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Planning commission briefed on Lakewood's natural environment program, task forces and 40% canopy goal
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Summary
Staff outlined a multi-year program to implement a natural environment and climate change element in Lakewood's comprehensive plan, including four task forces that will develop a 3'5-year work plan and a 10-year implementation plan; staff cited a citywide goal of 40% tree canopy cover by 2050.
Planning staff told the Lakewood Planning Commission on April 1 that the city has incorporated energy and climate elements into its comprehensive plan and will convene four task forces to implement the new natural environment and climate change program.
The presentation reviewed prior work since 2022, including a lidar-based tree canopy assessment and a guide from the UW Evans School of Public Policy. "We're working on a citywide goal of a 40% tree canopy cover by 2050," staff said, and described 15 action items from a previously adopted work plan, most of which are complete or ongoing, with one regionally dependent item pending.
Why it matters: the task forces will produce both a 3-to-5-year work plan and a longer-term 10-year implementation plan with strategies, benchmarks and a monitoring framework. Staff said the program is responding both to local priorities and to state requirements established by recent legislation.
Key details: staff outlined four task forces divided by focus: (1) a 10-year implementation and 3-to-5-year work-plan group starting in May; (2) a greenhouse-gas reductions and resiliency group (anticipated to have the heaviest meeting load, likely starting in June); (3) an urban forest management-plan group (expected to begin in July and run through October); and (4) a heat-mitigation group with meetings planned in June and September. Staff noted that much of the city's existing canopy (about 72%) is on private property while 28% is on public property and summarized 2022 canopy figures showing roughly 24% tree canopy and 38% impervious surface across the city.
Commissioners asked about public access, council participation on task forces and how recommendations would feed back to land-use and zoning decisions. Staff said the council directed the planning commission to take primary responsibility for convening the task forces, and that the planning commission will advise council on any recommended code or plan changes.
Next step: staff will recruit volunteers from a pool of more than 20 organizations and individuals who have expressed interest, finalize liaison assignments by the April 15 meeting and oversee task-force meetings through mid-2027.
