mechanisms: "The back end enforcement is so important to getting these things effectively and practically implemented and maintained in the community."
Commissioners pressed on practical questions, including how long planted trees take to reach mature canopy (Cheely estimated roughly seven to ten years to reach a mature street-tree scale), whether to prioritize canopy percentage versus preserving grand trees, and how to reward developers who preserve existing canopy rather than simply meeting planting requirements. Staff was asked to draft options, including trade-offs and incentives, and return with examples the commission could consider at a future meeting.
Next steps: Staff will develop a set of ordinance trade-offs, incentive ideas to reward on-site canopy preservation, and enforcement-cost estimates for commission review.
