City of Bend sets two informal Q&A sessions about Tree Preservation Committee recommendations

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The City of Bend said Wednesday it wants to hear your questions about the future of tree preservation in our community, and has scheduled two informal question-and-answer sessions in coming days to do just that.  

Here's Wednesday's full announcement and details;

For the last few years, community members have raised concerns about trees being cut down during new development projects on larger sites in the city.

In response, the City formed the Tree Regulation Update Advisory Committee, also known as TRUAC, to recommend solutions to this community concern while not creating a barrier to building more needed housing.  TRUAC was made up of community volunteers representing developers, neighborhoods, arborists, architects, environmental and equity interests. 

Q&A sessions will be held in early March for the community to learn more about what changes are being recommended by TRUAC. These proposed changes first encourage the preservation of Priority Trees, which are defined as 20 inches in diameter at breast height or larger. Another option includes preserving a percent of the overall diameter at breast height on a site of trees 6 inches or larger. Diameter at breast height is the diameter of a tree measured at 4 ½ feet off the ground. 

There are also options for mitigation including on-site tree replacement and a payment in lieu for trees that could not be preserved to go toward paying for the planting and maintenance of other trees throughout the city. 

What these Q&A sessions are: 

• An informal opportunity to learn more about what changes were recommended by TRUAC for Planning Commission and City Council consideration. 
• A way to ask questions and receive an answer in real-time by staff members and the Chair and Vice Chair of TRUAC, which is different from the traditional public comment process in a City Council meeting. 
• A chance to learn more information to develop an opinion.

What these Q&A sessions are not: 

• They are not an opportunity to provide public testimony to the decision-makers that can be considered in an official Planning Commission recommendation or Council land use decision.
• The Oregon Land Use system (in state statute and City development code) establishes how a City can receive a public testimony when it comes to code changes related to land use and development, which is a more strict and formal process. In this system, verbal public testimony must be provided during noticed public hearings before the Planning Commission or Bend City Council. Written public testimony can also be shared either at public hearings before the Planning Commission or Bend City Council, or via email to: councilall@bendoregon.gov and cityplanningcommissionall@bendoregon.gov. Please put phardie@bendoregon.gov in the cc line of those emails.

Two Q&A sessions will be held on the following dates:

• March 7 at 11:30 a.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 710 NW Wall St and virtually. Register for the virtual meeting here.
• March 12 at 5:30 p.m. at the Bend Municipal Court, 555 NE 15^th St and virtually. Register for the virtual meeting here.

After registering for a virtual meeting, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 

To learn more about the proposed changes or the process in general, visit bendoregon.gov/tree-code.