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Committee weighs vegetation ordinance changes, schedules April outreach and pruning event
Summary
The Public Health & Safety Committee discussed an ordinance amendment to clarify vegetation height and clearance rules, emphasized visible house numbers and a 36-inch walkway for emergency access, and promoted an April 11 pruning/volunteer event and outreach materials from the Shade Tree Commission.
Chair called the committee to discuss the borough's vegetation maintenance program, explaining the initiative will focus on overgrown vegetation that impedes sidewalks, emergency vehicle access and sight lines.
Maggie, a borough staff member, said the Shade Tree Commission provided pruning guidance and materials from the Philadelphia Horticultural Society and that the borough included the resources in its newsletter. "We packaged those together," she said, and described plans for educational videos and visual aids to show the clearance and height standards staff will enforce.
The Shade Tree Commission and staff announced a light pruning and volunteer event on April 11 to teach residents proper pruning techniques and offer limited tool lending. The commission described the event as a hands-on opportunity to demonstrate safe pruning and said it will provide snacks and coffee to encourage participation.
Staff told the committee they had found inconsistencies in the code (one section referencing 9-foot clearance and another 8-foot) and proposed drafting an ordinance amendment to correct that language. Maggie said the timeline is to prepare a draft for committee review, bring it to council for authorization to advertise in April, complete the requisite advertising, and target adoption in May with enforcement to begin in June.
On enforcement, staff emphasized public-safety criteria rather than blanket height limits. "The important thing here is we just want to make sure that's the sight lines are not blocked and that there's clear access and pathway into the house and that the house number is visible," Maggie said. She added that, where a privacy hedge does not block a clear 36-inch walkway or obscure a visible house number, staff may allow exceptions.
A registered landscape architect who spoke during committee discussion urged members to consider community character and consistency between fence and hedge rules. "When somebody puts up an 8-foot hedge ... imagine that the whole street puts up an 8-foot tall hedge," the speaker said, warning that many tall hedges could reduce street visibility and neighborhood character.
Committee members asked staff to present two ordinance options that balance emergency-access requirements with community character; staff agreed to prepare those options and to publicize any upcoming changes widely through the borough's channels. The committee did not vote on the ordinance itself at the meeting.
The committee also noted the borough's adopted planting list will remain as a referenced, updateable document that can be refreshed without requiring ordinance language changes. The Shade Tree Commission said the list will be posted on the borough sustainability page and used as guidance for developers and property owners.
The committee plan: staff will draft ordinance options for PH&S review, coordinate outreach describing which elements will be enforced (house number visibility and 36-inch walkways emphasized), and hold the April 11 public pruning event to supplement education efforts.
