1995 Heritage Tree Removal: McDonalds

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NOV- 2 -95 THU 9.30 MCDONALDS FAX NO. 5036244105 P.02/02 -- - -- - •_ zu�,crn r* lrUNT. P.02/02 MCDONALD. WP2 Page 1 • DRAFT November 3, 1995 0 1 \ art , S 3 er N • TO: Mayor and City Council A • ■ , FROM: Scott Plamondon, Urban Forester ,nn r� SUBJECT: Street Tree Removal Violation rJ r t �, �� — As requested by the Council the following Is an Incident report on the removal of the 47" diameter Heritage class Big Leaf M Maple from the south -west comer of 8th Avenue and Hilyard Street This removal was from the street - right - of-way which abutted tax lot *17 -03.32- 23-0900, the future site of a McDonald's restaurant. At approximately one pm on the afternoon of Friday the 13th, the Urban Forester's office received a call informing us of the •• removal of a very large tree. On arrMng at the site It was found that contractor's personnel had already removed over half of the tree. Due to the major extent of the work already done a notice of possible violation was Issued but the remainder of the tree was allowed to be removed prevent a hazardous condition. The City Charter amendment regarding street trees and the Urban Forest Management Plan both indicate that such a removal should not be allowed unless the tree was found to be In poor health and hazardous to the public safety. Chapter 7 of the Eugene Code states that a permit Is necessary for any work to be performed in the street right-of -way. While this tree did show some signs of age, prior to it's removal it was in good condition and did not pose a hazard to the public. No permit had been issued for the removal of this tree. On investigation we found that the contractor's building permit plans identified the tree and its proposed removal In order to `t — widen an access driveway. This detail did not trigger additional review and the applicant was not notified of the tree i • _ ; ervation requirement part was no malicious Intent on the art of McDonalds Co submitted plans did show the requested removal. Corporation since the r it • In a subsequent meeting with McDonald's Corporation staff, it was established that neither the Salem based engineering firm who prepared the plans nor the Portland based construction management firm in control of the o significance of this tree to Eugene's citizens nor that a specific permit would be required for Its removal. real the p . ttf While the McDonald's Corporation staff have stated to us that they realize the value to the community of a Heritage class tV tree can't be replaced, they have indicated a desire to work with us in participating in a large scale tree planting project lv • • within the local area . Currently, we are looking at planting opportunities in the T local area and hope to come to an agreement on the location and scope of the planting within the next month. In addition, ' McDonald's staff are working with us to locate a large caliper Big Leaf Maple which will then be planted on the south -west comer of 8th Avenue and Hityard Street Staff are examining the plans review process to insure such a loss is not repeated. Several steps are being taken to strengthen coordination between the building perrnwplan check and tree preservation programs. Piens intake occurs M the Permit and information Center while tree permit review occurs at Public Works Maintenance facility on Roosevelt Blvd. Procedures are being modified to include identifying street bee preservation requirements before building permit issuance. Adoption of such changes in permitting processes will require staff training and public notice. Resource impacts are being evaluated to shift the tree permitting process to the PIC to facilitate coordination and timeliness of permit processing. For more information please call Scott Plamondon or Johnny Medlin at 887 -5220. l # — ofr,cc f 92 V- , „....L..., ...,; (—y /Ail-