Arbor Committee

MAPLE GROVE ARBOR COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING MINUTES MARCH 11, 2021 VIRTUAL ONLINE MEETING 7:00 PM Call to Order The regular meeting of the Arbor Committee was called to order by Chair Parenteau at 7:00 p.m. Members Present Chair Mary Parenteau, Vice-Chair Frank Kampel, Sarah Piket, Steve Courtney, Julie Gamber, Cody Lensing, Don Varney, Marilyn Arnlund, Bob Henke, Ed Reichow, Mike Aasen Members Absent None Also Present Judy Hanson, Council Liaison Jesse Corrow, Staff Liaison Peter Vickerman, Staff Liaison Oath of Office Council Member Hanson administered the Oath of Office to Committee Member Mike Aasen. Approval of Agenda Piket requested the addition of 4F Landscape Review Process. Motion Kampel, second Varney to approve the amended agenda. Vote all ayes. Motion passed. Approval of Minutes Motion Henke, second Varney to approve the minutes from February 11th 2021. Vote all ayes. Motion passed. Old Business T-Zone Ordinance Planning Manager Vickerman presented the proposed changes to the T-Zone Ordinance. City staff would like to change how single-family neighborhoods are regulated by simplifying the replacement requirement. Arnlund & Kampel voiced concern that large trees would be replaced with smaller ones if there is less regulation. Vickerman responded that there has not been massive removal in these neighborhoods. Homebuyers tend to purchase these lots because of the tree coverage. Applying the current ordinance to a single tree in a single- family neighborhood is tedious and time consuming. Staff does not have the capacity, nor the resources for this, which is Arbor Committee Meeting Minutes March 11, 2021 why they would like to simplify the regulations. Applying the current ordinance would be more feasible if the city had full time forestry staff. Even then, the city is questioning whether it’s reasonable for homeowners to comply with these regulations. Courtney agreed, and would like the ordinance to be more feasible and cost-effective for existing single-family neighborhoods. Arnlund, Henke and Reichow expressed that they would still like there to be some regulations in place to restrict excessive tree removal. There was discussion about many homeowners being unaware that they live in the T-Zone, which leads to increased violations. The committee agreed that all homes in the T-Zone should be notified and educated. Reichow suggested including a QR Code to make it easy for homeowners to look up property on T-Zone map. Hanson suggested including a notice in utilities bill, or in city newsletter to gain more attention. Staff would also like to change the density bonus language to make the ordinance more flexible for developers. With this new language, the full tree inventory requirement would be exempt if over 55% of the acreage is being retained. The intent is to incentivize developers to preserve as many existing trees as possible. Staff has voiced concerns about applying the strict part of the current ordinance because it imposes extreme penalties, replacement requirements, and ongoing monitoring that is unrealistic. Vickerman verified that wetland areas in the T-Zone do not count toward the 55%. The majority of the committee agreed that the 1:1 replacement ratio should not be allowed. Parenteau asked if there was a suggestion for a different ratio. The committee decided to table this discussion until the next meeting. Conservation Easement Corrow informed the committee that a staff member from Hennepin County has been invited to discuss the conservation easement in more detail at the next meeting, along with CED Director Joe Hogeboom and the City Attorney. Bare Root Seedlings Order At the last meeting, the committee discussed using the city Form gravel bed to store seedlings over the summer. Corrow confirmed that there is room for roughly 200 seedlings to be Arbor Committee Meeting Minutes March 11, 2021 stored there. The committee discussed which kinds of trees they would like to order. New Business Parking Lot Subcommittee The subcommittee will resume their meetings virtually - continuing its research, and will bring recommendations to the Arbor Committee. The goal of the subcommittee is to improve standards for planting trees near parking lots, to ensure better longevity and overall health. How to Apply Mulch Arnlund created an informational handout, which will be posted on the city website. It will also be used by summer city employees to ensure they are all properly mulching. Alternative Celebration The committee brainstormed ideas for an online Arbor Day Ideas event. Some of the ideas included a scavenger hunt, creating informational videos, partnering with a restaurant and giving away free seedlings with takeout orders, and having residents submit pictures of their favorite trees for a contest. Main Street Project Arnlund and Varney met to discuss the landscaping logistics for the Main Street Project. There are concerns about on- going maintenance, however increased tree coverage will also improve aesthetics. Fall Tree Sale List The committee discussed which types of the trees they would like to purchase for the Fall Tree Sale. According to last years numbers, birch tends to be most popular. Landscape Review Process Piket voiced concerns with streamlining the landscape review process, noting that the opportunity to openly discuss plans would be eliminated. Corrow explained that the streamlined review process gives the Arbor Committee the ability to have their comments received by the Planning Commission in an efficient manner. Area Reports • Corrow confirmed that there are plans to remove the Amur Corktree from the Arboretum, per last months discussion. Adjournment Motion Arnlund, second Lensing to adjourn the meeting at 9:44 p.m. Vote all ayes. Motion carried. Arbor Committee Meeting Minutes March 11, 2021 Respectfully submitted, Jesse Corrow, Staff Representative City of Maple Grove Arbor Committee