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Commission debates tree-preservation thresholds, replacement rules and mitigation fees
Summary
Staff proposed raising the residential protection threshold to 24 inches, adding a 15-foot 'homestead' carve-out, and clarifying replacement or pay-in-lieu options; commissioners debated whether residential rules should carry punitive fees and coalesced around clarifying the fee schedule and removing a 2:1 replacement for residents.
Planning staff proposed amendments to the city tree-preservation rules that would change which trees are protected and how removals are mitigated. Reagan (planning staff) said the residential protection threshold would start at 24 inches caliper, with any tree within 15 feet of an existing home allowed to be removed as a homestead exception.
Commissioners asked for clarity on mitigation options. Reagan described options to replace removed caliper inches with new tree caliper or to pay an in-lieu fee; staff proposed a minimum fee framework (previously $150 commercial, $50 residential per caliper inch as a floor) but said the fee schedule would specify actual amounts. Commissioners worried that a 2:1 replacement requirement for residential owners would be punitive and disincentivize planting; after discussion the group agreed to remove a 2:1 residential replacement and to move toward a $50-per-inch residential minimum for further consideration. Reagan said variance routes (BOA) would be available for residential cases and that the fund's expenditures would be tied to tree-related work (planting/pruning/irrigation) rather than salaries.
Enforcement realities drew attention: staff said residential compliance would rely largely on reporting and that large developments would be required to submit robust tree surveys. Commissioners asked staff to clarify fee wording, the replacement metric, and how the city would administer any mitigation fund; staff agreed to return with clarified ordinance language and a fee schedule.
