Tree Board July 15 2020

Detailed briefing

Tree Advisory Board — July 15, 2020 ATTENDEES: Karen Storrow, Nancy Rondell, and Dan Mulder were recorded present; Patrick Wise was absent. The transcript also states John Cassidy was resigning after moving out of town. • The board approved the previous meeting minutes. Staff said the downtown Main Street tree-planting review would be postponed until the next month because Patrick Wise had raised it and was absent. • Staff reported a citation had been issued to the tree company involved in cutting at least 27 trees near the boardwalk. The city has a police report and is pursuing the company because it has evidence the company performed the work, while responsibility between the company and homeowner remains separate. Staff said stump cutting and brush cleanup will wait until the matter is settled. • The board discussed a draft commercial parking-lot landscaping ordinance for new projects and redevelopment, rather than immediate requirements for existing properties. Ideas included vegetation requirements, flexibility to plant elsewhere on a site, payments to a city tree fund, and incentive-based approaches. Members stressed that any standards should not unnecessarily add costs that discourage commercial development or affordable housing. • A proposed landmark-tree ordinance drew concerns about restrictions on private property and future owners. Staff explained the draft would allow owner nomination and would require a permit and replacement planting if a designated tree were removed. The discussion leaned instead toward exploring a voluntary recognition program or deed-restriction guidance. No final policy was adopted. • The board considered screening for a proposed electrical substation on city property near the soccer fields. Staff said the Tree Board was being asked for species advice only, while site-location concerns belong before Planning Commission and City Council. Cedar, specifically Thuja occidentalis, was identified as a likely screening choice, but members noted that deer browsing, pruning, height limits, replacement needs, and maintenance costs would require planning. • Residents questioned how many large trees might be removed for the substation and what mitigation would occur. Staff said final details were not yet clear and that the project design was conceptual. The board also heard that money from a 2019 tree-cutting settlement remains in the tree fund for planting elsewhere in the city, with no decision yet made on its use. Worth watching: • Whether the city resolves the boardwalk tree-cutting citation and determines restitution or civil recovery. • Whether staff revises the parking-lot and landmark-tree proposals into incentive-based or voluntary approaches. • Final substation plans on setbacks, tree removal, screening extent, species, and long-term maintenance. Upcoming: Staff said the substation proposal might go to Planning Commission on August 18 and City Council around September 20, subject to receipt of materials and revisions. Why it matters: The meeting connected tree protection and canopy goals with enforcement, private-property concerns, development costs, and a major utility project.

No open public follow-ups are linked to this meeting yet.