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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-25-2006 TC MinutesCITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO TREE COMMITTEE CORPORATION YARD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2006 MEMBERS PRESENT: Jim Lopes, Don Dollar, Ben Parker, and Sara Young STAFF PRESENT: Ron Combs PUBLIC COMMENTS Terry Conner stated he had participated in the Downtown Tree Walk led by Mr. Combs and that he had found it very enlightening and well done. He also discussed the Marpomo mixed use condo project downtown item that was heard by City Council. The plan included a large palm, which Mr. Conner did not think was appropriate for a major corner (Marsh and Nipomo). He wanted the Committee to be aware of the particular design element and asked that they consider whether it’s an appropriate tree for the location. Mr. Lopes clarified the process of project review and reported that the ARC had reviewed the project and accepted it as designed. He noted the actual corner location may not be within the Street Tree are and therefore they could plant what they wanted. He asked staff to check whether the corner location was Street Tree designation, since palms were not on the Master Street Tree list. 1. APPROVAL OF AUGUST 28, 2006 MINUTES Mr. Combs noted that at the property on 24 Verde, it was the elm tree determined to be pruned, not the pepper. Re property at 255 Foothill, Mr. Dollar corrected the language to read, “failing sewer laterals were not causes for removal.” The minutes were approved as amended. 2. TREE REMOVALS 1511 BALBOA (PINE) Jim McBride, applicant, discussed the large pine that was planted too close to the house. He felt the roots were heading towards the slab foundation and would damage it in the future. He wanted to remove the tree to prevent future extensive damage and replace it with a more appropriate species. Mr. Combs stated the tree was in reasonable health, had large surface roots and was too large for the yard. He did not see evidence of foundation damage yet, but felt future root damage could be anticipated. He felt the life expectancy of the tree was limited, due to its topping. Ms. Young noted the property did not have a posting when she was there. Mr. Combs confirmed it had been posted earlier in the week. Mr. Lopes noted there was a separation between the slab and floor plate, with a horizontal crack. He felt the crack could be due to settling and not necessarily evidence of root damage. Mr. Dollar felt it was a fairly healthy skyline tree. Mr. Lopes discussed root pruning, but Mr. Combs felt that might stress the tree into failing. Mr. Parker discussed the possibility of test excavation that would determine encroachment of the roots. Mr. Lopes moved to continue the item to the November 27 meeting to allow applicant time to excavate and determine the extent of root issues. He stated the applicant was welcome to appear at the October 23 meeting if there was a report to be made at that time. Mr. Dollar seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 22 CHORRO ST. (MISC. TREES) James Anderson, Exxon Mobil representative, announced that Exxon would be ending its decades-long lease at the site and that they planned to remove the Mobil station from the site and abandon the property, returning it to a vacant lot. By lease, they were required to removal all improvements to the property, which included vegetation. He stated he did not know what the property owners planned to do with the site. Mr. Combs noted that a removal permit was required because the lot was in commercial zoning. Mr. Dollar felt the value of the landscape was not taken into account for the site within the lease language and did not feel the established perimeter landscaping needed to be removed. Ms. Young and Mr. Parker felt that removing the landscaping now would afford a better landscaping plan during the new development phase. Mr. Lopes felt the pine and Chinese elm could be retained as Street Trees and would enhance future projects if retained, but felt the other landscape could be removed, as it would not harm the character of the neighborhood. Mr. Dollar was concerned that the property was not posted. He felt legal notices should be incorporated as public process. Mr. Parker moved to continue the item to encourage the property owner to submit a replacement plan/concept to determine if there’s evidence of undue hardship re retaining the landscaping. Mr. Dollar seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 3. NEW BUSINESS -- DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE COMMITTEE’S HIGHEST PRIORITIES TO BE INCLUDED IN THE 2007-09 FINANCIAL PLAN Mr. Combs noted that the draft recommendations needed to be submitted to the Finance Director by November 1, 2006. There was general discussion about the previous goals of enhanced maintenance of the urban forest. The Committee agreed to have in-depth goal discussion at the October 23, 2006 meeting. Mr. Dollar pointed out that two of the major City goals – infrastructure maintenance and the downtown enhancement – had scopes that could incorporate Tree Committee goals and could incorporate the term “trees” into the goal language. He also felt Tree Program compliance issues need to be addressed, e.g. removals, replacement planting follow-ups, etc. Mr. Combs agreed that more staff was needed to implement program requirements and discussed the difficulty his department was facing in filling vacant job openings. The Committee agreed the critical link for maintaining the urban forest and the Tree Plan was staffing resources. OTHER BUSINESS Mr. Lopes noted that Katie Hall had resigned due to relocating to Los Osos. Mr. Lopes discussed a series of workshops open to the public that were aimed at getting the know City processes, commissions, and staff better and understanding City government. He stated that the Master Street Tree List finalization meeting was set for September 26, 2006 and that Deborah Cash from the Downtown Assoc. and Jeff Hook from CDD would be in attendance. He reiterated the goal of making decisions for the List to be submitted to the Council. Ms. Young noted that the Citizen Forestry group meeting with staff should take place prior to the rainy season. Mr. Dollar asked that a short staff report on actions taken outside of the agenda items be added to meeting agendas to keep the Committee informed. He also discussed whether Parks needed its own version of appropriate trees, i.e. Master Parks Tree list, with its own designations and needs outlined, e.g. safety, liability, visibility. The meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m. to the next regular meeting of Monday, October 23, 2006 at 5 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Lisa Woske, Recording Secretary