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Savingsome bark but with les's bi"te elindw of the burden to property owners,Minnetonka has softened language in a proposed ordinance to protect its oldest trees. By LAURIEBLAKE •iblake@star ibme.com Aug.ll that is kinder to property owners. U The council's caution on the tree ordinance is PERCENT WITH It's tree protection.versus property rights in tied to residents'resounding rejection of the city's Minnetonka proposed shoreline ordinance late last year.In that Bowing to landowners who say-saving trees case,the city wanted to protect water quality by re- would reduce the number of lots they could sell OFSAVINGTREES quiring lake-and creek-front homeowners to line s for new homes,the City Council has backed away their shorelines with native plants when they re- BUTIFEELIAM- from a strict tree preservation ordinance designed modeled or rebuilt waterfront homes.Residents to save 75 percent of the old,quality trees in new turned out by the hundreds to oppose that pro LOSINGSOME - subdivisions. posaL J . Unwilling to approve the ordinance at its July 14 meeting—after two years of studying the issue Minnetonka continues-.Developer's dearcutting George MacGibbon,a landowner' —council members willconsider new wording on- prompted a call for protecting trees.86► affected by the tree ordinance plan . City staff members proposed 171e Council Member Tony Wag- C7 ty alms an ordinance focused specifi- ner has said that he is still look 1 cally on subdivisions because Cie LeFevere, who re- cently won city approval fora �for an ordinance that would forbalance °fin-lot developmentisthreat- prevent a case like Crosby erring what remains ofthe shady 4.2-acre,five-lot subdivi- Y I sign called Coyote Song, told Cove from happening again, canopy provided by the city's the council that`the number of because citizens are asking the with tre e °�merest,said Natural Re- lots in a subdivision is of critical city to preserve the feeling of source Director Jo Colleran their neighborhoods. The ordinance would. ap- importance to a landowner." George MacGibbon said his "When we see a subdivision OS ply to 1,250 acres of"woodland property on Timberline Road of land going in and the big old preservation areas"—parcels is entirely within the proposed oak trees are going down to ac- pfip. of land that are at least 2 acres tr preservation area"I agree commodate new housing,that in size and contain remnants of the city's earliest tree cover.Ile 100 percent with the philoso- is when we-hear from resi- . MINNETONKA FROM Bi ordinance also would apply to phy of saving trees,but I feel dents that our neighborhood The message was"we were healthy individual trees 15 inch- I am losing some control the is changing because you are al- reaching too far and asking too es or more in diameter,which way it is going.- lowing all these oak trees to be " would be defined as `hi In recognition of property removed,"Colleran said. much, said Council Member pn- owners'rights, the ordinance "Ibis ordinance is trying to Brad Wiersum. "I want to be lode Both categories could in- says developers who are will- strike a balance between al- sure that we don't make that dude oaks that are more than. ing lowing`development and pro- same mistake with the tree or- 200 years old,Colleran said .to work with the city and P Altho use creative design and con- tecting neighborhood charac- dinance.At the end of the day, �Minnetonka'sstar- struction methods to save ter,and it is a difficult thing to I believe in the sacredness of dard lot size is half an acre,the trees can work back to half- achieve:' property rights:' ordinance seeks to save trees by acre lots. requiring a 1=acre lot any time Origins of the ordinance that development threatens to This the provision that remove more than 25 percent City Council members have Work on the tree ordinance of a woodland rotection area asked the staff'to strengthen began in 2005, after council p in the revision to,be consid- members were shocked to find °rmO� trees. tofalot's the city_was powerless to stop a high priority trees. ered Aug.ll. developer from clearing some T71e'Idea is that a full acre rolling wooded property for the would provide enough space Crosby Cove development for trees and houses and roads. Council members asked the But that could reduce the developer to use creative de- number of lots a landowner sign and construction to save could sell trees, "and he adamantly re- fused,even to the point of get- his lawyer involved say- i 'u can't make me do it," W ty Attorney Desyl Peter-' son said. After that,council members asked for more tools to protect trees.