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#1 David Love

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Posted 11 October 2005 - 09:13 AM

Council to hear from tree panel

By Anna M. Tinsley
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH - In a city known for its steers and cowboys, a new movement is afoot: protecting trees.

A special committee of residents, builders and officials has spent months studying ways to protect trees and prevent future clear-cutting.

Now they're ready to make some changes.

A series of recommendations -- including one that would require 40 percent of some residential areas to be covered by trees -- will go before the City Council for the first time today.

"It's hard to argue about trees -- everybody has them," said Lee Nichol, a committee member and partner in the Fort Worth-based development firm James R. Harris Partners.

"We aimed high."

The council will hear the recommendations during a 3 p.m. pre-council meeting at City Hall, 1000 Throckmorton St.

Among the recommendations are requirements that at least 25 percent of the existing tree canopy in most of the city be maintained, in addition to half the canopy over open space in most residential and mixed-use areas, and 40 percent of the canopy cover for surface parking lots.

Proponents say healthy trees reduce air and noise pollution, provide shade, enhance aesthetics, help prevent flooding, boost property values and contribute to the attractiveness of a community.

Some, however, fear restrictions could raise the cost of doing business.

"I think we were able to find middle ground," City Development Director Bob Riley said. "They protect what trees do for our environment ... and they give enough flexibility for developers to still build their projects and be able to market them."

Riley said the overriding goal of the committee was to protect trees, eliminate clear-cutting, promote the planting of "quality" trees and encourage preservation of existing canopy covers.

If council members give tentative approval, proposed changes could go back to the committee to draft proposed wording before the end of the year. Community meetings would be held between Dec. 14 and Jan. 13 to get feedback.

The recommendations would then go to the zoning commission, probably in February, before going back to the council for final consideration in March, officials said.

Last year, the council put in place a moratorium preventing the clear-cutting of trees. That was later replaced by temporary regulations, which are still in effect, prohibiting removal of trees 6 inches in diameter or larger on lots of 1 acre or more.

Fort Worth has limited restrictions on tree removal in public rights of way and no citywide regulations like those found in at least 39 Texas cities, according to a city survey.

"The recommendations are fair and balanced," said City Councilwoman Becky Haskin, a member of the committee and a staunch supporter of a tree preservation ordinance. "This is a move in the right direction.

"For developers who are already doing the right thing, this will have no impact whatsoever."

IN THE KNOW

Today's meeting

The Fort Worth City Council is scheduled to meet today to discuss issues including tree preservation and the city's ongoing efforts to help Hurricane Katrina and Rita evacuees.

• The pre-council meeting starts at 3 p.m. and the formal meeting follows at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 1000 Throckmorton St.

• The Infrastructure and Transportation Committee will meet earlier, at 1 p.m.

#2 Sam Stone

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Posted 11 October 2005 - 01:12 PM

I am very skeptical.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for protecting trees, but these regulations have a way of being so abstract that developers find a way around them, usually in a manner that completely misses the point. And not to put all the blame on developers, they're just following the law.

I think the problem comes back to the fact that we generally don't understand what a city is and how it is (supposed to be) different from the country. I mean, is it appropriate for the city to mandate 40% tree coverage for someone trying to do an urban townhouse project in uptown, southside, cultural district, etc.? And 40% for surface lots? How much bigger will surface lots have to be to meet that requirement? Will that be good for the environment?

I see a lot of useless berms in our future that someone will have to mow.

#3 elpingüino

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Posted 16 February 2018 - 10:24 PM

D.R. Horton could be fined $1.5 million for clearing the tree canopy from 90% to 20%, in violation of the city ordinance: http://www.star-tele...e200045594.html

#4 arch-image

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Posted 18 February 2018 - 10:01 AM

I generally like this idea. I hate when a developer comes in on a beautiful tree'd site and just plows it all up just because it's a bit easier. Personally I feel like this is more of a residential and large plan development sites issue than general one off commercial sites. That said, I do hope it doesn't go off the deep end as some areas have. I don't think it really matters to much for trees under 6" caliper or even 9", if your under that, in a couple of years you can be right back with planting new trees of similar type. 






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