by Nicole Bradford
Changes to Pearland’s longstanding tree ordinance are expected to be part of an upcoming rewrite of city codes, expected to take 18 to 24 months.
Still, city leaders are considering implementing stopgap measures in the meantime, and conversations about the ordinance are expected to continue with the city council and planning and zoning through the fall.
“We’ve heard both sides of the coin argued, representation from both sides,” community development director Vance Wyley said during another discussion on the ordinance with Planning and Zoning Commissioners.
City staff in August researched the 1997 ordinance that recent critics have described as confusing and often hindering development with fees.
“What we spent a lot of time on is making sure the program does incentivize planting and preservation over paying the fee,” Wyley said.
Established in 1997 to protect trees during development, the tree preservation ordinance is credited with Pearland’s Tree City USA, Scenic City, and Keep Texas Beautiful honors in recent years. City staff have estimated the ordinance has preserved and expanded the tree canopy by more than 20 percent.
A comparison study done by city staff against similar Texas cities with tree preservation ordinances, including Cedar Park, Denton, League City, Frisco, Plano, and Round Rock, reflected that Pearland’s current ordinance is more developer friendly, city staff said.
Houston area cities that do not have tree preservation ordinances include Missouri City, Pasadena, and Baytown.
The ordinance does not apply to single-family homes on 10 acres or less, public utility easements, floodways, or tree nurseries.
