Politics & Government

Community Invited to Give Input on Tree Protection Ordinance

The City Council meeting will be held on May 19.

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Autumn Johnson, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge

Mayor Stephen Cassidy and the San Leandro City Council announced today that community members are invited to attend the City Council meeting the evening of Monday, May 19th and provide comments regarding a proposed Tree Protection Ordinance.  The meeting will be held in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, located at 835 East 14th Street in downtown San Leandro, beginning at 7:00 pm. 

San Leandro is unique among many Bay Area communities in that it does not presently have adopted tree protection regulations.  Following the removal of a very large heritage tree by a private property several months ago, community residents from the Mulford Gardens neighborhood petitioned the City Council to consider adopting new regulations that would provide citywide tree protection measures.

The draft ordinance would apply to the removal of larger trees (defined as "Protected Trees") on private property, which meet any of the following criteria:

  • Any live woody plant having a single perennial stem of 18-inches or more in diameter;
  • Any multi-stemmed perennial plant having an aggregate circumference of 40-inches or more, measured 4½ feet above the natural grade;
  • Any tree of particular historical significance specifically designated by official action;
  • Any tree that is part of a grove of three or more trees that provide integral cover.
If the draft ordinance is adopted by the City Council, property owners seeking to remove a protected tree first would need to apply for a tree removal permit with the Public Works Director to demonstrate that the tree poses a danger, or is generating significant impacts to the property. A tree appraisal report also would be required as part of the permit application.  Normal maintenance pruning of protected trees would not require a permit.  Under the draft ordinance, any property owner who removes or destroys a protected tree without first securing a permit would be subject to civil penalties based upon the assessed value of the tree. 

For additional information about the draft ordinance, please contact the Department of Public Works at (510) 577-3440. For community residents interested in filing formal comments on the draft ordinance, please contact the City Clerk's Office at (510) 577-3367 or mhanda@sanleandro.org. 

—Information submitted by City of San Leandro

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