Winston-Salem / Forsyth County Tree Ordinance Committee Meeting Summary January 24, 2007 WSRAR Offices, Winston-Salem, NC DRAFT (Do not circulate) APPROVED (For general distribution) Draft Date: 2/08/07 Approval Date: 2/14/07 Attendance Glenn Cobb Winston-Salem Regional Association of Realtors Melynda Dunigan Winston-Salem Neighborhood Alliance Fred Holbrook Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Inspections Division Keith Huff City of Winston-Salem, Stormwater Glynis Jordan City-County Planning Board Evie Katsoudas Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce Paul McGill McGill Realty James Mitchell City of Winston-Salem, Vegetation Management Elizabeth O'Meara Sierra Club Bob Ragland Forsyth County Environmental Affairs Keith Rogers Keith Rogers Homes Lynda Schwan City-County Planning Board Tamieka White Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods Alternates Nancy Gould Winston-Salem Homebuilders Association Kaila Hires Winston-Salem Neighborhood Alliance Robert Vorsteg Winston-Salem Neighborhood Alliance Meeting Agenda 1. Agenda review; approval of meeting summary, information sharing 2. Ordinance directive from City Council 3. Review and discuss the decision framework 4. Brainstorm options to "Conserve Trees to Prevent Loss or Depletion" 5. Next steps 6. Agenda items for next meeting Handouts Provided 1. Winston-Salem / Forsyth County Tree Program Decision Framework (recommended) 2. Winston-Salem City Council Minutes, Jan. 03, 2006 Actions and Future Tasks Tasks Remaining from previous meetings: 1. Review actual site plans to evaluate existing ordinances with respect to tree conservation and protection. 2. Keith Huff to report back on Incentives for Density Bonus, Protection of Steep Slopes (Chapter 2-5.60 (G)). 3. Keith Huff to report back on Floodway Fringe Limits of Encroachment (Section 2-3(B)(3)(b)). New Actions & Tasks 1. Developed options for the objective of conserving trees to prevent (or reduce) loss or depletion of trees. 2. Developed options for the objective of establishing and maintaining age and species diversity. 3. Amended the committee charter to reflect the clarification of the committee s charge by the Winston-Salem City Council. Winston-Salem / Forsyth County Tree Ordinance Committee Meeting Summary 1
I. Introductions, Agenda Review, Information Sharing A. The facilitator, Steve Smutko, welcomed the committee members and reviewed the day s agenda. B. The committee approved the November 15 meeting summary with no changes. members are in their recommendations to conserve trees to prevent loss or depletion (objective #2). The committee will establish a deadline at their next meeting. Smutko stated that his current facilitation agreement is for 10 meetings and that this was the eighth meeting. He will discuss a continuation of his agreement with Melynda Dunigan. II. Ordinance Directive from City Council III. Decision Framework A. The committee discussed the directive from the Winston-Salem City Council to generate recommendations for a tree conservation ordinance to be considered by the Council. All committee members were in agreement that the charge of the committee is to prepare recommendations on how to draft such a tree conservation ordinance. B. The committee worked on new language in the committee charter to clarify their mission. Parts of the charter on pages 2, 16 and 17 will be amended to be represent their charge. Smutko will draft new charter language for adoption at the February meeting. C. The committee discussed the need to move more rapidly toward its goal. Planning staff noted that the City Council was expecting recommendations this winter or early spring. Some committee members felt that that was an unrealistic expectation. Melynda Dunigan volunteered to meet with members of City Council to communicate the committee s progress and manage expectations. Facilitator Steve Smutko noted that he has prepared a summary of the committee s progress which will be updated monthly. D. The committee discussed a date by when they would be ready to forward their recommendation to the Council. Smutko stated that they would have information to make that assessment after the February meeting. A major variable that will determine the time needed by the committee is how far apart the committee A. Steve Smutko presented a recommended decision framework based on the framework developed by the committee at their November meeting. Smutko asked the committee to consider using the framework to guide their discussions and decision making. The committee agreed to adopt the framework. The new framework is contained in Appendix 1. IV. Options to Conserve Trees to Prevent Loss or Depletion A. The committee engaged in a brainstorming exercise to develop options to achieve Objective #2, Conserve Trees to Prevent Loss or Depletion. Before beginning the brainstorming exercise, one member expressed an objection to the wording of the objective, stating that it should be reworded to Conserve Trees to Reduce Loss or Depletion. The committee took no action to discuss the wording change. B. The committee generated options that may be implemented to achieve the stated objective. These are contained in Appendix 2. V. Next Steps A. The committee discussed the potential for using a development site in Winston-Salem in which to test the applicability of various tree conservation options and strategies. They selected a site on Robin Hood Road for this purpose. Winston-Salem / Forsyth County Tree Ordinance Committee Meeting Summary 2
Meeting was adjourned at 5:55 p.m. Next Meeting February 14, 2007 3:30 6:00 City Hall South Winston Salem, NC Agenda Items 1. Agenda review; approval of meeting summary, information sharing 2. Public input 3. Review and evaluate the options under Objective #1. 4. Review and generate additional options under Objective #2. 5. Generate options under Objective #3. 6. Next steps and agenda for next meeting. Winston-Salem / Forsyth County Tree Ordinance Committee Meeting Summary 3
Appendix 1 Winston-Salem / Forsyth County Tree Ordinance Decision Framework Program Goal Establish and Maintain Tree Cover (01/24/07) Substantive Objectives Maintain Trees in a Healthy Condition Conserve Trees to Prevent Loss or Depletion Establish and Maintain Age & Species Diversity Ways to achieve fundamental objectives (i.e. options) will be evaluated by how well they satisfy stakeholder interests STAKEHOLDER INTERESTS Reduce costs to citizens and industry of protecting air and water quality Increase the value of commercial property. Increase the value of residential property. Provide incentives for tree preservation. Provide attractive incentives for property owners to meet and go beyond our minimum requirements. Develop in a planned way. Promote community interaction through sound tree care and preservation. Preserve structurally sound native species. Define and conserve significant and heritage trees. Protect community appearance. Maintain Winston-Salem s green-ness. Create solutions that promote social interaction. Create solutions that educate. Encourage low impact development. Avoid the creation of unintended consequences. Keep regulations simple, easy to enforce, and low cost to enforce. Develop solutions that are easy to implement and inexpensive for the builder/landowner. The ordinance must be enforceable. Make it easy to review and approve; don t bog down the planning review. Keep housing affordable for low and moderate income families. Keep regulations from driving up housing costs. Find an equitable balance between private and public interests. Preserve and protect private property rights. Preserve rural areas. Maintain equity across jurisdictional boundaries. Meet the needs of both city and county. Encourage development with conservation or replanting if conservation cannot be done. Protect ground water resources. Protect cities and towns from avoidable storm water run off. Protect air quality. Preserve wildlife corridors. Protect water quality. Replenish trees. Eliminate/reduce soil erosion. Lower energy costs. Ensure proper tree preservation. Encourage arboriculturally sound tree maintenance and planting. Support the healthy maintenance and growth of urban and rural trees. Procedural Objectives Identify Location and Scope Political jurisdiction Critical areas Development type Specify Implementation Mechanisms Voluntary - Incentives -Education Regulatory - Existing ordinances / Standards - New ordnances / Standards Determine and Secure Staffing and Funding Gain Community Support Promote conservation of tree resources Identify values and benefits of trees Most of the committee s deliberation will be focused on deciding where, how, and at what cost the fundamental objectives should be achieved. Draft 1.2, 12/06/06 Winston-Salem / Forsyth County Tree Ordinance Committee Meeting Summary 4
Appendix 2 Options to Conserve Trees to Prevent (Reduce) Loss or Depletion Group 1 A. Plant trees to replace trees which cannot be conserved in present state B. Tree Replacement by caliper diameter inch replaced for each diameter inch removed C. Where a significant number of trees are taken by development, require replanting or protection of trees elsewhere Group 2 A. Establish standards for woodland and forest conservation B. Buffer areas along existing streams C. Increase undevelopable percentage of flood plain D. Allow trees to be planted in portions of street right of way E. Stay away form streams (buffers) F. Plant lots of new trees in Flood Plains G. Preserve all trees within 50 feet of any stream H. Develop incentives to increase tree save areas (tsa) I. Increase present bufferyard requirements (widths) including requirement for preservation of tree canopy J. Identify wildlife corridors and greenspace areas and provide incentives for protection of those areas K. Preserve a percentage of trees in new development (both commercial and residential) L. Preserve % of areas to be left undisturbed M. Allow transfer of Dev. Rights to preserve large areas of trees N. Save existing trees and continuous wooded areas esp along streams and locations that connect to other wooded areas O. Increase contiguous tree stands Group 3 A. Cluster residential development B. Encourage minimizing of impervious areas C. Where possible minimize rules that result in tree loss D. Moratorium for 1 year on removing trees after property changes hands Group 4 A. Increase tree plantings in city parks and public/corporate lands B. Require government units to be leaders in tree conservation as a good example C. Require development regulations to recognize need for tree conservation (street standards, retention ponds, detention ponds, etc) Group 5 A. Establish city and county tree canopy policy and goals Group 6 A. Tree protection plan for single family development B. Tree protection plan required for all property permitted for development C. Encourage creativity with use of landscape architecture input into site development D. Tree surveys on all property permitted for development E. Incorporate selective grading practices as opposed to mass grading Group 7 A. Specific requirements for savings trees by size, type, diversity B. Establish criteria similar to those used in Champion Tree Programs to increase value for mature trees C. Inventory signif. and heritage trees D. Walk site prior to site plan to preserve valuable trees E. Proper species selection for the site F. Give tax credits for any mature tree preserved outside of what is required by regulation using a model = city green to assign credit value G. Create and okay to remove list. Winston-Salem / Forsyth County Tree Ordinance Committee Meeting Summary 5