Commission reviews targeted tree-code changes amid resident pleas for hazardous-tree exemptions
Staff proposed moving from a 3-in-5-year removal limit toward a 5-in-5-year allowance, adding flexibility for unpermitted clearing enforcement, removing rigid commercial "tree tract" siting rules and aligning a class-5 forest-practices threshold with state code; public commenters urged explicit exemptions for hazardous trees and better mitigation options for HOAs.
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Hans Shepherd, a long-range planner with the City of Lacey, briefed the commission on targeted tree-code topics the council asked staff to review in advance of a broader urban-forest update. Shepherd described the middle-ground proposal to allow "5 trees in a 5 year period" on residential lots (up from the current 3-in-5 limitation) and said staff would draft language to give planning and enforcement staff more nuanced pathways to respond to unpermitted clearing.
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