It is a case of learning not to say ”Hallelujah!” before the “Ts are crossed, but this week the City of St. John’s is preparing to settle a piece of business previously reported as a done deal.
In June 2017, deputy mayor (and then councilor) Sheilagh O’Leary exclaimed “Hallelujah!” when council came to agreement to have a requirement for one tree to be planted in every new, standard lot.
The decision followed years of debate on the subject of urban trees and new builds, particularly new subdivisions.
Should planting be required? To what degree? And who should pay?
O’Leary noted she and the city’s entire environmental advisory committee had been speaking in favour of planting requirements, to be paid by developers, for about six years.
While council members agreed on an approach in 2017, issues arose thereafter for city staff — including legal — who were asked to consider the best means of formalizing the new tree rules.
There was the issue of existing “tree regulations,” being an outdated collection of items, with reference to pruning, a defunct council committee and a requirement for a city arborist — an administrative function still intact but with “no place in a regulation,” according to a briefing note distributed to council.
Council had made a decision back in 2016 to have the City Act prevail in cases of conflict between the two, and it has since been recommended the “tree regulations” be repealed altogether.
Where does that leave the requirements for tree planting?
It was expected a change to the city’s building by-law would be needed to create the requirement as recommended by the environment committee and accepted by council as a whole. And an amendment to the bylaw has now been crafted, as has a detailed Residential Landscape Requirement Policy (including a complete list of tree species approved for covering the planting requirements and directions on planting).
With a notice of motion given at the council meeting on April 16, council will be able to finally vote to approve the formal changes required to make automatic tree planting a reality in St. John’s.
O’Leary said she is very eager to see the piece of business put to rest.
If approved by council, the changes made will be enforceable given construction permits are only issued by the city with an existing, required $1,000 security deposit — a “landscape security.” Release of that security will, going forward, include sign-off by an inspector saying the minimum one tree is in place and properly planted.
