Urban Forestry Commission

Urban Forestry Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, August 16, 2023 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Meeting Location: 300 Park Ave, Dogwood Room Attendees UFC members: Amy Crumpton (Chair), Stephanie Lamore (Vice Chair), Tim Roche UFC Student Representative: Lydia Sturgil City Staff Liaison: Charles Prince (Arborist) Members of the Public: Peng HIghnam, Joseph Cobucci, Chris Cobucci 1) Call to Order - the meeting was called to order at 7:32 p.m. by Amy Crumpton. 2) Roll Call 3) Approval of the July Minutes. July 2023 minutes were approved 4) Public Comments. a. Joseph Cobbucci (Scout Troop 895) presented his Eagle Scout project to inventory existing trees with species tags in City parks and to identify new trees to tag. Joseph inventoried 97 trees in eleven City parks. He will lead a team of his fellow scouts on August 19 to tag another 17 trees in five parks. The new tags will use proper nail and spring fasteners and the scouts will loosen screws on existing tree tags to give them a longer life. VPIS, who provided tree tags and fasteners, supported this project as continued educational outreach to the community on identifying and appreciating trees. The UFC and Arborist commended Joseph for his effort. b. Peng Highnam discussed the launch of the new online community resource Falls Church Pulse (fallschurchpulse.org) which curates and organizes public information on key developments and issues facing the City. Ms. Highnam invited the UFC and the Arborist to submit documentation and analysis on tree canopy and other urban forestry issues to the website. The UFC and Arborist were grateful to Ms. Highnam and her colleagues for developing such a useful resource that can assist in greater public awareness and understanding of important issues that can often be highly technical. 5) Staff updates and Informational Items: a. City Council Calendar b. Staff Updates: Prince reported that a new third hire for the UF Crew was not a good fit so the crew is back to two staff. A job announcement will be online soon to refill that position. c. Community Energy Action Plan: Virtual Town Hall - ESC Preview: Crumpton noted that the UFC might suggest to the ESC that the City’s plan include a provision similar to one in Arlington County’s plan to “Reduce the urban heat island effect by promoting ‘cool construction’ practices, emerging technologies, and using natural resources (biophilic)” - Strategy B.3 of the Community Energy Plan (CEP) Roadmap for Arlington County. 6) Current Business a. Quinn & Homestretch Project: Prince noted that the landscaped open space on this plan thus far calls for 50% open space and 18% tree canopy coverage in 20 years. Developer has provided a plant list earlier in the process than usual which consists of native plants. The developer will present the site plan to the Planning Commission on September 6. Comments collected by the Planning Commission will be due by October 13 to City Council. b. Oak Place Project: The UFC found this day care project site plan to be very problematic. Members did not support the parking lot perimeter waiver nor the location of trees against the building along Oak Street. Further, while the streetscape along Park Avenue consists of trees and grasses, it does not allow for any space to drop off students. There is no loading zone or solid waste capacity internal or along either street. There is insufficient outdoor landscaped open space for a playground area to accommodate 150 students. UFC members are also concerned that the traffic flow that such a business would generate would clash with the traffic patterns required for student drop off and pick up at St. James school across the street. c. Revised Memo on Minimum Requirements for Tree Canopy and Landscaped Open Space: Crumpton agreed to get a final version of this memo to Prince who will submit it to the City Attorney for consideration of the viability of the proposed recommendations. 7) Future Business 9) Adjourn - Meeting adjourned at 9:13 p.m. Urban Forestry Commission Staff liaison: Charles Prince, cprince@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 571- 296-6306 TTY711