Council leans toward permitting only in protected areas, raises specimen thresholds and agrees on 15-gallon replanting standard

Community Development Director Ben Song presented staff’s options for amending the city’s tree ordinance, emphasizing an intent to limit undue regulatory burdens on homeowners while preserving protections for specimen and protected-area trees. "This is for removal... of trees on developed single family residential lots and not for commercial or industrial zone property," Song said as he introduced the package of options.

Council members debated several trade-offs: whether permit triggers should be limited to designated protected zones, whether a homeowner should be allowed to remove a tree near a dwelling that poses a risk, and the size threshold that defines a specimen tree. The body coalesced around three principal edits: require permits for tree removal in protected areas; allow removal without a permit for any tree that could hit a primary dwelling (outside protected areas); and increase the specimen-tree DBH threshold for both hardwoods and softwoods from 24 inches to 32 inches. On recompense, council favored a one-for-one replacement obligation for permit cases using a 15-gallon minimum planting. Ben Song confirmed implementation details would be drafted into amendment language for a July return to council and public hearing. "If there is an accompanying arborist report justifying that fact, then yes," Song said when describing expedited permitting for hazardous trees.

Council members repeatedly stressed the need for clear, implementable definitions — notably a precise definition of "protected area" — and asked staff to craft language that reduces ambiguity for residents and staff alike. The amendment will proceed to ordinance language drafting and a future public hearing.