NORTHAMPTON — Development projects that require site plan approval or city permits will have to follow new guidelines that call for the preservation and protection of certain trees.
An ordinance passed unanimously in first reading by the Northampton City Council on Thursday night sets standards for “significant trees” and outlines efforts to protect them.
According to the ordinance, significant trees — defined as trees with a minimum 20-inch diameter or specifically identified specimen trees — “enhance air quality, reduce noise, reduce energy costs, create habitat, enhance aesthetics and property values, and benefit city neighborhoods.”
Anyone who removes a significant tree would have to either replace it following certain standards or pay into a city account that would fund new public shade trees. There are exemptions for diseased trees or those associated with emergency projects, among others.
The ordinance, sponsored by at-large councilor Jesse Adams and vice president Ryan O’Donnell, follows three years of work, Adams said.
“A tick on the geological clock or the lifetime of a tree,” City Council president William Dwight quipped.
Though he said he loved trees, Ward 5 Councilor David Murphy urged his fellow councilors to remember that the ordinance fits into a larger context. While councilors often decry the cost of housing in Northampton, measures like a significant tree ordinance create obstacles to developers and in turn push prices up.
“We do participate in driving up the cost of housing,” he said. “Please don’t disconnect ourselves.”
In thinking about costs, Ward 7 Councilor Alisa Klein pointed out that the measure’s potential environmental effects, including preventing erosion, should also be taken into consideration.
Carolyn Misch, the city’s senior land use planner, suggested that the ordinance could lead developers to think differently about how they design certain projects so as to protect trees, rather than incurring the replacement costs.
Stephanie McFeeters can be reached at smcfeeters@gazettenet.com.