Act now! Ask City Council to reject infill exemption for proposed tree ordinance

On December 17, the City of Greenville planning commission voted 4-3 to recommend an amendment to the proposed tree ordinance that, if accepted, is even more detrimental to our remaining tree canopy than we had initially understood.

Next Monday, January 11, City Council will consider the proposed tree ordinance, including the planning commission's amendment to entirely exempt all minor subdivisions in R-6 and R-9 zoning districts from the tree ordinance.

Tree removal on lots developed via minor subdivision contributes to the loss of tree canopy in the city — estimated at 33 million square feet since 2001. Excluding these lots from the proposed tree ordinance is counter-intuitive to the intended purpose of the updated ordinance — to halt and reverse the loss of the city's remaining tree canopy.

Join us in urging City Council to reject the minor subdivision amendment for these reasons:

• It undermines protection of the city's remaining tree canopy in residential neighborhoods
• It nullifies tree protection component of the infill ordinance
• It unfairly and unnecessarily privileges a special class of property owners
• No need for such an exemption was identified through the extensive public process that informed drafting of the proposed ordinance

Contact your City Council representatives today! Remember, most of the city's remaining tree canopy is located on residential private property!

Click here to find your representatives on City Council.