Urban Forestry Commission

Urban Forestry Commission Meeting Minutes Tuesday, August 17, 2021 ❖ 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Virtual Meeting NOTICE: This meeting was held pursuant to and in compliance with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, Section 2.2-3708.2 and state and local legislation adopted to allow for continued government operation during the COVID-19 declared emergency. All participating members will be present at this meeting through electronic means. All members of the public may view this electronic meeting via the meeting link listed above and in the City’s website calendar. Attendees UFC members: Kathy Philpott Costa, Amy Crumpton, David DeCoste, Stephanie Hamilton, Mike Nichols UFC City Staff Liaison: Charles Prince City Council Liaison: UFC Student Representative: City Staff: Members of the Public: Tim Stevens (planning commission liaison) 1) Call to Order - the meeting was called to order at 7:34 p.m. by Kathy Philpott Costa. 2) Reading of Virtual Meeting Notice - this was read by Kathy Philpott Costa. 3) Roll Call - meeting participants identified themselves. 4) Approval of the July Minutes - the July meeting minutes were approved. 5) Public Comments - there were no public comments. 6) Staff Updates and Informational Items: a) UFC Calendar Update - Charles Prince identified a few items of interest to the UFC: a works session for Founders’ Row 2 on September 23 and a meeting on One City Center on September 20. These meetings offer a good opportunity for the UFC to provide input to the City Council. Ms. Philpott Costa will revisit comments previously delivered to the Founders Row 2 developer for the City Council. b) Return to In-Person Meeting - On September 13, the City Council will meet for an in-person meeting for Founders Row and One City Center. If this meeting is deemed a success, then the UFC may be able to follow suit and return to an in-person meeting in September. c) Neighborhood Tree Program (NTP) Update - An update was made in the Focus newsletter. Amy Crumpton sent details to VPIS, the Garden Club and the Falls Church News Press. Amy has been entering tree data into My Tree Counts, including trees that were planted during recent events. Virginia created a Plant NOVA Natives trees campaign and the NTP is involved so the city can receive additional publicity. The campaign begins on Sept. 1, 2021. The campaign will include several local communities who will also receive credit toward the Chesapeake Bay Watershed initiative. d) Virginia Legislative Agenda - Kathy Philpott Costa stated that the city typically collates a package of actions the city would like the state to adopt. Normally this action takes place in the fall. Kathy is working with Cindy Mester to review bills that relate to UFC. There is a stormwater management working group that should complete its findings by November 1, and a tree conservation bill allowing local flexibility as part of stormwater management is pending approval next year. UFC members are encouraged to suggest any other regional policies/practices/flexibility they'd like to see. Amy Crumpton asked regarding a status on any City stormwater code updates? At this point there is no update. Amy Crumpton stated that any new policy changes on stormwater or City landscaping may need additional staff support and that the UFC should be more adamant that the city has enough staff to support the city landscaping services. e) Dan Sze Memorial Tree and Plaque - the plaque is completed and the tree work order has been completed. The date for the City Hall plaque has not been announced. Kathy expressed a concern to make sure that all interested parties be made aware of this date once it is determined. f) UFC Staff Update - The job application deadline has been extended. A pay study is in process to potentially increase the pay. Employee retention and attraction has been a major issue for the city because of pay competition from surrounding jurisdictions. Charles will reach out to Arlington to determine if they received good applicants that they did not hire. All the positions are still open. g) Insight Site Plan Update - Charles doesn’t have any significant updates. A new setback is being added to Park Place, which looks nicer, but will cause one tree to be deleted. Charles will circle back on the Lawton Street tree buffer. Kathy suggested that Charles give that proposal one more review. Kathy did pose the question regarding soil volume on the roof and will follow up for an answer. Amy will forward a message from the residents for clarification on trees that may be planted on Lawton Street. h) Additional Informational Items - Mike Nichols noted some affordable housing on Shirley Street and Gibson Street, recently purchased by the City, that have space available for new trees. This may provide a great opportunity for the UFC to easily achieve its social equity initiatives. Charles will investigate if these locations could be included for the fall planting. 7) Current Business a) Sidewalk Grant Project for S. Washington Street - Amy Crumpton and Charles Prince did not have an update. b) American Rescue Plan - The UFC will revisit what the City Council has provided at this point. Recommendations are due in September, but uses are constrained to some degree by federal guidelines. The City ranked some priorities (stormwater ranked the highest) and, to date, the UFC hasn’t been asked for any recommendations. c) West Falls Church/WMATA development - Mike Nichols noted that Fairfax County met on June 30 - they discussed how the two cities will work together. There is a new section in the proposal that addressed parks, open space and landscaping. This was approved by the Fairfax County Board. The Gateway Partners Project was approved. It only included one mention of trees and it will be a concern by residents once the trees are removed, but ultimately it will be a good thing for the city. The WMATA development wil supposedly be integrated with the West Falls Church development in the City d) Greenspace data on city projects - Dylan Petrillo has been working with Charles on this project. Kathy will ask Dylan to also consider researching the tree canopy coverage data from the project descriptions (it is not possible to measure on conceptual designs).. Kathy noted that Fairfax has a requirement of 10% tree canopy in mixed use by-right projects. They also have “tree banking” where funds can be used to plant trees in other areas if the developer is short on tree canopy in a project. Fairfax also seems to have fewer special exception projects; Arlington is more similar to FCC as they do have special exception projects. Stephanie asked if the other jurisdictions include street trees in tree canopy calculations. Arlington does not include street trees in its tree canopy calculations, but Kathy will confirm if Fairfax County does. e) Additional Updates - Kathy cited the recent newspaper stories of citizens complaining about trees being removed from a house at Columbia and Van Buren, but people not realizing the “why.” In some cases it was due to stormwater mitigation such as underground facilities. Kathy suggested that the UFC should work with other city groups to improve the optics of tree removals and develop a consistent communication strategy. 8) Future Business a) Counting Tree Plantings (My Tree Counts) b) Green Infrastructure Plan/Standards c) Biophilic Cities d) UF Management Plan e) UFC Standard Maintenance Agreements f) TOTY Revision g) UF Code Changes h) Outreach / Publicity i) Memorial or Commemorative Tree Designation Process j) Stormwater task force coordination 9) Adjourn - the meeting adjourned at 8:44 p.m. Urban Forestry Commission Staff liaison: Charles Prince: 571-238-6306, arborist@fallschurchva.gov.