Lincoln City councilors came closer Monday night to adopting tougher protections for trees within its city limits. The move was sparked by a housing developer going in on a south end hillside and clear cutting a wide swath of ground that riled the neighbors and others. Later, the development fell through and the developer walked away from it leaving a giant brown wound on the hillside which is visible for miles around. And there was nothing the city could do about it since it did not have the ordinances to address such issues.
Today, they’re closer. The plan, months in the making, puts review of tree removal on any project. Planning and Community Development Director Richard Townsend said the aim is to take stock of what trees exist prior to housing or commercial development and to make every effort to preserve them. Townsend said developers must include tree removal and replacement considerations as part of getting their plans approved and building permit issued. He said the council Monday night made a slight change to the latest version of the ordinance. That change would not require an arborist to be on site to actually monitor the initial ground clearing of a development. Townsend said if a later inspection revealed non-compliance with the project’s tree plan, the city could stop the project along with levying a one thousand dollar fine for each tree illegally taken, in addition to being able to file an injunction against the developer.
What is hoped will be the final version of the city’s tree protection ordinance may be approved at the city’s next council meeting.