Staff proposes transferring shade-tree regulatory approvals to planning commission, keeping commission advisory role

City planning staff said on Oct. 1 they will recommend to city council that regulatory approval authority currently vested in the Shade Tree Commission be shifted to the Planning Commission, with the Shade Tree Commission remaining as an advisory body.

Staff said they had reviewed city code provisions across multiple titles and plan to present proposed ordinance changes to council in October. The staff presentation cited Titles 33, 37, 41, 21 and 9 as locations in the code where references to Shade Tree Commission authority appear and recommended consolidating regulatory approvals under the Planning Commission to streamline processes and allow more informal back-and-forth with developers before formal meetings.

Staff said the proposed change is intended to reduce delays that can occur when the Shade Tree Commission, as a regulatory body, must post meetings and carry quorum requirements. Staff and some commissioners emphasized that the expertise of urban foresters and Shade Tree Commission members should be retained. Commissioner questions centered on whether the proposed change would be applied broadly or only on a case-by-case basis; staff answered that the intent is a code change applied citywide with advisory involvement by urban‑forestry experts.

Staff said they had discussed the idea with Council Member Alan Swank and shared drafts with outside consultants including forestry staff; staff will circulate the proposed changes to the commission and bring them to council later in October. No formal code change has been adopted; the matter remains a staff recommendation to council.