Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/07/2003 - PB&R Commission (2)OCTOBER 7, 2003 APPROVED PB &R AD HOC TREE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH Ad Hoc Tree Committee of the Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission October 7, 2003- 5pm SUMMARY MINUTES 1. Called to order at 5pm ROLL CALL Commissioners Present: Allen, Skoro, Tobin Staff: Marie Knight, Recreation It Senior Services Director David Niederhaus, General Services Director Robin Clauson, Assistant City Attorney Teri Craig, Administrative Assistant Public: Joanne Burns Christine Carr Laura Curran Susan Daly Joe Fox Jeff Gilbert Gloria Gilbert Yvonne Houssels Veronica Kubat Tess Lier Jackie Melbon Lenore Miller Homer Oatman George Parker Peggy Stair Jan Vandersloot MaryAnn Walker Jeanne Wanless Kathy Young 2. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON- AGENDA ITEMS - None 3. REPORTS /DISCUSSION REGARDING: QUESTIONS POSED TO THE COMMITTEE BY THE CITY COUNCIL: a. Should the City Manager be the final decision authority in the removal of Problem Trees and what should the overall appeal process be for any and all tree removal decisions? • Chair Allen stated that she has talked to the City Manager and agrees that the there should not be two appeals and that he works at the will of the Council and that this is a Council Policy and that he can decide if it should go to Council or not. Answer - Yes the City Manager should have final approval subject to appeal process. b. Should the City have two tree policies: one for view and one for non -view? How would you define a "View Community "? • Commissioner Skoro commented that a view policy is not needed. Answer - No. c. Should all tree removals require replacement with a 36" box tree? Is this realistic given space constraints and availability? Ad Hoc Tree Committee October 7, 2003 Page 2 • Commissioner Skoro stated that is it is practical that a 36" boxed tree will be used. • Commissioner Tobin stated that the Urban Forester should have the power to decide the appropriate size. • Chair Allen stated that the policy should protect all views but a view is different to different people. Answer - A 36" box tree should be used when space constraints and funding and tree type are available; unless it is being reforested for view reasons then it should be replaced with a 24" box tree. d. Should there be any changes to how removals and additions to the Special Tree list take place, and if so, what is the process? • Chair Allen stated that once the policy is approved that the Tree Committee should review the Special Tree List Answer - PS &R should review with Council as approval authority. e. Should the policy include a goal to establish and maintain appropriate diversity in tree species and age classes to provide a stable and sustainable urban forest with a minimum tree inventory (i.e. 30,000 trees) that the City can reasonably maintain in a healthy and non- hazardous condition and require that in approving any tree removal or reforestation request the PBBR Commission shall find that approval of the request will not adversely impact the overall inventory, diversity and age of the City's Urban Forest. • Chair Allen stated that the policy is a guarantee that the City is going to look at each tree removal. Answer - Yes, so that it will have something to measure decisions by. 4. Public Testimony regarding 3a -3e above The following are summary comments: • Yvonne Houssels stated that it is not reasonable to always plant 36" boxed trees and that 24" trees will be just as big in 3 -4 years; she also added that no trees should be planted that can obstruct views. • Kathy Young commented that larger trees have tangled roots that prevent good growth and stated that 24" boxed trees are much better as long as you have a good product with a good root system. • Tess Lier stated that there should only be one tree policy and that if the City plants an inappropriate tree that the homeowner should not be held responsible for the mistakes that they make. There just needs to be better controls. • Peggy Stair, Seawind HOA stated that she had concerns regarding the berries that grow on ficus trees. Deputy City Attorney recommended that Ms. Stair look at reforestation as an answer to her problem. • Veronica Kubac, Seawind HOA, stated that she would not have purchased her property had she known about the berries that the ficus tree produces. • Dean Wilson Seawind HOA stated that he is very frustrated that he has to clean his gutter every week because of these berries Chair Allen stated that the goal of this committee is to make the removal of problem trees easier, the problem is that not everyone agrees what a problem tree is. Ad Hoc Tree Committee October 7, 2003 Page 3 • Jean Wanless stated that homeowners should be happy that we have as many trees as we do otherwise the noise from the airport would be much more apparent. • Jan Vandersloot stated that this draft policy is not in keeping with the spirit of the settlement with BAS and the City of Newport Beach. He stated that the revisions of the policy have literally turned it upside down and now believes that the G -1 should stay exactly the way it is. He commented that the City Manager should decide what a problem trees is and stated that a separate paragraph as with Costa Mesa should not be added. He recommended that a Tree Board be added as a Board or Commission and noted that there should be a separate policy for views but that should be discussed later as we need to discuss retaining trees not removing them. He stated that there should not be an absolute size requirement as it should be planted based on location and type of tree. He went on to say that the view community should not be crying poor and that the Commission should not have the authority to add or delete City trees and. commented that the 40,000 trees are a benefit to the community as they help the water, air and the surroundings of the City. He stated that an EIR is needed if the City is serious about the removal of all problem trees. • Linn Miller stated that she agrees with Jan Vandersloot and went on to say that the reason behind the lawsuit was to make the City enforce the G -1 policy. She commented that all maintenance that can be done should be done before any tree is removed. • Christine Carr also supports Mr. Vandersloots comments and stated that an EIR is needed and that any removal should include the City Manager and 2 residents. • Susan Daly stated that as trees get older, problems get bigger and sidewalks are not usable and that the City is unwilling to deal with these problems and that something has got to be done now. • Laura Curran stated that two people are needed to decide on the removal of a tree and that there should be a view oriented policy and that she is very frustrated in the way the City notices removal of trees. • George Barger asked how many of the 30,000+ trees are actually native to this area and restated that that the inappropriateness of the tree and its problems should not be borne by the homeowner. Director Niederhaus stated that the policy was written for trees for all season. 5. Committee Discussion Revisions if desired and straw vote and or final recommendations to City Council on draft G -1 Policy. Deputy City Attorney Clauson stated that some kind of environmental review will need to be done. The following final recommendations were made by Chair Allen: a. Should the City Manager be the final decision authority in the removal of Problem Trees and what should the overall appeal process be for any and all tree removal decisions? Answer - Yes the City Manager should have final approval subject to appeal process. b. Should the City have two tree policies: one for view and one for non -view? How would you define a "View Community "? Answer - No. c. Should all tree removals require replacement with a 36" box tree? Is this realistic given space constraints and availability? Ad Hoc Tree Committee October 7, 2003 Page 4 Answer - A 36" box tree should be used when space constraints and funding and tree type are available- unless it is being reforested for view reasons then it should be replaced with a 24" box tree. d. Should there be any changes to how removals and additions to the Special Tree list take place, and if so, what is the process? Answer - PB&R should review with Council as approval authority. e. Should the policy include a goal to establish and maintain appropriate diversity in tree species and age classes to provide a stable and sustainable urban forest with a minimum tree inventory (i.e. 30,000 trees) that the City can reasonably maintain in a healthy and non- hazardous condition and require that in approving any tree removal or reforestation request the PB &R Commission shall find that approval of the request will not adversely impact the overall inventory, diversity and age of the City's Urban Forest. Answer - Yes, so that it will have something to measure decisions by. A straw vote was taken and approved that the above recommendations should be forward to the City Council for their review and discussion. Commission Tobin made the observation that it is a hardship to use a 36" box in all cases and that the City Manager is a smart man would not be making any decisions without listening to staff recommendations and that they would not be made in a box. ADJOURNMENT - 6:50pm Submitted by: Teri Craig, Admi ' tant