Urban Forestry Commission

Urban Forestry Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, April 18, 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, Tim Roche UFC City Staff Liaison: Charles Prince City Council Liaison: Letty Hardi UFC Student Representative: City Staff: Members of the Public: Other guests: Gary Steiner, Karen Whire, William Brewer, Matthew Allman, Jennifer Romeo 1) Call to Order - the meeting was called to order at 7:08 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 April Minutes - the April 2022 meeting minutes were approved. 5) Public Comments - there were no public comments. 6) West Falls Church Senior Housing Team Presentation West Falls Church Senior Housing Team presented the current site and design plan, which is mostly based on the initial design. The UFC members asked questions about tree cover, vegetation and stormwater management. Open questions regarding pet relief area and bird safe design that we will follow-up on. Stephanie and Amy will draft any comments which are due May 20. 7) Staff Updates and Informational Items: a) Vote Officers Chair - Amy Crumpton nominated - approved by roll call vote of the full commission Vice Chair - Stephanie Lamore nominated - approved by roll call vote of the full commission. Secretary - Alison Miller nominated - approved by roll call vote of the full commission. b) Electronic Participation Policy for Meetings 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. Policy approved by the roll call vote of the full commission. c) City Council Update Calendar Founders 1: An amendment to tax incentives is being reviewed and we have an opportunity to make additional recommendations. During our June UFC meeting, we will discuss recommendations in making the project more vegetative. Charles to share initial Tree Commission recommendations with the current Commission for awareness. ESC: Amy and Charles will coordinate to see where we want to work together with the ESC. Transitional Zones (t-zones): The City Council met on May 16th to discuss potential infill developments. Letty raised to the UFC that this topic may need to be considered by the commission. d) Staff Update i) Neighborhood Tree Program Update Trees have been ordered and Charles will provide a more detailed update next month when more progress has been made. ii) Amendments to Virginia Code 15.2-961 on Replacement and Conservation of Trees In April 2022 the Virginia State Legislature amended the Replacement and Conservation of Trees Act to encompass all areas of Virginia. The original law was scoped only for northern virginia. Falls Church uses the Replacement part of the code. The new law provides clearer direction on development canopy coverage for all of Virginia. No impact or changes to Falls Church directly, for awareness only. iii) N. Washington St. Multimodal Improvements Grant Application – The City applied for a grant to fund Multimodal improvements along N. Washington. Comments and letters of support are due May 22 to sypcomment@novaauthority.org. Anyone in the public can submit comments. 8) Current Business a) Review of West Falls Church Senior Living Site Plan. Completed earlier in the meeting. b) UFC Priorities for 2022 - From UFC 2021 Annual Report to City Council i) Protect City Tree Canopy ii) Integrate Preservation of Mature Trees in Stormwater BMPs iii) Define Landscaped Open Space/Green Space Standard for Commercial Development Discussion deferred to next meeting. c) UFC Volunteer Assignments Amy made the request for volunteers to attend/monitor other overlapping commission discussions. Stepanie and Amy will rank them in relative importance and a brief description so new members can review. d) Letter to City Staff re Review Process on Founders Row II Amy and Stephanie will finalize offline e) Letter to City Council on FY2023 Proposed Budget for Arborist and Urban Forestry Amy will finalize. f) Updated Information for the UFC Webpage Amy and Jennifer will work on updates before the next Commission meeting. 9) 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 10) Adjourn - the meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m. by Amy Crumpton Urban Forestry Commission Staff liaison: Charles Prince: 571-238-6306, arborist@fallschurchva.gov