ORDINANCE NO. 2023-02-1543
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING SECTION 12.05.040 OF CHAPTER 12.05 OF THE SIGNAL HILL MUNICIPAL CODE RELATING TO NEW STREET TREE PLANTING WHEREAS, pursuant to the authority granted to the City of Signal Hill by Article XI, Section 7 of the California Constitution, the City has the police power to regulate the use of land and property within the City in a manner designed to promote public convenience and general prosperity, as well as public health, welfare, and safety; and WHEREAS, incorporated in Signal Hill Municipal Code Chapter 12.05, the Street Tree Master Plan is updated approximately every five years; and WHEREAS, on April 26, 2022, the City entered into a Professional Consultant Services Agreement with landscape architecture firm SWA Group Inc. and its specialty arborist subconsultant Rincon Consulting, Inc. in connection with the Street Tree Master Plan Project, and resulting in the completion of the 2023 Street Tree Master Plan; and WHEREAS, on February 28, 2023, the City Council of the City of Signal Hill approved the 2023 Street Master Plan which includes updates to the street tree inventory, street tree palette, and revisions to the existing Street Tree Policy and planting and maintenance standards; and WHEREAS, on February 28, 2023, the City Council of the City of Signal Hill approved the 2023 Street Tree Policy which amended the prior policy in line with the 2023 Street Tree Master Plan; and WHEREAS, the City now desires to amend the Signal Hill Municipal Code pertaining to planting standards in compliance with the 2023 Street Tree Master Plan and 2023 Street Tree Policy.
NOW, THEREFORE, the City of Signal Hill, California, does hereby ordain as follows:
Section 1. Recitals. The City Council hereby finds that the foregoing recitals are true and correct and incorporated herein by this reference as substantive findings of this Ordinance.
Section 2. CEQA. The City Council, based on its independent judgment, finds the proposed amendments to the Signal Hill Municipal Code (Project) are exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the City’s CEQA Guidelines. The Project qualifies as exempt under State CEQA Guidelines Section 15304, as it involves minor alterations for the standard of planting new street trees. The Project is also exempt pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15307 and Section 15308, as it involves an Ordinance for maintenance, protection and enhancement of the environment and a natural resource. None of the exceptions to the categorical exemptions listed above apply to the Project.
Section 3. Subsection C of Section 12.05.040 of Signal Hill Municipal Code Chapter 12.05 Tree Planting Standards is hereby amended with underlined text as additions and strikethrough text as eliminated as follows:
Section 12.05.040. New Street Tree Planting.
[…]
C. New street tree placement. Features that may be unique to an individual street parkway will be taken into consideration by the Director of Public Works when placing a new street tree. These include width of parkway, width of sidewalk, existence of sidewalk, utility poles, street lights, bus stops, traffic signs, ADA accessibility, utility boxes, and fire hydrants. Therefore, the following planting guidelines must be followed by the Director of Public Works to optimize street tree planting opportunities.
1. Street trees shall have an approximate spacing range between 30-foot minimum spacing to a 50-foot maximum spacing. correspondent to the following mature plant sizes:
Small trees: 15 to 20 feet apart
Medium trees: 20 to 30 feet apart
Large trees: 30 to 40 feet apart
Refer to the street tree palette of the latest Street Tree Master Plan when determining plant sizes. Street trees shall be planted in accordance to the above range while considering proximity to street lights, power poles, driveways, meters, fire hydrants, drains, overhead and underground utilities.
2. Street trees shall be placed 20 feet from a street light, or power pole or bus stops where possible.
3. Street trees shall be placed a minimum of 15 feet from the start of a street curb return.
4. Street trees shall be placed a minimum of 10 feet from a fire hydrant, utility meter, or driveway approach and a minimum of 5 feet from a utility meter where possible.
5. Street trees shall be centered in the parkway between the sidewalk and curb unless near a bus stop. Street trees shall be spaced at a distance between 5 to 15 feet apart from bus stops where possible.
6. Street tree well sizes must be a minimum of 30 inches 4 feet wide by 6 feet long by 3 feet deep and provide enough sidewalk clearance to meet ADA access requirements.
7. Tree species must be listed in the street tree palette of the latest Street Master Plan.
Section 4. Certification and Effective Date. The City Clerk shall certify to the passage and adoption of this ordinance by the City Council of the City of Signal Hill and shall cause a summary of this ordinance to be published in accordance with Government Code Section 36933, in a newspaper of general circulation which is hereby designated for that purpose, and this ordinance shall take effect (30) days after its passage.
Section 5. Severability. Should any provision of this Ordinance, or its application to any person or circumstance, be determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unlawful, unenforceable or otherwise void, that determination shall have no effect on any other provision of this Ordinance or the application of this Ordinance to any other person or circumstance, and, to that end, the provisions hereof are severable. The City Council declares that it would have adopted all the provisions of this Ordinance that remain valid if any provisions of this ordinance are declared invalid.
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Signal Hill, California, on this 14th day of March 2023.
TINA L. HANSEN
MAYOR
ATTEST:
KIMBERLY BOLES
SENIOR DEPUTY CITY CLERK
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) ss.
CITY OF SIGNAL HILL )
I, CARMEN R. BROOKS, City Clerk of the City of Signal Hill, California, do hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance No. 2023-03-1543, was duly introduced at a regular meeting, on the 28th of February 2023, and adopted by the City Council of the City of Signal Hill, California, at a regular meeting held on the 14th day of March, 2023, and was adopted by the following roll call vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
KIMBERLY BOLES
SENIOR DEPUTY CITY CLERK
Ordinance No. 2023-02-1543
March 14, 2023