Atlanta Tree Protection Ordinance – Public Input
Trees are an important component for Atlanta’s sustainability, providing habitat for wildlife and improving our quality of life. They provide shade, help clean the air, and even balance water runoff.
The City of Atlanta has begun the process of revising its Tree Protection Ordinance (TPO) and the Department of City Planning is currently accepting comments from the public on how to amend the ordinance’s language. We invite our members and partners of Livable Buckhead to provide their input on how they would like the TPO to be rewritten. The intent of the TPO is to preserve tree cover within the City of Atlanta. The Department of City Planning has stated that its key goal is to reach 50% tree canopy through strategic replanting and protection of high value trees. The TPO sets forth the method to regulate development and maintain the City’s tree canopy, but the existing ordinance needs to be updated in order to achieve this goal of increased tree canopy.
The comment period will be open until July 17, 2019. Comments can be submitted by: 1) email to urbancology@peqatl.com or eajohnson@atlantaga.gov, or 2) phone at 404-546-1990. Comments and feedback from individuals will reviewed by the City and posted for the public to view and provide input. At this time, the City expects that its first draft of the revised TPO, taking into consideration the public’s input, will be written by the end of July 2019 and that the revised TPO may go before the City Council as early as September 2019.
Information about the TPO, the City’s planning process, and relevant issues to be addressed in rewriting the ordinance can be found here. On this page, you can find the City’s Presentation and Concept Outline of the TPO and other helpful information.
The City is holding public meetings this week, which are open to anyone who would like to attend to learn more about the planning process and the issues that are being considered in rewriting the ordinance. Below are the dates and locations for the upcoming meetings:
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5
6:30-8:00 PM
Neighborhood Church,
1561 McLendon Ave NE,
Atlanta, GA 30307
THURSDAY, JUNE 6
6:30-8:00 PM
Trinity Presbyterian Church,
3003 Howell Mill Rd NW
Atlanta, GA 30327
