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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEx 13_Tree Replacement Narrative.pdf4648 Shantel St, Mount Vernon, WA 98274 Cell Phone: 206 714-7161 email: cliff@sitedme.com Development Management Engineers, LLC The Developer’s Engineering Advocate Narrative Justification for Administrator Approval Of Tree Replacement Day Short Plat – PRE19-000033 City of Renton New Tree Regulations: Per the proposed new Tree Regulations: The Administrator may authorize the planting of replacement trees, as an alternative to retaining trees in conformance with subsection H.1.a of this Section, on the site if provided it can be demonstrated to the Administrator’s satisfaction that an insufficient number of trees can be retained, the proposed removal and replacement is the minimum necessary to accomplish the desired purpose, and the tree replacement complies with the following:. i. Replacement Criteria: Replacement planting in lieu of minimum tree retention may be granted for situations where: (a) There are special circumstances related to the size, shape, topography, location, or surroundings of the subject property; or (b) The strict application of the code would prevent reasonable use of property. The Day Short Plat project includes the joining of 3 parcels for the development of 7 residential lots, a Storm Tract and a Critical Area Tract. The applicant was encouraged by City Staff to combine the properties and dedicate to the City and construct the SE 186th St through connection between 116th Ave SE and 120th Ave SE. Providing this through street will be a direct benefit to the city and the driving public. We contend that the Day Short Plat project contains special circumstances related to shape and topography such that in order to accommodate the through street and a 7-Lot development, tree replacement approval is needed. With the existing topography, the road connection between 116th Ave and 129th Ave creates a significant amount of cut which makes it difficult to retain trees. In addition, due to the ROW width required and the minimum lot size (area and width), the lot sizes cannot be reduced to accommodate additional tree retention and therefore, one lot would have to be removed from the development. If the Day Short Plat project were to be reduced to 6 lots, it would then be appropriate to drop the concept of providing a through street with the combining of the 3 parcels in favor of a smaller 5-Lot development on the larger westerly lot with a cul de sac and a separate single lot development and Storm Tract and Critical Area Tract on the easterly 2 lots. This option results in 6 lots but it is not burdened by the cost of constructing the through street. 4648 Shantel St, Mount Vernon, WA 98274 Cell Phone: 206 714-7161 email: cliff@sitedme.com Benefits of Replacement Trees: Removal of native species and planting of replacement tress can provide ecological and environmental benefits to a project. The following is an excerpt from a Memo submitted by the project Arborist for another project. “There is a trend amongst municipalities to favor the retention of native tree species. Research from WSU Puyallup (URL below) has clearly demonstrated that nonnative trees can offer equal or greater ecological and environmental benefits over retaining native trees. (As example: non-native conifers such as Austrian black pine or Incense cedar have the equivalent foliage mass and rain intercepting capability as an equivalent-sized native Douglas-fir or Western hemlock. Additionally, a single tree will provide limited benefit, as a single species, regarding wildlife habitat, cover and food source, compared to a mix of species and canopy cover heights, which could be achieved if more trees are removed, and new landscaping installed.)” https://wwv.isa-arbor.com/events/conference/proceedings/2013/CHALKER- SCOTT_Native_Species_Biodiversity.pdf Hazards of Retained Trees: Retained trees do not remain in perpetuity, they eventually die or get blown down. For example, the former HOA President of the 167-unit Woodside PUD in Mount Vernon which includes wetland critical areas, Forested Buffers, and NGPAs reported that 27 trees have been blown down since the community was first opened 6 years ago. Western Washingtonians are all too familiar with the property damage and fatalities caused by fallen trees during heavy windstorms that frequent the region. As described in the Chalker-Scott study, replacement trees are surely a plus for new developments when it comes to public safety and ecological and environmental benefits.