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Planning commission sends draft tree‑canopy LUCA to public hearing after detailed commissioner review
Summary
Staff presented a full draft tree‑canopy land‑use code amendment (LUCA) that would introduce a minimum tree‑credit system (emphasizing retention), new definitions (significant tree at 6" DBH, landmark 24" DBH), a 3‑year lookback on recent removals, limited fee‑in‑lieu, and a three‑year maintenance assurance for required plantings; commissioners unanimously directed staff to prepare the draft for public hearing while requesting clarifications on enforcement, oak/pine calibration, and residential development trade‑offs.
City planning staff asked the Planning Commission March 27 to authorize a public hearing on a draft land‑use code amendment aimed at protecting and growing Bellevue’s tree canopy. Commissioners indicated unanimous support to prepare the LUCA for hearing after multiple technical questions.
Nick Whipple, code and policy director, and Christina Gallant, planning manager and project manager for the tree canopy amendment, presented the full draft LUCA and the underlying rationale. The central regulatory change is a minimum tree‑credit system: projects must meet a site‑specific credit minimum that can be achieved through a combination of retaining existing trees (higher credit value) and planting new trees (one credit per planted tree). The draft weights retention heavily and includes a 3‑year lookback that would require sites…
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