DATE: Wednesday, October 8, 1997            TAG: 9710080496

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LIZ SZABO, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                        LENGTH:  104 lines

CHESAPEAKE PANEL TO CONSIDER TREE-SAVING ORDINANCE

Developments here soon could have more green space.

Tonight the Planning Commission is scheduled to consider a new city landscape ordinance that's designed to encourage developers to conserve trees.

Destruction of open space and greenery has been one of the most controversial issues in this fast-growing city. Citizens in recent years have protested a number of projects that would sacrifice wooded areas for businesses, residential developments and parking lots.

The revised ordinance, which was developed by planning department staff, the city arborist, the Tidewater Builders Association and other industry consultants, gives developers credit for saving trees by easing requirements in other areas, said assistant planning director Karen Shaffer.

The ordinance was revised after developers asked for more flexibility in building requirements, Shaffer said.

Chesapeake's landscape ordinance does not reward developers for saving trees. So builders often bulldoze an entire property, replacing the mature woods they've demolished with seedlings, Shaffer said. Seedlings planted in parking lots often thrive where mature trees fail. But seedlings provide far less shade and greenery.

Bob Widener, a member of Tidewater Builders Association, applauded the new ordinance for giving developers more flexibility, as well as streamlining and simplifying requirements.

``So many square feet of commercial building requires so many parking spaces,'' said Widener, president of The Widener Corp., a residential development and construction firm. ``It's just a straight formula, and that can cause you to strip-clear everything to meet those requirements. We've lost a lot of trees in the past, because of that.''

The new ordinance encourages tree conservation in several ways. In certain situations, in exchange for saving trees, developers could be allowed to:

Build closer to the road. The required distance between a building and the property line, called a setback, could be shortened by as much as half. In some cases, the developer may have to conceal parking lots in the rear of a building, out of sight of the road.

``We might be able to infringe on one setback in order to save trees in another area,'' Widener said.

Some have criticized that aspect of the plan.

``When you talk about reducing setbacks, that's a serious issue, because it infringes on other people's property,'' said Chesapeake resident Gary Szymanski.

Build fewer parking spaces. A builder could be permitted to construct as many as 25 percent fewer parking spaces, as long as other planning criteria are met and trees are saved.

Substitute clustered woods and green spaces for traditional parking lot ``planter islands.''

Get extra credit for saving outstanding champion trees - Developers would receive twice as much credit for saving trees that are very old, large or otherwise significant.

But Szymanski would like to see champion trees preserved for their own sake - without giving developers any perks.

``If you have a champion tree, you should save it, without (credit for additional) setbacks,'' Szymanski said. On the other hand, he said, ``the problem with protecting champion trees is that you can interfere with people's property rights. People may be afraid of losing money, so they cut the trees down before they get to the champion stage.''

Before developers could reap these benefits, however, they also would have to ensure that the construction process doesn't damage the trees they're supposed to save. Trees that are damaged need to be replaced with other mature trees. Developers would be forbidden to dump fill material underneath the ``drip line'' of a tree's branches, for example.

City Arborist Miklos Lestyan would have to approve any tree preservation plan.

The new ordinance also takes a stand on the ecological and aesthetic benefits of a healthy ``urban forest,'' which includes not only woods, but all landscaped areas. Urban forests prevent soil erosion, reduce the danger of flooding, absorb carbon dioxide and supply oxygen, reduce the effects of glare, noise and dust and provide shade and wind breaks.

Not to mention enrich the soul, said Chesapeake resident and contractor Carl Edwards, who has campaigned to save trees at the west parking lot near City Hall.

Mature ``trees make us feel more peace of mind,'' Edwards said.

Edwards hopes the new ordinance will make the city greener.

``I think it's a great idea,'' Edwards said. ``Trees are beneficial. We tell children that it's a terrible idea to cut the rain forest down in the Amazon, but we do the same thing in the back yard. It's wonderful that they're (planners) taking some measures to save some of these trees.''

Other Chesapeake conservationists would like to see stronger measures.

Chesapeake resident Betty Campen would like to see the city restrict which trees may be destroyed.

``People shouldn't be allowed to just chop any tree they want because it's on their property,'' Campen said. ``I'd like to see a restriction on who can chop down trees, to make people get special permits for it. That's what's wrong with this city, they want to chop, chop, chop every green thing they can find.''

Widener said the ordinance will help developers protect trees - and beat a bum rap as enemies of nature.

``Myself, I like saving trees,'' Widener said. ``It took Mother Nature a long time to get there.''

The Chesapeake City Council is scheduled to vote on the new landscape ordinance at a future meeting.

If approved by the City Council, the ordinance could be implemented by the end of the year, Lestyan said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

CHARLIE MEADS/The Virginian-Pilot

This hackberry tree, near the Clarke Farm on Bruce Road in the

Western Branch section of Chesapeake, is at least 150 years old.

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