South Bay Parkland Conseryancy also wants to donate a bench for Bill Befit, who recently passed away. She was thinking they should choose one beautiful ruefic design for future donations of benchese She wanted to askilhe Commission for their opinion on that.
Chair Korman Sooper thanked Barbara and CommissionerLang said that she would follow up with City stem on this idea.
I. ITEMS CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS AGENDAS
None.
J. ITEMS E R DISCUSSION PRIOR TO ACTION
J.2. DISCUSSION OF ELEMENTS TO BE INCLUDED IN A TREE ORDINANCE Kelly Orta introduced Rob Osborne of the City's Public Works Department who gave a presentation on this issue. He said that he was there at the City Council's direction, to get the Commission's input on a Tree Ordinance they are developing. He said that a few months ago, the City Council started receiving complaints expressing concern that trees, primarily located in the parkway strips in front of properties, were being cut down. A tree ordinance was suggested to govern this issue and to protect trees from being removed. Two City residents, one of whom is Commissioner Lang, developed a proposed tree ordinance. In August it was brought to City Council. After discussion of the issue, the City Council directed that it be brought before three Commissions: the Recreation and Parks Commission, the Planning Commission, and the Public Works Commission, for specific input on four different areas that could be included in a tree ordinance. The four areas are as follows:
Proposal to establish Protected Tree Classification based on unique species, age, or historical significance. The City's current practice is to protect all trees, not just those with these specific characteristics. These factors are already included in the process and are taken into consideration in making decisions to protect trees in the City • Proposal to prohibit removal of trees in parkways (related to development projects). The current practice aims to avoid tree removal if at all possible, and it requires an appeal to the Planning Commission to obtain permission. Requests are approved on a case-by- case basis. Staff recommends maintaining the current practice in order to keep flexibility
• Proposal to prohibit removal of trees on private property. This is not something the City has ever regulated. They have only focused on trees on public property. Staff does not recommend restricting what people can do with trees on their own property. It could be very controversial if the City began to infringe on property rights. • Proposal to establish two lists, one for approved and one for prohibited trees. We currently have a list of recommended trees (it was included in the agenda packet). it includes eighteen different species of trees that do very well in the beach climate. Other trees are considered on a case-by-case basis, if residents want to plant them. The staff recommendation is to maintain the current list, and not to establish a list of prohibited trees, but to evaluate residents' requests on a case-by-case basis.
Rob Osborne asked for the Commissioners' input on the four areas he had spoken of, for City Council's consideration of the tree ordinance issue, and concluded his presentation.
Chair Korman-Sooper asked if the Commissioners had any questions or comments.
MINUTES - RECREATION AND PARKS COMMISSION 2
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Commissioner Lang said that she had a presentation for the Commission and would like to speak after the discussion of Rob Osborne's presentation.
Commissioner McCauley asked if the City has an arborist on staff, and whether he agrees with these recommendations.
Rob Osborne replied in the affirmative and said his title is Parks and Urban Forest Manager and that he agrees with the recommendations of the Public Works Department.
Public Works Director Ted Semaan said that he is also available to answer any questions the Commissioners may have regarding this item tonight.
Commissioner Rowe asked roughly how many inquiries the City receives in a year about a tree being taken down—is it once a week or once a month?
Rob Osborne said in Public Works, they get very few-once every couple of months on average for the last few years.
Commissioner Rowe asked if they had heard from Mike Garcia on this issue, and Public Works Director Ted Semaan said they had not heard from him on this issue, but they would be happy to have his input.
Commissioner Escontrias asked whether they were looking for the Commissioners to voice their opinion and come up with a consensus on the items enumerated in the presentation.
Rob Osborne replied that the Council has specifically asked for the Commission's input on the four items that he went through.
Commissioner Escontrias asked whether there have been any studies conducted by the State or the County concerning this type of ordinance.
Public Works Director Semaan said this type of ordinance varies from city to city, and he is not aware of anything coming from the State or County on this.
Commissioner Escontrias asked whether the current ordinance has any provision for removing a tree causing damage, for instance to a sidewalk.
Rob Osborne said the arborist would look at several factors, including the age of the tree, as well as whether its roots are causing damage to a sidewalk.
Ted Semaan said they do take into consideration safety issues, such as a limb or a tree that may be in jeopardy of falling, as well as possible trip and fall hazards from damage caused by the root structure. A multitude of factors contribute to the decision, and Alberto Alejandre is a certified arborist and is using his expertise and years of experience to make these judgments.
Chair Korman-Sooper suggested that they hear Commissioner Lang's presentation before taking further questions.
Commissioner Lang gave a presentation on the tree ordinance proposal she had co-authored with Laura MacMoran, sharing her screen to present the slides that had been previously submitted to the Commissioners for their review. She said that in her discussions with the MINUTES - RECREATION AND PARKS COMMISSION 3
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Public Works Department when she raised concerns about trees being removed, she was told that their removal had been approved by the Planning Department without the City arborist being consulted before removing them. She said tree removal without replacement happens often. The Public Works Department wants to plant a tree in the place of every one that is removed, but unfortunately that is not always done. She proposes having a clear ordinance to help protect trees. She said there are 2,282 empty parkway spaces in Redondo Beach where trees could be planted. Expanding our canopy is going to be one of the primary ways that we can protect ourselves from increased temperatures. In 2020-21, she said, the City planted 102 new trees, but 43 trees were removed that year. She feels that the City needs a clear process for Planning, Building and Safety, and Public Works to work together toward a shared goal of preserving mature trees. In regard to the proposed species list, she suggested that some trees provide a more beautiful aesthetic and provide a canopy of shade for the street on which they are planted. Consistency in canopy size creates an aesthetic of cohesiveness and feels intentional and thoughtful. Some cities are designated as Tree Cities USA and in order to achieve this, a city needs to have a tree canopy committee of residents or experts in the field who come together to discuss tree issues in the area.
Commissioner Lang concluded her presentation and Laura MacMoran began her presentation.
She introduced herself by saying that she is a City Planner and she works for the City of Lomita.
She said that in the South Bay, there are only two cities that do not have a tree ordinance, and the two cities are Hawthorne and Redondo Beach. Trees are mentioned in our code but there are no binding official requirements for property owners, and there is nothing to establish a community ethos. She commented on what was said in Rob Osborne's presentation in regard to avoiding infringing on the rights of property owners. She said that in Planning they set limits on what people can build, how big they can build, what is the land use, any many other factors.
Preserving trees would be similar. From the perspective of Recreation and Parks, our parkways are important to citizens' recreation and their health. On the issue of driveway construction, unless you have something in the code that is binding, you will always have pushback and never have the enforcement mechanism. There is a new state law called SB 9, a housing law that allows subdivision. Unless we want to have lots of driveway aprons and no parkways, we need to be able to restrict the size of the driveway and limit the removal of trees. In regard to the species list, Redondo has eighteen trees on its list; and Lomita has over thirty-five on its list.
We need to have enough diversity to ward off tree diseases. She then shared her screen and showed examples of streets in District 5, where there are numerous opportunities to add trees to the parkway to provide shade and beautify the streets.
Chair Korman-Sooper thanked Laura MacMoran and Commissioner Lang for their presentations and all the hard work in drafting the proposed ordinance. She asked for questions from the Commissioners.
Commissioner McCauley thanked them for their presentations, and said we all agree that trees are great, and continuing to add trees in the City is a great idea to pursue. He thinks the canopy is an important factor that should be included in the conversation. He said the parkway is the area to start adding trees, especially with the deficit of trees they have identified throughout the City. He said he is not in favor of opening up a can of worms in regard to the private property rights. He asked whether the City's policy right now would be to preserve and to add trees at any opportunity, and also asked about the policy on installation of artificial turf to conserve Public Works Director Semaan replied that the parkways are completely under the City's control, and, although we do not have a tree ordinance, the City Council has directed us to plant MINUTES - RECREATION AND PARKS COMMISSION 4
Wednesday. November 10, 2021
at least 100 trees per year. He said that artificial turf is allowed on the parkways, but they have a concern, because if there are newly planted trees, they do need irrigation. The property owner needs to water the newly planted tree to allow it to establish and to flourish. There are regulations about how close the artificial turf can be to the tree trunk, because it causes artificial heating to the tree roots that becomes problematic. We want the soil to be able to breathe around the tree. We want the water to be able to penetrate into the soil, but also to be able to evaporate out of the soil.
In regard to the number (2,282) of empty parkway spaces in the City, Commissioner McCauley inquired as to the source, and asked if there is a census of trees.
Ted Semaan replied that yes, a census of trees happens on a regular basis. West Coast Arborists has a four-year contract with the City. They do the tree trimming and keep track of the maturity and health of each tree in their system, which the City can access. However, we do not have a tabulation of parkways without trees, and cannot substantiate the figure of 2,282 missing trees, referred to in the presentation.
In response to a question from Commissioner Lang, Ted Semaan said it is not in the WCA contract to come out to water the trees they have planted. The City provides watering at the beginning
Commissioner Lang commented that with new construction in North Redondo, they are required to plant a new tree in the front yard, in order to receive a certificate of occupancy.
Chair Korman-Sooper said that to her, it seems like there isn't a lot of controversy with items 1.
And 4, defining a heritage tree, and establishing a species list. She said she feels like an ordinance is definitely needed. She disagreed with making determinations on a case-by-case basis, and expressed her agreement with Laura MacMoran on establishing an ordinance that is binding and concrete. She said she is not in favor of adding another arborist position to the City staff or creating an additional commission because of the cost burden to the City.
Commissioner Lang said they put the arborist position into the ordinance just in case Alberto leaves, so that the City would be required by ordinance to have someone in that role.
In regard to item 3, Chair Korman-Sooper asked if it would cause a property owner to have to wait for a hearing in a case where a tree was causing structural or plumbing damage. She also said that supporting item 2 Is actually very strategic and commented on how much North Redondo needs green space as opposed to additional paved areas. We need some rules for construction projects.
Laura MacMoran replied to Chair Korman-Sooper's question about item 3, saying that there could be something written in the ordinance to allow for an expedited administrative process when it comes to safety matters similar to the situation she described.
In response to a question from Chair Korman-Sooper, Commissioner Lang described how the adoption of a tree ordinance has been such a positive experience for the other cities she has researched, and how good it has been for their communities.
Motion by Commissioner McCauley, seconded by Chair Korman-Sooper, that the Parks and Recreation Commission strongly encourage the City to maximize the tree canopy along the parkways as much as possible throughout the city.
MINUTES - RECREATION AND PARKS COMMISSION 5
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Commissioner Escontrias asked if it was possible to find out what the consensus of the Commission is, before doing a motion for Council. He said that the first question for each commissioner is, "Should there be an ordinance?"
Commissioner Rowe said that the City Council has asked for their opinion on whether there should be guidelines in place for trees. He said he thinks the answer is yes. And they want to make sure that we don't think they are overstepping their bounds. He said he thinks they can all agree that an ordinance is a good thing. Other cities have one, and as long as it's written properly, we should be okay with it.
Commissioner Escontrias said that if they, in principle, agree that there should be an ordinance, that is probably the first step. And we could ask that it come back to the Commission after it has been worked out more specifically with input from the public.
Chair Korman-Sooper said that Council has been really specific about the items they want to have input on, and that the Commission should give them their input on each of the four items.
Commissioner Escontrias said that, if they have concerns beyond those four items, it is important that they voice them.
Chair Korman-Sooper said she doesn't think anybody is trying to prohibit additional input, but she just wants to make sure that as a Commission, they're addressing what they've asked for.
Public works Director Ted Semaan suggested that they respond to each item, letting the Council know if they support it or not, and stating any parameters they would like to add, specifying as a heritage tree trees of a certain diameter, or some other criteria like that, for example.
Chair Korman-Sooper said she doesn't have enough expertise on trees to come up with her own specifications about what should be considered a heritage tree. She said that seems a little bit beyond her capabilities.
Commissioner Lang said that the Commission could express their support in a more general way for each of the items separately, without being bound to define the specifics of each one.
Kelly Orta reminded the Commission that there was a motion already on the table, and Commissioner Escontrias asked if someone could repeat the motion.
Rob Osborne repeated the motion made earlier by Commissioner McCauley, and seconded by Chair Korman-Sooper, for the Commission to strongly encourage the City to pursue maximizing tree canopies along parkways, as much as possible. Motion carried unanimously, with Commissioners Almeida and Varvarigos absent.
Motion by Commissioner Lang, seconded by Commissioner Escontrias, for the City to create criteria for heritage trees. Motion carried unanimously, with Commissioners Almeida and Varvarigos absent.
Motion by Commissioner Lang, seconded by Chair Korman-Sooper, for the City to create regulations to protect parkway trees from driveway expansions. Commissioner McCauley voted "No," all the other Commissioners voted in favor of the motion, with Commissioners Almeida and Varvarigos absent.
MINUTES - RECREATION AND PARKS COMMISSION
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Motion by Commissioner Lang, seconded by Commissioner McCauley, for the City to establish regulations regarding the removal of trees on private property in certain situations.
Commissioner McCauley voted "No," all the other Commissioners voted in favor of the motion, with Commissioners Almeida and Varvarigos absent.
Motion by Commissioner Lang, seconded by Chair Korman-Sooper for the City to adopt a tree species list. Motion carried unanimously, with Commissioners Almeida and Varvarigos absent.
In response to a question from Chair Korman-Sooper, Kelly Orta replied that all of the input from the Commission, including their votes on the motions, would be part of the package for City Council when they consider this item.
Commissioner McCauley added his comment that he would like the City to focus on expanding the tree canopy in North Redondo as a priority
Commissioner Rowe said that there were twenty-five trees on Rockefeller and the Greenway, and there are now seven, because of the gophers.
Commissioner Escontrias asked about the requirement of adding 100 trees a year, which Ted Semaan had mentioned earlier. He asked when that was enacted and how the City is doing with that.
Rob Osborne replied that it was implemented in the last three to four years, and in the most recent fiscal year we planted 107 trees. He expects we will meet that goal this year, as well.
J.1. ELECTION OF OFFICERS
lly Orta said this is the annual process of selecting a Chair and Vice-Chair for the Commission, and new this year, according to ordinance, is the requirement for the Commission to also choose someoneto act as Secretary.
Chair Korman-Scoper inquired, "What does the Secretary do?" Kelly Ortareplied that it is more of a ceremonialposition, as staff will continue to draft the staff reports and the agendas and minutes.
Chair Korman-Sooper asked the Commissioners for their nominations for Secretary.
Commissioner Lang nominated herself as Secretary, and Commissioner Rowe seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously, with Commissioners Almeida and Varvarigos absent.
Commissioner Rowe nominated Jacob Varvarigos as Vice Chair, and Commissioner McCauley seconded the motion. Mation carried unanimously, with Commissioners Almeida and Varvarigos absent.
Chair Korman-Sooner nominated Christopher MeCauley for the position of Chair.
Commissioner Rewe seconded the motion. Mation carried unanimously, with Commissioners Almeida and Varvarigos absent.
MINUTES - RECREATION AND PARKS COMMISSION 7
Wednesday, November 10, 2021