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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-04-2004 TC MinutesCITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO TREE COMMITTEE MEETING MONDAY, MAY 24, 2004 MEMBERS PRESENT: Laura Rice, Jim Lopes, Steve Caminiti, Laura Hauss STAFF PRESENT: Ron Combs, Lisa Woske, Todd Beights, Jay Walters 1. REVIEW MINUTES OF APRIL 26, 2004 The minutes were approved as submitted. 2. TREE REMOVAL REQUESTS „ 1446 NIPOMO (Eucalyptus) Richard Green, 654 Buchon, applicant’s representative, discussed the removal request and stated the tree was too large and growing too close to the house, noting it had already cracked the sidewalk. He also cited chronic limb breakage and was concerned with liability and property damage, as well as a fire hazard. He suggested replacing it with a crepe myrtle. Mr. Combs reported that the three was fairly healthy, but planted in a poor location. He did not notice vertical displacement, just cracks. He favored replacement with a suitable mid-sized series. Ms. Rice noted that the tree had three leaders and suggesting cutting off the main leader hanging over the street to mitigate the applicant’s liability concerns. Mr. Lopes agreed with Ms. Rice and felt the tree added to the neighborhood. He suggested removing the two diagonal leaders and keep the single vertical leader. Ms. Hauss agreed with Mr. Lopes’ suggestions. She also noted that the stakes and strapping on the Chinese pistache needed to be removed for the health of the tree. Mr. Caminiti did not feel he could make the necessary findings, but agreed it was a bad location for the tree. He did not see any displacement and felt pruning might mitigate littering and liability concerns. He did not favor lopping off two primary trunks. Mr. Combs noted there would be vigorous growth if the two trunks were removed and wounds would be open to decay. Mr. Lopes moved to deny the removal request, as he could not make the necessary findings. He suggested a licensed arborist safety prune the tree semi-annually. Mr. Caminiti seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. „ 3860 S. HIGUERA, SPACE #173 (Canary Island pine) Robert Douglas, applicant, distributed photos of the property and discussed the purchase of a new mobile home for the site and stated that the unit would not fit on the pad/lot due to the location of the tree. He was also concerned that if there were a way to get the home unit on the pad, the tree would eventually grow into the building. He discussed landscaping with three dwarf fruit trees on site, as well as an evergreen pear planted in the front. Mr. Combs noted the tree was healthy and that the circumference would increase as it aged. Mr. Lopes did not feel the photos and diagram submitted were detailed enough or scaled correctly. He wanted more documentation to determine that the installation of the home unit was impossible with the tree remaining. He favored a continuance pending more details and accurate diagrams. Mr. Caminiti agreed with Mr. Lopes and suggested installers might get more “creative” with their installation efforts. Ms. Rice and Ms. Hauss added that they wanted to see an exact site design and correspondence from the installers as the feasibility of unit placement. Mr. Caminiti moved to continue the item to the next regular meeting to allow the applicant to return with accurate, scaled drawings and a representative from the installation company or at least definitive information from the installers. He suggested the Committee re-visit the site and that the applicant stake the corner by the tree so Committee could see the relationship between the tree and the mobile home. Ms. Hauss seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. „ 872 MORRO (Five eucalyptus) Ted Crutchfield, ABM Facility Services, was the applicant’s representative. He discussed the AT&T position and the trees on the lot. He expressed concerns with limbs hanging on the roof, leaves clogging down spouts and drains, and limbs breaking. He stated the trees had been pruned. The applicants requested no replacement plantings be required, but were willing to compensate for trees planted elsewhere. He discussed landscaping with shrubs and lower-growing plants. Mr. Caminiti clarified that the six city trees were not the purview of the application and that the city itself needed to make application for removal of those. Mr. Combs noted that the trees were in fairly good health and had been pruned with high canopies. Mr. Caminiti did not favor removal and felt it would be “clear cutting.” He felt given the size and location of the large building, the trees were key to the downtown area. He suggested establishing more suitable sized trees now and removing the existing trees in phased approach. He suggested a proposal be submitted by a landscaper to handle the sensitive site. Ms. Hauss and Ms. Rice did not feel smaller plantings would be in scale with the building and would not enhance the property. Mr. Lopes suggested the CDD would have background on any conditional use permit and original landscaping requirements. He felt crown reduction would be an option to re- shape the trunk area and get the trees’ tops below the roofline to mitigate concerns. Mr. Lopes moved to continue the item to a date uncertain to allow applicants to return with a professional proposal for crown reduction, suggested tree replacements, and a long-term replacement phasing. Mr. Caminiti seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. „ 625 MITCHELL The application was pulled. 3. NEW BUSINESS Mr. Caminiti distributed emails regarding the plantings on LOVR medians to address Committee concerns regarding reviewing media landscaping. Mr. Lopes clarified his concerns regarding the use of palm trees and the need for large canopy trees and that the direction given by the ARC was not implemented. Mr. Combs reported that larger development projects would also come to the Tree Committee for review. Mr. Walters discussed the landscaping section between Diablo and Prefumo and stated money had been allotted and the design was consistent with the existing median. Mr. Lopes felt the Diablo/Descanso median corridor was not consistent with the ARC direction and felt existing trees should be replaced with trees the ARC recommended. Mr. Caminiti suggested staff bring back median designs so the Committee could suggest additional plantings that better reflected ARC approvals. Mr. Walters said the Prefumo/Descanso and Madonna Road/Home Depot plans could be reviewed and suggested incorporating a better review process. 4. OLD BUSINESS The Committee discussed the status of the Autopark area tree removals. Mr. Lopes reiterated his request for the Committee’s pending list of projects to be included on future agendas. The meeting adjourned at 6:45 p.m. to the next regular meeting at 5 p.m. on Monday, June 28, 2004. Respectfully submitted, Lisa Woske Recording Secretary