Friday, March 15, 2002
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Friday, March 15, 2002 |
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Plan approved for second phase to Wisdom Pointe retail center By JOHN
MUNFORD
Homeowners wanting to cut their trees down in Peachtree City may have to pay up in the future if they can't replant them on their property. A committee studying tree preservation in Peachtree City is considering a new requirement for homeowners wishing to cut down trees on their property. Homeowners would be required to replant a certain number of trees based on how many are cut down. If that is impossible, the homeowner may choose to pay a per-tree dollar amount to the city that would be used in a fund to plant more trees throughout Peachtree City. "There's always an opportunity for variances or ... for looking the other way," said Jim Williams, the city's director of developmental services. He said the ordinance should be simple, and not "made into a constitutional issue." Currently, the city's ordinances require that homeowners get permits before they cut trees down, but unless the trees are specimen trees or a protected species, the city can't stop a homeowner from cutting them down, said City Planner David Rast. "We need to make sure we don't become the tree Nazis," said Mayor Steve Brown, who added that the city's tree save requirements have helped make it a desirable place to live for local residents. Another possible change for the future is using an arborist hired by the city to study trees that are proposed to be cut down to make sure there is a necessity to cut them down, such as if the tree had a disease or poses a legitimate hazard to a nearby structure. Rast said some of these issues will be run by City Attorney Rick Lindsey to make sure they are enforceable. Councilwoman Annie McMenamin said the city's history of placing importance on saving trees may be what saves its legal stance in court should the new regulations ever be challenged in a lawsuit. It was also suggested that city staff work with individual home builders to make sure healthy trees are saved on lots where possible and to get rid of diseased or dead trees at the sites. The city may also change the way permits are granted, requiring tree cutting businesses to apply for the permit instead of the individual homeowner. Joe Burgess, a senior forester with the Georgia Forestry Commission, said that educating homeowners will be key to convincing them that they don't need to cut down healthy trees in many situations. The committee's recommendations are being forwarded to the ordinance clarification committee but the tree preservation committee will have a final opportunity to tweak it before the recommendation goes to the Planning Commission and then the City Council.
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