Draft Code: Street Trees

The following is the draft Code being proposed for including Street Trees in Oak Harbor's new developments. This language will result in a significant change the way neighborhoods look and evolve. The addition of street trees will impact the way neighborhoods look and feel, and help with a variety of environmental impacts such as improving air quality and reducing stormwater impacts.

This new Code language will be part of the Design Standards Chapter; how/where it will fit within the revised Chapter still needs to be determined.

XXX.XX.XX1 Street Trees Required. Street trees shall be required along both sides of “Principal Arterials”, “Minor Arterials, 2-lane”, “Collectors with Bike Lanes”, and all “Local Residential” streets designated with the Transportation Element of the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The purpose of the street trees is to improve the visual quality of the street, improve the pedestrian environment, and provide the environmental benefits of improved air quality, reduced stormwater impacts, and reduced heat-island effects associated with large paved areas.

XXX.XX.XX2 Street Trees Design. The following standards shall apply to the installation of street trees.
(1) Street trees of a species specified in table XX , shall be planted in the designated landscape strip within the public right-of-way, 30 feet on center along frontage for all divisions of land; on both sides of any public street;
(2) At the time of planting, all street trees shall be a species listed in Table XX “City of Oak harbor Acceptable Street Tree Species” or as otherwise approved by the Director.
(3) Species. The following table identifies tree species acceptable to the City of Oak Harbor.

Table XX. City of Oak Harbor Acceptable Street Tree Species (to be inserted in the OHMC)

XXX.XX.XX3 Street Tree Protection. To protect their function, define management responsibilities, and protect the health of the street trees, the following language shall be placed on face of the plat:
Street trees planted in the designated landscape strip along the frontage of all lots, as per the approved landscape plan associated with the residential plat of ___________, shall be maintained by the property owners of lots directly adjacent to the location of the street trees. The replacement of street trees for those that have died is the responsibility of the adjacent property owners. The location and tree species for replacement street trees must be in conformance with species allowed in Table XX. Or as approved by the Director and shall not obstruct the travel lane or parking stalls at full maturity.
If property owners do not maintain street trees, the City of Oak Harbor may choose to maintain these trees and invoice the adjacent property owner for the work.

Street Trees

Rules for requiring street trees in new subdivisions is the next item for the Planning Commission to review.

The issue is the inconsistent look to Oak Harbor’s streets, poor visual characteristics; with the goal being the improvement of the visual character of neighborhoods, standardize requirements, improve the look and feel of residential streets.

Suggested code provisions:

• require street trees in all new developments
• trees planted every 25’/30’ along both sides of the street
• deciduous 3” caliper trees of a species acceptable to the City (considering long term tree health, roots, utilities, tree size)
• street trees planted outside of the right of way (ensuring compatibility with all City street sections)
• trees maintained by the property owners
• removed trees to be replaced accordingly
• street tree maintenance/replacement responsibilities identified on the face of the plat

February Planning Commission Meeting

The Planning Commission meeting for the month of February was intended to complete two major tasks:

1) Review points identifying the suggested new “rules” that will be written into the Code, relating to:

• Buffer Corridor Design
  
• Street Trees
  
• Standards for Stormwater Facilities
  
• Short Plat Design
  
• Low Impact Development (LID)
  

and, 

2) Discuss policy issues/questions associated with the suggested new “rules”.

Streetscape Characteristics - "Cute Streets"

The phrase "cute streets" was first brought up during an early Planning Commission meeting, referring to pleasant residential streetscapes. These streetscapes were described as being superior and creating more livable neighborhoods. This shorthand phrase refers to streets in residential neighborhoods that have a number of common favorable characteristics, in terms of there built form and design, for example:

• trees along the street;
• sidewalks;
• buildings that "address" the street with their windows and entrances;
• narrower drive and parking lanes;
• building facades that are not dominated by garages;
• landscaping along the street; and,
• access to parks, trails and/or open space from the street.

The same sentiment has been echoed to me a number of times during this project, by both the general public (at coffeehouse, and Rotary meetings); as well as, meetings with those involved in the business of developing residential neighborhoods (Realtors, and developers).

The Code changes resulting from the 10 areas of direction will combine to help the community achieve more livable "cute streets" with future subdivisions.

Poll Results

The results of our second on-line poll are in! 17 people voted and answered the question "Which kinds of neighborhood streets do you prefer?" with the following responses:

1. Wide streets without trees - 5% - 1 vote
2. Wide streets with trees - 52% - 9 votes
3. Narrow streets without trees - 0% - 0 votes
4. Narrow streets with trees - 52% - 9 votes

Not surprisingly, the preference shown in this poll is for tree lined streets within neighborhoods.

New Poll Question

A new poll question has been posted and will run until March 31st.

"Sense of place" is essentially the feeling one gets about the environment around them. The question for this poll relates to some of the design characteristics of neighborhood streets that influence their "sense of place", specifically street width and street trees.

Recent PRD subdivisions have generally included narrower streets with street trees integrated into thier design. One such example is Crosby Commons (SE of the Heller Crosby intersection).