Agenda - Council - 05/23/1995 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The City should immediately require common bury for utitifies in the road right-of-way. a) The net benefit is less boulevard and tree root zone disruption by trenchers and, less ___ topsoil lost from trenching. In some cases, there may also be less erosion on to streets. On non-thoroughfare streets with adequate off-street parking, street widths and right-of- ways can be reduced to everyone's benefit. In areas of concern, the developers could place covenants on tots, requiring minimum garage or driveway spaces. Common bury for utilities requires less space, resulting in somewhat less boulevard need. More than one front yard tree should be required by the City. a As long as the builders are aware before lot purchase, reasonable reforestation costs are not an issue. b The City should immediately require two front yard trees for certificate of occupancy. In cases where no front yard tree(s) is necessary or desired, cash (perhaps less than typical tree costs) could be provided to the City to insure reforestation occurs in the benefitting area. The City should continue to look for ways to encourage reforestation by homeowners, not just developers/builders. Tree. planting programs organized at the neighborhood level are important community development endeavors, resulting in benefits beyond simple reforestation. a) Reforestation involving homeowners is more likely, to meet their individuaI visions and may stimulate additional local stewardship. The pr~ess proposed for implementing the above recommendations would be for Staff to bring the issues to City Council in policy form for affirmation and/or comment early this spring. OrdinanCe revision may not be as urgent if the aforementioned improvements are effected. Moving slower 6n the actual tree conservation ordinance offers adequate time for comment by all parties, maximum flexibility, and provides the opportunity to gauge the effectiveness of the improved procedures. As alwa~ys, please let me know if you require additional information. /jkl .. £ I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I