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Committee debates landscaping guide changes and Heritage Oak permit rules
Summary
The EPRC reviewed a revised landscaping guide with added wildfire-protection language and spent significant time on proposed changes to the Heritage Oak Ordinance, including permit procedure, arborist fees, neighbor notice, replacement planting requirements and possible increases to the diameter threshold for a "heritage oak."
Committee members spent a sustained portion of the Feb. 3 meeting reviewing version 2.1 of the town landscaping guide and proposed changes to the Heritage Oak Ordinance.
The landscaping guide discussion centered on wildfire-protection edits: recommended defensible-space clearances (debated between 5 feet and 10 feet in certain subzones), "clumping" guidance for vegetation, and references to CAL FIRE and Fire Safe Council materials for illustrations. One committee presenter said the draft will include links and suggested reprinting some illustrated guides; a speaker summarized the draft recommendation as: "create and maintain a 5 foot ember resistant zone around any structure by removing vegetation that would likely be ignited by embers."
Members then moved into an extended review of the Heritage Oak Ordinance. The draft ordinance requires a removal permit for most heritage oaks and specifies public notice to abutting property owners; the committee discussed exemptions for trees removed for immediate danger or tree health, and whether the town should require an arborist's report at the applicant's expense. One member noted the arborist requirement could add significant cost and suggested the town consider sharing costs in contested cases. The draft also included a mitigation condition that could require up to five replacement trees per removal, which several members criticized as potentially creating future crowding and canopy issues.
There was also debate about the numeric threshold defining a heritage oak. The draft used a circumference of 36 inches (approximately 12-inch diameter); some members argued that threshold is too low and discussed raising it to 18 or 24 inches to better target truly large, mature trees.
Committee members agreed to continue refining the language, coordinate with the Environmental Design and Protection Committee, and return a revised draft for further review before taking any recommendation to the city council.
