Atlanta Tree Protection Ordinance – Project Updates
As Atlanta continues to grow, the Department of City Planning recognizes that tree cover is an important, integral, and identifying feature of our skyline, which must be carefully considered in all urban development decisions. The canopy provides not only aesthetics for our city, but increases property values, improves human cardiac/respiratory health, manages stormwater runoff, filters air pollutants, protects wildlife biodiversity, and even reduces city-wide temperatures.
The City of Atlanta is in the process of rewriting the Tree Protection Ordinance (TPO), which provides the method for regulating development and maximizing our tree canopy. The goal is to achieve 50% tree canopy through strategic replanting, improved programming and funding, and the protection of trees.
This past summer, different advocacy groups, environmental based non-profits, engaged residents, development industry leaders, and others voiced their visions, goals, ideas, and concerns for the TPO. The community’s input to date has been complied in this comprehensive document and consists of over 150 emails, 250 letters, 4 city-wide meetings, and other comment forms and worksheets submitted to the Department of City Planning. The city held a Council Work Session in late August, where it recognized that the current ordinance is unclear, inconsistent, and unpredictable and therefore “is not effective for tree protection.” Ideally, the TPO will protect and preserve as many trees as possible, prohibit the loss of habitat, balance city development goals, implement a clear and consistent process, ensure equitable distribution of costs and benefits to residents, and align the ordinance with other city initiatives.
Tree Protection Ordnance 1.0 drafting began at the end of August and the next public meetings on the contents of that draft are currently scheduled for early November. From there, TPO draft 2.0 will be followed by another public meeting scheduled for mid-December, and the final draft is expected to be completed by February of 2020. The updated project schedule can be found here. Additional information on the project team, upcoming events, and access to past presentations and materials can be found on the City of Atlanta’s Urban Ecology Framework webpage. If you have any other feedback, you can email urbanecology@pegatl.com to be added to the contact list, or you may contact Elizabeth Johnson at eajohnson@atlanta.gov or 404-546-1990 to provide your comments.
