According to Southold principal planner Mark Terry, who spoke about the proposal last month, there are certain projects where there is no need for trees, or not enough space. In lieu of trees on the parcel, the developer could give funding to the town’s tree committee, waiving the tree requirement for the planned subdivision.
Not less than $350 and not more than $750 per tree would be charged per tree, based on caliper, that would have been required for screening or landscaping purposes. The fee will be paid before prior to any subdivision approval and deposited into a fiduciary fund, used by the Southold town tree committee exclusively for the planting of new town trees and/or the replacement of damaged or removed trees on town property
Then, Terry said, the town board could determine where new trees in town might be planted, he said.
The funding collected could be substantial, Terry said; if eight trees were waived at $600 each, that would mean an infusion of $4,800 into the town’s tree committee coffers.
“The logic is, in cases of a light industrial use, what value do trees have on the site?” Terry asked. “A greater use would be to replace street trees that are dying in certain location, rather than buried on a site plan just trying to meet demands.”
The planning board, said chair Donald Wilcenski, would be the arm that would waive the street tree requirement.
The idea was discussed a number of years ago but never implemented, Wilcenski said; the planning board sent a letter recommending the proposal to the town board.
At a prior town board work session, Councilwoman Jill Doherty said she and Terry had discussed the plan and were reviewing legalities with the town attorney. Developers, she said could either give cash in lieu of trees or plant them elsewhere in town.
The decision to allow the exchange would be made by the planning board, Doherty said.
“The idea seems reasonable and I’m sure it will get flushed out in code committee,” said Councilman Bill Ruland said earlier in the process.
Doherty said the planning board will look to the tree committee to determine best locations around town to site the trees.
But Dinizio said giving the planning board the ability to decide that the trees could be transplanted “seems to me to be not the reason why require trees on a site plan. It gives the planning board too much discretion. I vote no.”
