Item 1B Tree Preservation Ordinance

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Minnetonka may bolster trees against builders' ax Page 10f2 starTribune.com I MINNEAPOLIS - ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA Minnetonka may bolster trees against builders' ax As developers carve big lots into smaller tracts, residents want an ordinance to protect their trees. By Laurie Blake, Star Tribune Last update: October 12, 2007 - 9: 11 PM To save big, healthy trees and what's left of original woodlands from the buzz saw of development, Minnetonka is preparing a new ordinance to preserve the city's woodsy look and feeling. The rules -- scheduled for a vote early next year -- would give trees higher visibility as a community asset and spell out how builders must accommodate them. Majestic hardwoods and tall evergreens would be ranked as significant trees or high- priority trees, depending on their size, location and condition. And the ordinance would for the first time define and locate woodland preservation areas within the suburb. Instead of requiring a tree-for-a-tree replacement no matter how large of a tree is cut down -- as the current ordinance does -- the new ordinance would require inch-by-inch replacement with the planting of as many as 10 2-inch trees to replace a tree with a girth of 20 inches. The new ordinance also would give the City Council new power to scale back building plans to protect woodlands and trees. Protecting trees is one of many steps the city may take to protect the city's natural environment from development pressure, said city planner Julie Wischnack. The City Council is also considering new restrictions on shore land, slopes and surfaces that don't absorb water. Although a high-profile redevelopment on Glen Lake made headlines last year when the builder cut down a swath of trees in violation of the existing tree ordinance, that was not the incident that triggered discussion of a new tree ordinance, officials say. Rather, it was an uncooperative builder in Crosby Cove in the northwest part of the city who made council members realize they didn't have the tools they needed to protect trees, City Manager John Gunyou said. In that case, a developer purchased a former estate off Crosby Road near McGinty Road and built quality homes but cut down large trees and changed the topography in the process, said City Council Member Brad Wiersum, who represents the area. "The neighbors were up in arms." http:j jwww.startribune.comjl06jv-printjstoryj1481970.htrnl 10/16j2007