Urban Forestry Commission

Tree Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, October 19th, 2016 v 7:30 - 9:30 pm Dogwood Room, City Hall Present: Dennis Szymanski, Kathy Philpott Costa, John Tesner, Karen Jones, Christian Autor, Kate Reich, and Dan Sze. 1. Approval of September Minutes: The minutes from the September 21, 2016 meeting were approved. 2. Public Comments: None 3. Old Business: None 4. Current Business  Comments on draft Streetscape Design Standards: The Task Force’s October 18 meeting included discussion of many issues related to use of sidewalk space. The TC will provide feedback on the current Design Standards draft in a memo, with points prioritized as follows: (1) standard setback should be greater than 20 feet, (2) planters should have raised planter edging; (3) the design standards should allow flexibility for multi-tree planters; (4) any eventual requirement for single tree planters should expressly apply only prospectively and not to existing planters, even if replaced or repaired; (5) maintenance agreements should incentivize planter maintenance by setting penalties for non- compliance; and (6) sodium calcium manganese acetate should be researched as an alternative de-icer that is healthier for the environment and less corrosive to streetscape.  Code updates/modifications relating to urban forestry: Moved to next meeting.  Letter to FC News Press re: street tree protection: Karen will send it in. The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability call (703) 248-5350, option 5. TTY 711.  5. Plan Reviews  Inns of Virginia – The Fire Marshall requested that there be no planter at all in front of the door, but this has never previously been required. The TC will send a memo to staff stating (1) its continued preference for a double tree planter, with no tree or shrubs planted right in front of the door; and (2) its support for locating the backflow preventer on private property, as long as there is public access in an emergency. 6. Informational Items:  Kate provided a tree frequency chart for street trees in Falls Church. Ideally, no single genus should make up more than 20% of the City’s streetscape, and the chart shows that the City is well diversified, with no single genus representing more than 13%.  Future Business  Tree canopy goals and strategies  Enforcement of site plan landscape violations  Update to Chapter 5 of the Comprehensive Plan: Environment (Virginia Tech graduate student project to update this chapter) The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m. Staff liaison: Kate Reich, 703-248-5183 kreich@fallschurchva.gov The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability call (703) 248-5350, option 5. TTY 711.