POLICY REPORT
URBAN STRUCTURE

Date: April 30, 1999
Author/Local:E.C. Batty/7315
RTS No. 00645

CC File No. 5802

Council: June 1, 1999

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	General Manager of Engineering Services, in consultation with the General Manager of Parks & Recreation
SUBJECT:	Tree Installation for Local Improvement Pavement and Curb Projects

RECOMMENDATION

A. THAT the General Manager of Engineering Services and the General Manager of Parks & Recreation, be authorized to delete, at their discretion, tree planting from Local Improvement Initiative Pavement, Curbing and Trees projects, where more than 50 percent of the abutting property owners object to the planting, and the owners have been advised of the benefits of tree planting.

B. THAT the General Manager of Engineering Services monitor, for the next two years, the number of Initiative street paving projects where trees are deleted and report back if this becomes excessive (more than 5% per year).

COUNCIL POLICY

Council, at its meeting on June 25, 1991, reviewed a Policy Report entitled Inclusion of Street Tree Planting in all Local Improvement Projects, and approved the following:

THAT Council instruct the City Engineer to include Street Tree Planting in all Residential and Higher-Zoned Street Pavement and Curbing Local Improvements where possible, constructed after 1991.

Council, at its meeting on July 27, 1993, approved the following:

THAT tree planting continue to be part of the Local Improvement Street Paving and Curbing programs, but Council allow petitions with signatures from at least two-thirds of the property owners representing at least one-half of the actual property value, supporting paving without tree planting to be received for Council's consideration.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to relax the existing policy on the installation of street trees by allowing the General Manager of Engineering Services and the General Manager of Parks & Recreation some discretion in the requirement for street tree planting where a significant number of the abutting property owners are opposed.

BACKGROUND

Tree planting has been included in the Local Improvement Curbing and Paving Program since 1992. Prior to this, the Park Board had a program to follow street pavement and curbing projects with tree planting; however, it was falling behind. Since then, more than 3,400 trees have been added to Vancouver streets as part of this program. Property owners are generally in favour of tree planting and very few requests for the deletion of tree planting have been received. The concerns usually are; view blockages, sap dripping onto parked cars and difficulty with leaf removal, especially when the owners are elderly. In situations where tree planting is possible but the adjacent property owners are opposed to tree planting, it is necessary to report back to Council for approval to delete trees from the project. Only one report (September 1995) on tree reduction has been reviewed by Council. In that situation staff was asked to discuss with the neighbourhood their concerns with tree planting. The selection of an alternate tree species resulted in the tree planting proceeding. In the 1998 program there were two projects where, despite discussions with staff, the majority of property owners were opposed to the planting as proposed. In each location there were already large trees in the immediate vicinity. Owners were amenable to the planting of about half of the proposed trees in locations mutually agreed upon. If some discretion is allowed, staff would approve a modification to the tree planting requirements at these locations.

DISCUSSION

The Local Improvement Petition process allows for Council review and approval of projects without trees, at the First and Second report. No separate report is required.

All Initiative projects are forwarded with trees wherever possible. Property owners receive Initiative Notices and their consideration of whether or not to accept the project is based more on their interest in curbing and paving than tree planting. It is generally only when the pavement work is completed, and trees are to be installed, that the concern with tree planting, if any, arises. This occurs very rarely and it is proposed in these instances, that Engineering Services and the Park Board staff contact the property owner to inform them of the value of trees to the environment and the tree species available that may reduce their concerns. If after this, more than 50 percent of the owners are opposed to the tree planting, it is proposed that the tree planting can be deleted, at the discretion of the General Manager of Engineering Services and the General Manager of Parks & Recreation, without a report back to Council. It is not anticipated that this relaxation will result in a significant reduction in the number of trees planted through this program. However, to provide some assurance of this, the number of Initiative street paving projects where tree planting is deleted will be monitored, for two years, and a report back will be made if this becomes excessive (more than 5% per year).

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver