There have been several issues with the current regulations regarding existing tree preservation and payment to the city for damages for tree removal.  Staff will present an outline of issues and possible changes to the regulations for feedback. Here is some of the feedback we have received from the development community and from design professional:

• Current regulations are wordy and very confusing.
• The regulations would be helped by tables and worksheets that could be used online to assist in calculations.
• Need to have clear definitions of what the city is trying to accomplish.  Are we punishing development or trying to get a better looking community?
• The current location of required street trees make them not really street trees.
• Burdensome replacement requirements and no real incentive to preserve higher value trees.
• If development community wants to install more mature trees there is no incentive.
• Difficult to meet requirements given other regulations including necessary utility easements, ROW, stormwater and parking ratios.
• Everything is handled on a case by case basis instead of a rational set of rules and regulations.

Staff will present some possible alternatives and policy changes for feedback and direction as staff reviews rewriting this section of the code.  Staff is looking long term at making substantial changes to the entire land development code and this is the first section we have begun to analyze.