Title
Consideration of Citizen Petition Related to Tree and Shade Master Plan
Description
This report provides the City Council with information in response to a citizen petition submitted by Dwayne Allen at the April 4, 2018, Formal City Council meeting regarding Tree and Shade Master Plan, Attachment A.
Report
Summary
The petitioner requests the City Council to (1) create the Citizen Tree and Shade Committee that was called for in the adopted 2010 Tree and Shade Master Plan; and (2) direct City staff to operationalize the citizen-created Citizen Tree and Shade Committee's Ordinance Guidelines.
Implementation of Tree and Shade Master Plan
The City of Phoenix dedicates approximately $5 million annually to a robust urban forestry management program based on the overarching Tree and Shade Master Plan adopted in 2010 (Master Plan). Since adoption of the Master Plan, the City has celebrated many accomplishments, such as:
- Adoption of the Downtown Code with minimum shade requirements and incentives for enhanced landscaping (2010)
- Completion of a Community Forest Assessment (2014)
- Voter approval of PlanPHX General Plan Update (2015) which reinforced tree and shade goals
- Adoption of the Walkable Urban Code (2016) which requires an enhanced and shaded streetscape
- Adoption of the Complete Streets Policy (2017)
Numerous projects that increase public shade have also been a priority. In addition to dedicated funding in Parks and Recreation for planting and maintaining trees, several public art projects have been completed that increase public shade, such as Bloomcanopy on Pierce Street; and numerous green infrastructure projects showcase the ecosystem benefits of trees and other green infrastructure, such as Taylor Mall at the Arizona State University (ASU) Downtown Campus and Civic Space Park.
The City’s Love Your Block PHX and Resilient PHX initiatives, funded by Cities of Service, has partnered with neighborhood volunteers, non-profit organizations and City staff to develop a Community Tree Shade Blueprint, a guide to volunteer-led tree planting projects in Phoenix and are continuing to work with the community on numerous planting projects in Phoenix neighborhoods.
In recent years, the City has ramped up tree planting efforts: In 2017, the Parks and Recreation and Street Transportation Departments planted over 2,000 trees, and over 3,000 are either planned or in progress on City property and right-of-way during 2018. Staff plan to plant 4,000 trees per year by 2019 by leveraging existing budgets and partnerships with the community. For example, the City has a tree fund that accepts donations for tree planting. Through an outreach program for donations, the City could take advantage of the high community interest in trees (over 50 percent of residents surveyed said they would consider donating to a tree campaign).
In 2017, the City of Phoenix partnered with Arizona State University and Urban Offsets to plant 200 trees in Phoenix for carbon credits to help provide funds for future tree maintenance. In 2018, this partnership is evolving, with the City now considering a proposal to receive over $17,000 annually for the next 40 years to maintain 137 trees on City property - a potential value of $700,000 over 40 years.
For a number of years, the City has continued its partnership with Arizona Public Service (APS) to remove and replace trees under power lines, in which trees are "banked" and planted as needed. In 2017, a similar partnership began with Salt River Project (SRP) to remove trees under SRP power lines and replace them with smaller profile trees nearby in the street landscape, parks, schools or other City facilities. Over 1,200 trees will be planted in 2018 to replace the 400 trees removed under SRP power lines.
Phoenix was selected as one of a group of international cities with a strong urban forestry program to be included in a United Nations International Day of Forests (March 21st) publication by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
The City is participating in the Bloomberg 2017 Mayor’s Challenge, having submitted a proposal to develop a “Heat Ready City" model. Phoenix was recently selected as one of 35 finalist cities to receive $100,000 to move forward with idea development and testing. Integral to the proposal is the need to focus on planting trees to create shade and reduce temperatures in neighborhoods, particularly for vulnerable populations.
Recently, the Parks and Recreation Department has been involved in several partnerships aimed at enhancing tree maintenance and health. In the last year alone, the Department accomplished the following:
- Worked with Maricopa County Air Quality and other community partners to help develop a list of tree species appropriate for planting in Maricopa County;
- Provided educational programs and urban forestry presentations to community groups, the University of Arizona Master Gardener’s Program, the Desert Botanical Garden staff, and the Arizona Parks and Recreation Association annual conference in Phoenix;
- Implemented a Gardener Apprentice Program with assistance from Laborers' International Union of North America, Local 777;
- Partnered with the Arizona State Forestry and the USDA Forest Service to establish a monitoring plan to study the cause of Aleppo Pine Blight in the Valley;
- Collaborated with the Davey Research Institute to conduct a soil and fertilizer/amendment study for trees in desert southwest soils.
Petitioner Request: Create Citizen Tree and Shade Committee
The Master Plan, in a policy recommendation to "establish partnerships and outreach programs to raise awareness about the benefits of the urban forest," called for creation of a Citizen Tree and Shade Committee to oversee urban forest issues. To date that has not occurred, nor did the Master Plan assign specific action items to such a committee. In a separate policy recommendation the Master Plan called for establishment of an Urban Forest Infrastructure Team (UFIT) consisting of various City departments to oversee implementation of the Master Plan. Numerous action items in the Master Plan were assigned to the UFIT, which was established and completed many of the action items for which it was responsible. Staff has surveyed communities that created citizens' tree boards or committees in order to identify best practices. An effective citizens tree committee could be charged to raise awareness and resources, build partnerships, advocate, and give recognition to individuals and organizations that contribute to improving the urban forest.
Petitioner Request: Operationalize the citizen-created Citizen Tree and Shade Committee's Ordinance Guidelines
In 2016, staff began working with stakeholders, City departments and the community to review existing policies, practices and regulations related to installation, maintenance and removal of trees in the public right-of-way and private property. Staff is presenting an update to the Sustainability, Housing, Efficiency and Neighborhoods Subcommittee on April 17, 2018 regarding this review and to receive input on the scope of the potential revisions. The petitioner's Citizen Tree and Shade Committee Ordinance Guidelines were included for the Subcommittee's reference. These Ordinance Guidelines address trees in the following areas: planting, maintenance, removal, development projects and enforcement. All of the group’s focus areas could be addressed in one of the three tiers of the recommended updates; however, it would be challenging to implement all of the group’s suggestions immediately without extensive stakeholder outreach and dedicated funding to hire additional staff. For purposes of the Subcommittee discussion, staff organized the proposed updates into three categories or tiers, with increasing scope and need for staff and budgetary support.
Tier 1:
Strengthen existing procedures and standards prior to issuance of permits from the Planning and Development Department. No additional staff and budgetary resources would be required.
Examples of Tier 1 updates could include:
- Text Amendment to the Zoning Ordinance to strengthen landscape inventory and salvage requirements.
- Permitting process for onsite landscaping to allow for more thorough inspections.
- Enhanced enforcement language tied to all approved landscape plans.
- Minimum canopy height for trees to reduce conflicts with vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians and reduce incidents of overpruning.
- Additional pruning and best practices educational materials and incentives for planting trees.
In addition, inherent in Tier 1, is the expanded tree planting program that aspires to reach 4,000 new tree plantings each year on City property and right-of-way by 2019.
Tier 2:
Create procedures and standards to be administered after completion of Planning and Development Department inspections. Additional staff and budgetary resources would be required.
Combined with the efforts in Tier 1, examples of Tier 2 updates could include:
- Addition of enforcement related to non-permitted tree removal/replacement subsequent to completion of all Planning and Development Department inspections.
- Mechanisms to respond to and investigate complaints regarding the removal/replacement of trees in the right-of-way and on private property.
- Outline of penalties for property owners in violation of requirements.
Tier 3:
Expanded service model through substantial shifts in staffing and budgetary resources to create new planning, maintenance and regulatory framework for trees. Significant staff and budgetary resources would be needed to accomplish this level.
Including the efforts in Tiers 1 and 2, examples of Tier 3 updates could include:
- New regulations, staffing allocations and enforcement mechanisms that monitor the health of permitted trees.
- Develop unique landscape character elements and shade priority for each area of the City.
- Organizational and regulatory framework for landscape review based on geography or site conditions.
Based on feedback from the Sustainability, Housing, Efficiency and Neighborhoods Subcommittee, staff will continue to work on the supported elements and commence an outreach effort to stakeholders for feedback. Staff will then return to the Sustainability, Housing, Efficiency and Neighborhoods Subcommittee to seek recommendation for City Council approval of a work program for implementation and detailed proposals.
Options for Council Action
A. Staff will continue to work on the supported elements and commence an outreach effort to stakeholders for feedback. Staff will then return to the Sustainability, Housing, Efficiency and Neighborhoods Subcommittee to seek recommendation for City Council approval of a work program for implementation and detailed proposals.
B. Provide other direction to staff.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Managers Karen Peters, Deanna Jonovich, and Mario Paniagua, the Office of Sustainability, and the Parks and Recreation, Planning and Development and Street Transportation departments.