Tree Ordinance, Paper Trails Up For Discussion

The Belmont Parks and Recreation Commission will discuss two ways it aims to make life easier for Belmont residents at its meeting tonight.

The first topic is the simplification of Belmont's tree ordinance, which would regulate trees on private property by just their size instead of their species as well.

The city's current tree ordinance, adopted in 1989 and updated in 2004, requires that residents know both the size and species of a tree on private property in order to determine whether a permit is required to remove the tree, according to Parks and Recreation Director Jonathan Gervais.

The revised proposed ordinance would require residents only report the size of a tree they wish to remove.

"The current ordinance is confusing," Gervais said. "Residents usually don't know what kind of trees they have in their backyard."

The Commission presented a summary of the proposed ordinance to the City Council at its Sept. 28 meeting, and the updated version of that ordinance is what's being reviewed at tonight's meeting.

Residents aren't allowed to knock down a tree on public property under the current ordinance, and that wouldn't change, Gervais said.

The second item on up for discussion is a review of the city's top 10 paper trails -- or roads the city could construct for pedestrians and bicyclists in an effort to provide transportation paths for those who don't drive.

He said there are a number of identified pathways throughout the city that were never built, and the Commission hopes to bring some of those trails to life with the Paper Trail project. Parks and Recreation staff and Public Works staff have been working to identify the paper trails since March 2009.

"The real question is, how do you get around Belmont if you don't have a car or can't drive?" Gervais said. "It's difficult. This is one measure that we hope to take to try to get folks to be able to walk around town."

One of the top 10 trails, Monserat Avenue to Cipriani Elementary School would be especially useful as a walkway to help eliminate traffic congestion around the elementary school, Gervais said.

"We want to start with one or two that are simple, and get a couple built and see where that takes us," Gervais said.

Gervais said the purpose of reviewing the possible pathways is to see which ones the residents prefer. He added that residents may also identify possible trails missing from the list.

The Commission will likely look for volunteers and community groups to build the pathways once trails have been chosen.

Though a decision is not expected to be reached with either agenda item, residents are encouraged to attend tonight's meeting and share their opinions.

The meeting will be held at 7pm in the City Council Chambers at Belmont City Hall.