Open Forum: Tree Preservation Town of Morrisville

Transcription

1 Open Forum: Tree Preservation Town of Morrisville

2 Chad Meadows, AICP Public & Private Sector Planner Drafted 16 Development Codes Co-Author, Local Tree Protection Ordinances in North Carolina Congressional Testimony, ACT Green Infrastructure Summit

3 Overview Reasons to Protect Trees Morrisville Tree Regulations Community Concerns Options for Change 3

4 Reasons to Protect Trees Environmental Air & water quality Animal habitat Shading Aesthetic Buffering/screening Noise attenuation Economic 4

5 Economic Reasons to Protect Trees Increased Resale/Rental Values Energy Cost Savings Ease Compliance with Federal Law Reduce Stormwater Management Costs Reduce Street Repaving Costs 5

6 Economic Reasons to Protect Trees Healthy, mature trees add between 10 and 23 percent to a property s value [1] Rental housing along tree-lined streets rents for higher prices and has lower turnover [2] Office complexes with high-quality landscapes (including trees) rent for 7% higher rates, on average [3] Inclusion of trees within retail areas helps attract shoppers who pay 8% to 11% more for goods and services [4] 6

7 Economic Reasons to Protect Trees Mature trees help to reduce air conditioning costs by up to 35% [5] Trees on the western side of a home will reduce energy bills by up to 15% within 12 years [6] Helps to remove the need for peak demand facilities 7

8 Economic Reasons to Protect Trees A tree shading a building reduces the production of CO2 (through reduced energy demands) in an amount equivalent to the total carbon uptake of 15 forest trees [7] Existing trees in Charlotte, NC remove air pollutants at a rate that would cost approximately $43.8 million per year to duplicate [8] 8

9 Economic Reasons to Protect Trees Urban greening efforts in D.C. reduced stormwater flows by 10% (1.2 billion gallons) over the 30-year life of the facilities [9] Public trees in D.C. provide stormwater management savings of $3.7 million, annually [10] Retention of existing trees in Charlotte, NC saved the city over $1.47 billion in stormwater management infrastructure [11] 9

10 Economic Reasons to Protect Trees Shaded streets require less maintenance and can save up to 60% of repaving costs over 30 years [12] 10

11 Morrisville Tree Regulations UDO Section 5.4. Tree Protection Purpose Applicability Tree Survey Tree Canopy Retention Tree Protection Plan Tree Protection During Development Mitigation 11

12 Morrisville Tree Regulations Applicability Planned Development Rezoning SUP Major & Minor Site Plan Exemptions Forestry Single-family Residential Safety Issues Small-scale Expansions of Existing Development 12

13 Morrisville Tree Regulations Tree Canopy Retention Standards 13

14 Morrisville Tree Regulations Current Priority Retention Areas Specimen Tree Root Zones Riparian Buffers & Wetlands Stands of Mature Trees Slopes of 15% Required Landscaping Areas Wildlife Habitat 14

15 Morrisville Tree Regulations Mitigation for Tree Removal or Damage Waiver Procedures if Tree Damage Occurs Replacement Trees Payment in Lieu Credit Toward Other Standards 15

16 Developer s Council Concerns Retention Amounts Priority Retention System Waiver Process 16

17 Draft Revisions to Regulations Change in Priority Listing Clarifications for Zoning Lots Recognized Stands of Mature Deciduous Trees as the Highest Priority Reduced Priority for Specimen Trees Removed Sensitive Lands Recommendations for Further Change 17

18 Recommendations Decision Points Clarifications Other Issues 18

19 Decision Point 1: Retention Priorities Option 1: Offer Full Credit Towards Tree Protection for Riparian Buffers AND Increase the Nonresidential Retention Percentage Threshold Option 2: Offer Partial Credit Towards Tree Protection for Riparian Buffer Zone 2 AND Maintain the Current Nonresidential Retention Percentage Threshold 19

20 Decision Point 2: Waiver Procedure Option 1: Remove the waiver process in favor of the AEC process and allow the applicant to propose a mitigation strategy to the Town Council Option 2: Allow an applicant to remove all or a portion of the protected tree canopy, and then reforest the site with new plantings of 3.5 DBH (or larger) at time of planting 20

21 Clarifications Further modifications to draft priority retention provisions Clarify if single-family residential subdivisions are subject to the 3-year delay for clear cutting Clarify if trees in TOD and MS districts are exempt Clarify what happens if retention of trees on unbuildable lands meets minimum retention thresholds 21

22 Other Issues Clarify credit provisions (e.g., floodplains) Refine definition of a mature tree Raise specimen tree DBH to 21 Allow the use of aerial photos instead of tree surveys in some cases Ensure landscaping standards need to clarify how existing trees can be credited Consider allowing Town Council to decide all payment-in-lieu requests Allow off-site planting of replacement trees 22