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It's time people had a say about treesBy Ron Littlepage Yesterday morning was bright and sunny and warm. A group of people standing in a corner of Hemming Plaza chose the comfort of the shade of several large oak trees. The irony of that wasn't lost on a member of the group. Under the do-nothing tree protection ordinance passed by the City Council late last year and signed by Mayor John Delaney, only two of the plaza's 39 magnificent trees would be protected from the bulldozer if the plaza were to be developed. That's why the group, led by the newly formed Citizens for Tree Preservation, was there -- to take the law into the hands of the people. Hold onto your hats, folks, this is going to be a heckuva ride. Citizens for Tree Preservation chose Hemming Plaza to launch its petition drive to put a charter amendment on the ballot that would be a true tree protection plan instead of the tree destruction ordinance we have now. The council's ordinance basically protects hardwoods that are 24 inches or more in diameter. That may sound good, but it does little. A 24-inch tree is a big tree. As I said, only two of Hemming Plaza's trees would pass the test. The proposed charter amendment is more reasonable. It would protect hardwoods 12 inches or more in diameter. That's basically the same requirement that was in the city's original tree ordinance, which the city never had the guts to enforce against residential developers. Under the charter amendment, residential and commercial developers would either have to save such trees or mitigate for their destruction. It would not apply to individual homeowners. When the City Council passed its ordinance, the influence of developers and real estate interests was rife. The fight was ugly and bitter. In the end, money won. The petition drive, if successful, will give the people a voice. The group behind the petition drive is formidable. Just to name a few, there's attorney Bill Brinton, a veteran of successful petition drives to reduce the proliferation of billboards and to limit the terms of politicians; Jan Miller, who led the fight that did in Delaney's amphitheater plans; Stafford Campbell, a longtime Arlington activist; Lane Welch, who is active with Greenscape; and John Crescimbeni, a former city councilman. Joining them yesterday were council members Suzanne Jenkins and Matt Carlucci. To get the amendment on the ballot, the group will have to collect the signatures of 20,941 registered voters. If the drive is successful, the amendment could be on the ballot in November. Citizens for Tree Preservation can be reached by calling 722-TREE or by e-mail at treeamendment@hotmail.com. Here's betting that the group gets the signatures and that in the end, the trees will finally win. The people will do what the council should have done all along. |
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