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Pensacola Proposes Protecting Heritage Trees07-02-09 | News

Pensacola Proposes Protecting Heritage Trees

Pensacola (est. pop. 55,000) is a seaport on the Gulf of Mexico, situated on the western panhandle of Florida. On February 19, 2009, the Spanish king and queen?EUR??,,????'?????<

After nearly a year of delay, Pensacola, Fla.?EUR??,,????'?????<

On July 10, however, the council backed off its vote on strengthening the tree ordinance to protect older, large trees to give all parties more time to come to a compromise.

The latest proposal has more than 30 changes, such as defining heritage trees by size and type, a steeper cost for removing a heritage tree, revising the size of replacement trees and giving developers credit for additional landscaping.

This is historic downtown Pensacola. The latest city ordinance proposal would double the fee ($250 to $500) for every protected tree removed from residential or commercial properties that is not replanted or replaced according to the ordinance standards. To remove a single 34-inch heritage tree would require either planting 16 trees or paying $8,000.

One councilman who is ready to approve the new ordinances said he?EUR??,,????'?????<

The latest proposal is to double the fee from $250 to $500 for every protected tree removed from residential or commercial property that is not replanted or replaced according to the ordinance standards.

Under the proposal, to remove a single 34-inch heritage tree would require either planting 16 trees or paying $8,000.

Some council members think that?EUR??,,????'?????<

The new ordinances would require a landscape and tree protection plan from anyone getting a building permit or site work permit for building a residential townhouse, multifamily residential units, or commercial or industrial development. Currently, only a landscape plan is required for getting a building permit. A landscape and tree protection plan must be drawn to scale by an architect, landscape architect or civil engineer licensed by the state.