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City defers major rewrite of landscaping and tree-preservation rules after public concern
Summary
Commissioners continued (deferred) Ordinance 15-25, a rewrite of landscaping and tree-preservation code, to the first meeting in July after residents and some commissioners raised concerns about homeowner permits, penalties, equitable treatment for low-income residents and the need for more public education and workshops.
At a public hearing on April 22, staff and consultant Roberta Fennessy (VHB) presented a rewrite of the city's landscape and tree-preservation regulations intended to consolidate disparate code sections, increase minimum canopy and planting requirements (for example, moving from one tree per 2,500 square feet to one per 2,000), change mitigation calculations to a diameter-at-breast-height (DBH) fee schedule, and add a tree mitigation fund as an alternative to on-site replacement.
Consultant Roberta Fennessy and Planning Manager Stephanie Doster said the rewrite aims to simplify math, encourage permitting, and give homeowners clearer options (plant on-site, donate to the city's tree bank, or pay into a mitigation fund). Fennessy described exemptions for the corridor overlay and routine interior renovations and said agricultural exemptions in the county are not city rules.
Residents and some commissioners expressed strong concerns. Commissioner Perrine and multiple speakers said many homeowners do not currently know they must get a permit or an arborist report to remove a dead tree on private property; Perrine warned the rule could impose financial hardship and that county rules (which exempt homesteaded owner-occupied properties in unincorporated areas) differ from current city practice. Residents said penalties and mitigation costs might unduly burden low-income homeowners.
Given those concerns and requests for additional education and public workshops, the commission voted unanimously to continue Ordinance 15-25 to the first commission meeting in July to allow additional outreach and refinement of the proposal.
Why it matters: The rewrite would change how tree removals are permitted and how mitigation is calculated; opponents worried about enforcement of permits for dead trees, costs for low-income homeowners, and clarity about exemptions.
What happens next: Staff will prepare additional outreach, consider clarifying homestead and homeowner exemptions, and bring a revised ordinance and public-education plan back at the July meeting.
