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File Number: 14-190 <br />to trees on private property). For trees on private property, staff provided the following options : <br />No changes to current policies; development of regulations that only pertain to properties <br />zoned for commercial, industrial, or multi-family uses (specifically exclude single-family <br />properties from any regulation); develop standards related to development sites; and develop <br />a method to define and protect significant trees with historic, heritage, or landmark value. <br />The staff report noted that for an ordinance to be successful , it must have the support of the <br />community. While most residents recognize the value of trees to the community, the majority <br />of community input in 1999 did not support a tree preservation ordinance that would regulate <br />tree removal on single-family lots. Thus, staff recommended that the City not proceed with <br />developing a tree ordinance governing single-family lots. <br />Current Policy <br />Title 12, Chapter 8 of the Administrative Code applies specifically to City street trees (trees in <br />the public right-of-way), the planting thereof, removal, trimming, other maintenance, and <br />administrative authority. With the exception of trees that were required plantings as part of a <br />project undergoing zoning/planning approval (and which are covered as part of the project’s <br />mitigation measures or conditions of approval) there are no City policies that regulate the <br />planting or removal of trees on private property, regardless of zoning. <br />Analysis and Policy Proposal <br />Chapter 7 of the 2002 General Plan, entitled ‘Historic Preservation and Community Design’ <br />notes the major role that landscaping (both in the public right-of-way and on private property) <br />plays in how San Leandro looks and feels. This Chapter 7 of the City’s General Plan provides <br />that, “Ultimately, a greener and more attractive City can provide economic and property value <br />benefits as well as ecological and aesthetic benefits.” General Plan Policy 44.03 provides as <br />follows: “…Encourage the preservation and proper care of mature trees throughout the City, <br />particularly those which may have historic importance or contribute substantially to <br />neighborhood character.” Action 44.03-A: Tree Preservation speaks to providing incentives for <br />property owners to maintain significant trees and reduce the burden of maintenance. <br />Redwood trees at Juana / Bancroft, and 647 and 651 Juana are noted as Historic Landscape <br />Elements in the 2002 General Plan; they are identified on the City’s Local Register of Historic <br />Significance, and thus they are protected by Ordinance 74-12. <br />The attached draft ordinance borrows primarily from the cities of Pleasanton and Walnut <br />Creek, with the intent to be mid-range in regulating trees on private property. The attached <br />Exhibit 1 is a matrix of tree ordinance information from the websites of other Alameda County <br />cities. Please note when looking at the numbers that some cities measure using diameter, <br />while others use circumference. The circumference of a tree is measured at Pi (3.14) x <br />diameter. Also, the height at which the measurement is taken varies from three feet above <br />grade to four feet, six inches. When not specified, typical measurements are taken at breast <br />height (hence the common terms CBH, Circumference at Breast Height and DBH, Diameter at <br />Breast Height). <br />For those cities that do regulate on private property (as shown in Exhibit 1), the attached <br />Exhibit 2 is a simplified comparison chart. The axis on the left represents the regulated <br />Page 2 City of San Leandro Printed on 5/13/2014