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Bellevue planning staff seek calibration on sweeping tree-canopy code changes, commissioners press for clarity on enforcement and housing impacts
Summary
Staff presented a proposed tree retention and tree-credit system that would lower the "significant tree" threshold, add minimum tree density requirements, and offer incentives for landmark-tree preservation; commissioners asked for clearer enforcement baselines, homeowner cost estimates and flexibility to protect housing production.
Bellevue planning staff on Jan. 24 outlined a proposed rewrite of the city's tree retention code that would replace the existing approach with a tree-credit system, formalize landmark-tree definitions and expand enforcement tools while seeking a commission'level calibration between incentives and requirements.
"We're proposing a full rewrite of section 20.2900 — tree retention and replacement — to prevent citywide net loss of canopy and address local canopy gaps," Christina Gallant, a city planner leading the LUCA presentation, told the commission. She said staff are recommending a minimum required tree density scaled to development type, a permanent landmark-tree definition and a possible change in the significant-tree diameter threshold from 8 inches to 6 inches to expand coverage.
Why it matters: Bellevue's overall tree canopy is near 40%, staff said, but single-family neighborhoods have experienced net canopy loss in recent canopy analyses. Staff described the LUCA (land use code amendment) as an opportunity to modernize regulations last…
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