LFP City Council to hold Public Hearing for Tree Code on July 28, 2022 at 7:00pm

Maple in Pfingst Animal Acres Park
Photo by Dan Short

City of Lake Forest Park

PUBLIC NOTICE
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2022 - 7:00 P.M.

Proposed Code Amendments regarding Tree Canopy Preservation and Enhancement ("Tree Code")

The City of Lake Forest Park City Council has been reviewing proposed amendments to chapter 16.14 of the Lake Forest Park Municipal Code (LFPMC) code regarding Tree Canopy Preservation and Enhancement (Tree Code) for adoption under Ordinance Number 1245.

Amendments being considered include: 

• amending the policy section by adding a statement regarding the importance of trees in mitigating climate change and explaining the particular importance of “Exceptional” trees;
• the phrase “stand of trees” is replaced with the phrase “grove of trees” defined as a continuous grouping of trees of a certain size with overlapping canopies that occupy a defined amount of space;
• amending the process for appealing an approved tree permit by not allowing the tree to be removed until the appeal period for a major tree permit has expired (14 days);
• for removal of trees in critical areas, the proposed ordinance authorizes the city to require review by the appropriate professional but eliminates the mandatory requirement that a geologist or geotechnical engineer certify all permit applications on steep slopes, landslide hazard areas, or their buffers;
• amends the “Tree replacement” section of the Tree Code and its use of native replacement tree species;
• changes the assessment of tree canopy coverage from annually to once every five years;
• the Ordinance does not currently propose, but it has been discussed, amendments to the threshold diameter of Exceptional trees.

The public hearing will be conducted during the City Council’s regular meeting on July 28, 2022. The meeting will begin at 7:00pm and the public hearing will commence thereafter. 

The public hearing will be held in person at the City Council Chambers and virtually. Instructions for how to participate in the virtual public hearing may be found on the agenda for the meeting. 

Written testimony will be accepted prior to the meeting and distributed to the City Council and verbal testimony will be accepted during the public hearing.

Written comments should be submitted to City Clerk Matt McLean at mmclean@cityoflfp.com no later than 5:00pm local time on the date of the hearing. 

Any person wishing to provide oral testimony at the hearing is encouraged to register via the Remote Public Comment Sign-in Form on the City’s Hybrid City Council Meetings webpage https://www.cityoflfp.com/615/Hybrid-City-Council-Meetings by 5:00pm on the date of the meeting. 

Persons who have not signed up on the online public hearing sign-in sheet will be called upon to raise their hand through the Zoom meeting webinar feature and will be added to the speakers’ queue by the City Clerk, to be called upon by the Meeting Chair or designee. 

A request to speak can also be made by phone directly to the City Clerk at 206-368-5540 prior to 5:00pm on the date of the meeting.

The agenda will be available here by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, July 25, 2022.

Matt McLean

City Clerk