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One of the trees cut down as part of a $25 million renovation of the Westlake Plaza shopping center. The renovation calls for a complete landscaping plan.
In response to the controversial removal of oak trees at the Westlake Plaza shopping center, the Thousand Oaks City Council on Tuesday agreed to initiate a municipal code amendment that will allow revisions to the city’s oak tree preservation and protection standards.
The council voted 4-0, with Mayor Andy Fox absent, to direct city staff to look at amending two of the most controversial laws in the oak tree ordinance.
Under current law, an oak tree of any size or age can be removed as long as it was planted by the property owner. Any number of parking lot trees can be removed without Planning Commission or City Council approval as long as the removal is approved at the administrative level through the city.
“I personally consider both of those laws to be dangerous,” Councilman Al Adam said on why he agreed to have those laws reviewed and potentially amended.
The council also directed staff to draft a moratorium that will prevent further permits being issued to remove oak trees in the city while the changes are being considered.
Since consideration of a moratorium was not on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting, the council will make a decision on it at its next meeting May 28.
The shopping center, owned by Regency Centers, is undergoing a $25 million renovation, its first since it opened more than 40 years ago.
As part of that renovation, the developer removed three native oak trees and 24 oak trees planted by the property owner, all without the knowledge of the city manager, Planning Commission or City Council.
John Prescott, the city’s community development director, said his department approved the permit to remove the three native oaks.
Many in the audience at the packed meeting jeered Prescott when he said those three native oaks were in hazardous or diseased condition, which allowed their removal.
Prescott said the 24 owner-planted oak trees were removed because they are in and around parking lots and exempt from the ordinance.
The department also approved removal of nine owner-planted sycamore trees in and adjacent to the center’s parking lot.
All but six oaks have been cut down so far. About 13 people spoke at the meeting about their displeasure with the removal of the trees. Council members also gave their opinion about seeing those trees removed.
“Just to be clear, all of us are extremely unhappy with what happened. It was completely shocking to go by that center,” Councilwoman Jacqui Irwin said.
“Unfortunately it did happen and now we’re trying to rectify the situation as much as we can currently, but certainly to do as much as we can to prevent this from happening in the future,” said Councilwoman Claudia Bill-de la Peña.
Bill-de la Peña said that since 2002, the city’s oak tree ordinance has been simplified and made cheaper for residents and property owners to apply for a tree removal permit.
She said changes need to be made so there is no distinction between an oak planted by a property owner and an oak growing naturally so more of the trees can be preserved.
“An oak tree is an oak tree and it doesn’t matter how it got there,” Bill-de la Peña said to the applause of the audience.
The council’s action also included the establishment of an oak tree committee that will consider future permits.
Prescott said staff will research and report back on additional steps the city can take to ensure that project applicants and developers conduct better public outreach in similar cases, and that information on pending and approved oak tree permit applications are more readily accessible on the city’s website.
Prescott said that in the future he will make sure the city manager and council have information on high-profile projects that could have a significant physical effect on the environment.
Prescott said the original plan by Regency was to remove about 25 more trees on Agoura Road.
“I can tell you that they are looking at seriously reducing that number substantially,” he said.
“We’re continuing to work with the developer to mitigate the loss of trees through the new landscaping, and also to reduce wherever we can the number of future removals that are under the plan,” Prescott said.
Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/may/14/thousand-oaks-oks-changes-to-oak-tree-ordinance/#ixzz31iUYmV9J
- vcstar.com
carthomas7 writes:
Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/may/14/thousand-oaks-oks-changes-to-oak-tree-ordinance/#ixzz31iUlrIEO
- vcstar.com
If I have a tree in my back yard & I have kids and want a pool.
Even say 3 trees @ a home in the huge lots by the golf course; HO should be able to do whatever they please WITHOUT ANY ONES approval.
Now commercial property is different.
What Regency is doing is MAXIMIZING the BEST ($$$) use of their land so they may ADD another building and expand some shops and so ADD parking spots by adding parking spots by removing trees.
If they had COMMON SENSE would they be in government; now residents have to keep going back to keep an eye on THE fox guarding the coop.
NO promotion for Jacqui the in pockets of special interests candidate!!