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Commission hears data and trade-offs on proposed landscape ordinance; staff to refine mitigation and appeal options
Summary
Staff presented permit and violation data and proposed mitigation calculations for a revised landscape/tree ordinance; commissioners questioned the fairness of large mitigation fees, county exemptions and enforcement gaps, and asked staff to return with clarified penalties, relief mechanisms, and stakeholder feedback before the July hearing.
Stephanie Doster presented the landscape-code update and stakeholder feedback. Since May 2022 staff issued 255 tree-removal permits and denied four; since 2023 there have been seven tree-removal violations (one remedied, six in progress). Doster explained mitigation calculations: cross-sectional inches of a removed tree translate to required replacement (the example used 31 two-and-a-half-inch trees to equal one 14-inch tree) or an approximate purchase cost of $7,750 for those saplings (not including planting costs).
Commissioners pressed on equity and appeals. Several members said high mitigation amounts could disproportionately affect average homeowners and asked whether a mechanism for relief or commission review at high thresholds is possible; staff said they would include safety-net language and consider mitigation-banking, payment options, and targeted assistance. Commissioners also requested the written stakeholder feedback and more lead time before second reading so the public can review changes before a July vote.
