Urban Forestry Commission

Urban Forestry Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, April 13, 2022 ❖ 7:00 - 9:00 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: Amy Crumpton, Stephanie Lamore, Jennifer Anderson, Alison Miller UFC City Staff Liaison: Charles Prince City Council Liaison: Letty Hardi UFC Student Representative: City Staff: Members of the Public: Other guests: 1) Call to Order - the meeting was called to order at 7:07 p.m. by Amy Crumpton. 2) Reading of Virtual Meeting Notice - was read by Amy Crumpton. 3) Roll Call - meeting participants identified themselves. 4) Approval of the March Minutes- the March 2022 meeting minutes were approved. 5) Public Comments - there were no public comments. 6) Staff Updates and Informational Items: a) Welcome to new commissioners (Alison Miller, Jennifer Anderson, Tim Roche - Virginia FOIA Policy re Meetings and Public Records - UFC Google Drive  - UFC Ongoing Priorities and Volunteer Assignments b) City Council Update Calendar i) Amy presented annual report to City Council on 4/11 and also got Arbor Day declaration ii) April 19 - UFC - Dan Sze Dedication iii) April 21 - FCC Budget Town Hall iv) April 25 - FCC Budget Public Hearings c) Staff Updates i) New staff members joined and are doing great. They have made great progress on the outstanding work items. ii) No update on new position - it has not been posted. Position will be called Urban Forester to get more experienced candidates. Addition staff position is unfunded. d) Dedication of Dan Sze - Event is on 4/19 at 6pm EST at City Hall. e) Arbor Day Details - Event is at 4/23 at Jessie Thackery to plant Yellowwood tree. Very excited for this event. Several Council members and School members have been invited. Will define the program next week. Not sure if it will be filmed - TBD. Charles has done a great job getting this going with all the uncertainty 7) Current Business a) Electric Participation Policy for Meetings We will vote on this policy next month. This is a policy that allows us to continue to enable commissioners to meet electronically if they cannot make the meeting in person once the state of emergency declaration is lifted by the City of Falls Church. b) Founder Row II Comment Table with Applicant Responses (March 17, 2022); Founders Row II Developer Responses to UFC Comments We had some big wins on accessibility and stormwater management commitment. This also demonstrated the cooperation and coordination between boards and commissions can be effective in prioritizing comments and requests. Founders Row II has been approved by the City Council. UFC is interested in learning about how we can continue to influence the planning at the next phase. Final Site Plan will need to be approved by the Planning Commission. The Site plan has not been submitted for review and discussion to the Planning Commission. Stephanie and Amy will draft a memo to the Planning Commission on the process of the approval of Founders Row II. The UFC will request the additional opportunity to discuss input during the site planning stage. Specifically we would like to get additional clarity on the language used in the responses (eg open space - does that calculation city sidewalks/trees). The UFC wants to evaluate what metrics for green open space and canopy with ESC. We want to develop the requirements or code for development to City Staff and City Council. We will discuss adding this to our work plan. Founders I is revisiting the amenities to add more greenery to the space. c) FY2023 Proposed Budget - Arborist and Urban Forestry (pp 20-22) There are few editing requests needed to the budget request. The number of trees and landscaping acres need to be grounded - both seem low. We noticed a trend that  materials, supplies, and other budget line decreased by 9.5%, which would impact the ability of arborist to plant additional trees on Oak Street trail and at the request of private property. Charles would like support to prioritize funding an additional FTE (5 FTE total) to support the administrative activities required by the Urban Forestry office. Voluntary concessions should be going to the Tree Canopy fund not stormwater fund, which gets carried over. Amy would like to provide additional comments on the cost of removing invasive species. Charles also concerned about the 15.6% decrease on the Professional and Contractual line item - particularly as costs are rising. d) Updating the UFC page on City's website Charles can make the edits if Commissioners provide input. Jennifer volunteered to update the website with Amy. They will propose a plan for updates by next month’s meeting. Stephanie recommended showing how City’s guidelines compare to other cities. 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 8:50 p.m. by Amy Crumpton Urban Forestry Commission Staff liaison: Charles Prince: 571-238-6306, arborist@fallschurchva.gov