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Phil Mosier
City Council will serve community well by
improving Tree Conservation Ordinance
An open letter to elected officials on the Sandy Springs Council re: “getting to balance” on the 2007 Tree
Conservation Ordinance.
Kudos for your support on Sept. 3 to send the Tree Conservation Ordinance back to staff for rec
ommendations on how it can be improved based upon a framework of seven issues. I understand staff
will be ready in November to bring us their findings.
That vote of support showed me you are hearing from our citizens who live and work in our com
munity, and care about preserving trees in their neighborhoods. Kudos to you for the part you played
that increased the tree canopy measurement between 2005 and 2010 from 52 percent to 59 percent,
and for the addition of V2 staff person to review all grading, site and tree survey plans for accuracy be
fore one inch of soil is moved on a residential lot under construction.
This pre- and post-site inspection process was approved April 3, 2012, when staff found “incon
sistencies” in the submitted plans and field conditions in 21 percent of the total residential building
plans submitted for review.
I join you in recognizing the well-documented, positive benefits of a healthy tree canopy, as recent
ly stated in the city’s press release of Sept. 25: “From an environmental perspective, trees aid in im
proving air quality, provide a reduction in temperatures, and assist in lowering energy consumption.
From an economic perspective, trees are tied to increased property value, in particular, in highly walk-
able neighborhoods.”
But our community’s recognition of the value of tree canopy goes even farther. It affects the quality of life in terms of the
character of their neighborhoods and personal property rights. Remember that the grading that occurs when a lot is being re
developed with new housing by far and away causes the loss/death of more tree canopy than individual owners deciding to re
move existing trees from their properties.
That’s why I believe “getting to balance” with changes to the Tree Ordinance needs to focus on the provisions dealing with
construction and redevelopment. Preserving the character of our neighborhoods, which some have compared to the “jewels” of
our city, means minimizing the loss of existing tree canopy through grading in the side and rear buffers between lots.
Citizens have complained of “clear-cut and graded” lots that leave a big hole on their street, and are out of character to the rest
of the neighborhood -- sort of like a person’s smile after losing two front teeth! This, in my view, was not intended by the first
council which approved the existing ordinance in 2007. More importantly, it is not balanced as currently written because it ad
versely impacts the personal property rights of adjacent and down-gradient owners... those neighbors whose own trees and tree
roots have been damaged by grading in the buffer of the lot being redeveloped.
Why the focus on residential construction, specifically single-family detached housing? Because we have no more large swaths
of undeveloped land in Sandy Springs, so all residential development is infill.
The preservation of as many existing trees as possible in the side and rear buffer areas helps retain the character of the neigh
borhood, yet still allows the developers and new homeowners the flexibility to replant in the front yard or leave the front yard
sunny and open, depending on personal preference.
To show the scale of redevelopment of single-family lots and the pressure on the existing tree canopy that results, 52 percent of
all permits issued by the city (224 permits) between January 2012 and June 30 were for single-family detached housing. If each
lot averaged 1 acre, and each were substantially graded to allow much larger homes and related outdoor amenities like pools and
tennis courts, that’s at least 175-200 acres of land cleared. That is significant existing tree canopy loss and related adverse affects
on the character of neighborhoods in our city.
Replanting new trees is important, but it won’t bring back the character of an extensively graded area for 15 to 20 years, at
best.
We can do better for our citizens. I join you in working toward a more balanced ordinance on the provisions that affect the
residential infill construction.
Karen Meinzen McEnerny has served two terms on Sandy Springs City Council. She is not seeking re-election.
KAREN
MEINZEN
MCENERNY
GUEST COLUMN
On the record
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““I never have liked the logo and I think there are a lot of
people who agree. But I dislike spending money to change the
logo just three years after council adopted it. I dislike that even
more.”
—Dunwoody City Councilman Terry Nall, on a council
committee’s decision not to spend $40,000 to develop a new city
logo.
“Our position is that naturally, anything that was in the park
and had been used in that park for any period of time belongs
with that park and should stay with that park.”
—Brookhaven Mayor J. Max Davis, arguing that DeKalb
County officials should not have removed furniture and equipment,
such as scoreboards and swim lane markers, from parks when the
city took over the parks from the county.
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6 | OCT. 4 — OCT. 17, 2013 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net
