WELCOME NEW SAVE SHORELINE TREE MEMBERS!

Since the beginning of the Farmers Market, we have added many new members to our eGroup list, many who are reading their first SST newsletter. Welcome new members - we are grateful to have your support!

SAVE SHORELINE TREES AT
SHORELINE FARMERS MARKET IS GOING STRONG

With our new booth at the Shoreline Farmers Market, Save Shoreline Trees is continuing a strong outreach to the Shoreline community every week through October 1, 2022. Our goal is to increase awareness about the value of our tall tree canopy along with information about tree protection through City code and homeowners’ rights and responsibilities.

Do you love trees? Then join us as a booth volunteer.
Email Melody at info@saveshorelinetrees.com to volunteer for a 2-hour time slot.
We need people for August and September.
Training and support provided - it’s easy and fun!

20th AVE NW SIDEWALK CAMPAIGN SUCCESSFUL!

The City announced that the new sidewalk along the west side of 20th Ave NW from NW 190th to NW 195th will be 8-feet wide. Here is the link to the 20th Ave NW sidewalk page updated on July 5 and the FAQ providing information about citizen response to the City 60% survey. The City confirms none of the trees along 20th Ave NW or at the NW 190th corner will be removed. Construction will begin in Spring 2023. 

ACTION ITEM about sidewalk widths
The Tree Preservation Code Team submitted a proposed revision to the City for the Engineering Development Manual (EDM) 2023, changing the sidewalk width in residential neighborhoods to a minimum width of 5-feet and a maximum width of 7-feet. To support this proposal, email Noel Hupprich, Public Works, and copy City Council.

SHORELINE’S MUR-70’ SITES

From the Tree Preservation Code Team

Photo above shows the lot-line to lot-line tree cutting allowed on a MUR-70’ zoned site.

ACTION ITEM:
Email Council to Change Tree Code on MUR-70’ Sites

Within Shoreline Municipal Code, there are 7 zones where all of the trees can be clear-cut for development and no replacement trees are required. These zones are: Community Business (CB), Neighborhood Business (NB), MB (Mixed Business), MUR-70’ (Mixed Use Residential), and Town Center (TC) 1-2-3. Within the MUR-70’ zones, developers can apply for permits to build higher than 70’ meaning buildings can be 80’, 90’, or 140’.

City Council will continue to review Ordinance 968 to change current regulations for MUR-70’ zones on August 8. The current municipal code for a 70’ building states that none of the trees have to be retained; for an 80’ building, 10% of the significant trees must be retained; and if a building is 90’ high - either 20% of the trees have to be retained or the developer can implement the Deep Green Incentive Program. However, the Deep Green Incentive Program has many variables. For example, if a developer implements the Deep Green Incentive Program SMC 20.50.630 for an 80’ building, none of the significant trees have to be retained.

Save Shoreline Trees is asking Council to vote to retain at least 10% of the trees on MUR-70’ building sites. Please email Council by August 4 with this request. Here is the link to comments already emailed to Council about retaining trees.

Please add your voice to the list of comments. Subject line for your email: “Ordinance 968, Council Meeting on August 8, 2022”. Email info@saveshorelinetrees.com for copy points.

MUR-70’ ZONES TO EXPAND IN 2033
Another reason to support the above request is that in 2033, the MUR-70’ zones will expand. According to the 2021 Zoning Map, the MUR-70’ zones are located within proximity of the 2 light rail stations at N 185th and N 145th to open in 2024.  In 2033, more neighborhoods will open up or “unlock” as MUR-70’ zones. For example, at the N 185th station area, MUR-70’ will expand west to Meridian and south to 175th, just east of I-5. At the N 145th station, the area between N 155th and N 145th from 10th Ave NE to 15th Ave NE will become part of the MUR-70’ zone. Shoreline’s tree canopy is already thinning along I-5 due to trees removed for the light rail. If the tree code is not changed, all of the trees in the MUR-70’ zones can be clear-cut. 

Please help change the code on MUR-70’ zones. Visit the Save Shoreline Trees booth at the Shoreline Farmers Market to see the enlarged 2021 Zoning Map.

NOMINATE A TREE FOR LANDMARK STATUS
And a personal story regarding this process

Do you have a mature tree in your yard you’d like to protect in perpetuity? How about a large tree you’ve noticed in one of Shoreline’s several parks?

A little-known program within the City of Shoreline allows homeowners and residents alike to nominate trees for Landmark status, a designation that bestows recognition of the tree by the City and protection from removal. As defined in Shoreline Municipal Code (SMC) 20.20.048, a landmark tree is:

“Any healthy tree over 24 inches in diameter at breast height (dbh) that is worthy of long-term protection due to a unique combination of size, shape, age, location, aesthetic quality for its species or any other trait that epitomizes the character of the species, and/or has cultural, historic or ecological importance or is a regional erratic. Long-term protection and recognition of any landmark tree may be obtained through the landmark tree designation program as detailed in SMC  20 .50.350(F). (Ord. 955 § 1 (Exh. A), 2022).”

If you are a homeowner, you can nominate your own tree. If the tree resides in a city park, anyone can nominate it for Landmark status. Only private and public trees qualify for this designation. Right of Way (ROW) trees, also confusingly called public trees or street trees, cannot be nominated. These are mature trees close to roads, walkways and sidewalks, and there are plenty of them throughout Shoreline. The reasoning why these trees are exempt will be explained later.

In late June of this year, we received Landmark status for one of the trees we nominated, a 75-year-old American/Sweet chestnut hybrid that is 41 inches dbh. Formal recognition of our tree was a six-month-long process with twists and turns throughout. Nonetheless, our tree is now protected and its status recognized as the first Landmark tree in Shoreline.

Background
In December of 2021, we nominated four of our mature trees for Landmark Status as described in the City’s Administrative Order 000068 053107.* Our property in Richmond Beach fronts 20th Avenue NW, a street that will soon undergo construction for a new sidewalk. Not knowing at the time on which side of the street the sidewalk would be built, we opted to protect our mature trees near the road by obtaining Landmark status.

If Landmark status is granted (if it meets arborist criteria) and you are the homeowner, the City will create a covenant to be attached to your King County property records. It states that the tree cannot be removed without City approval, even if you sell your property. The homeowner pays for the covenant. (We are still awaiting the final cost.)

The process to get the ball rolling
We contacted Shoreline’s Department of Planning and Community Development about our intentions to obtain Landmark status and they walked us through the “process.” But really, there is no process, currently, for a homeowner or resident to follow. There is no template or directions to help you in writing your request. Instead, it is up to the individual to create his or her own proposal. The City recognizes this situation, stating to us that few residents in Shoreline have requested landmark status and that it, along with us, will be going through these steps for the first time.

What to Include in your proposal
Our proposal was very simple and took a little more than an hour to complete. It included our names and address, pictures of the trees and a brief description of each: name of the tree, diameter at breast height (dbh) and approximate age. We emailed our proposal to the city and waited.

Over the next several months, the City kept us informed about what was happening with our proposal and we appreciated the feedback.

We also knew that the City requires an arborist—hired by the City but paid for by the homeowner—to assess the trees under consideration and write a formal report. This report determines if Landmark status is granted. We agreed and the city contracted with The Watershed Group in Kirkland.

A very big problem
Separately, in February, during our waiting period, the City hired a consulting arborist firm, Tree Solutions, Inc., to assess the trees on 20 th Avenue NW for the new sidewalk project. Two arborists with this company walked around our trees - the ones awaiting Landmark status - and informed us that three of them were Right of Way trees and owned by the City.

We argued that the trees were ours. Nonetheless, Tree Solutions marked each tree - two Douglas firs and one large madrone - with a tag, meaning that they were now in the City’s database.

In April, the City informed us that these three trees would not be considered for Landmark status because they are public trees. The City asked if we wished to continue with an assessment of the chestnut and we agreed.

However, we were not convinced that the City owned the three trees. We hired our own arborist who wrote a report for all four trees and we submitted a new proposal covering primarily the two Douglas firs and the madrone. Our arborist stated that all of the trees qualify for Landmark status based on their age, size and representation within their species. The City rejected this proposal for the three ROW trees.

Assessing the chestnut tree
In early May of this year, an arborist with The Watershed Company and an assistant City planner reviewed our chestnut tree. Both were professional and thorough, and we spent several hours asking and answering questions. The arborist could not determine what type of chestnut tree we had and showed us pictures of several examples. He took samples of fall leaves and nut casings but stated that he would return in the summer once the tree had fully bloomed to obtain leaf samples. His final determination was that the tree is a hybrid of Castanea dentata (American chestnut) and Castanea sativa (Sweet chestnut). And we received Landmark status. We paid The Watershed Company $785, a reduction in the original estimate because only one tree was assessed.

Happy for our tree
We are relieved to know that one tree on our property will be protected from removal even if we sell our home. However, we realize that at any time the city can remove three other trees we have maintained for 26 years.

ROW status
If you are wondering if your tree, perhaps close to a sidewalk or road, is a Right of Way tree, here is how to determine it. Go to the middle of your street (carefully) and walk thirty feet back toward your home.

If the tree(s) fall within the thirty feet, they are ROW trees.
The City rejects Landmark status for ROW trees because they fall under a separate Shoreline Municipal Code: 12.30. Landmark Tree designation falls under SMC 20.50.350. Why is there a separation? In reality public trees are the citizens’ trees, just like trees in parks, and should have the same protection.

*To find information on the City’s website about Landmark Tree Designation, click on “Government,” “City Codes,” “Administrative Orders” (under Shoreline Development Code), “Planning and Community Development,” “Code Interpretation,””20.50 (General Dev. Standards)” and “20.50.350 (Landmark Trees Designation)”.

Kathy Kaye
Member, SST Tree Preservation Code Team

26 SIGNIFICANT TREES REMOVED FOR TWO NEW HOMES

As long expected the trees on Fremont and 168th were removed from a private property to make way for two homes built by Arcadia homes. This was a lovely little forest in the middle of a neighborhood providing shade, birdsong and shelter. The builder used an old loophole to keep sick and dying trees as part of the required trees. The new codes submitted by the Tree Protection Code Team (TPCT) and adopted on April 5, 2022 now require all retained trees must be healthy. The rest of the healthy and tall evergreens were sold to a logging company. We continue to stand in grief for the daily loss of our tall, irreplaceable tall trees in Shoreline.

NEW! Follow Save Shoreline Trees on Instagram

QUESTIONS ABOUT TREES AND TREE CODES IN SHORELINE?

Private Property:

• Call 206.801.2500, ask for “planner of the day” if you have tree code questions.

Concerns about trees on Public Property:
Illegal tree cutting or vandalism to trees.

• Public trees including street trees and trees in parks - call the Customer Response Team 206.801.2700.

• Visit ‘See Click Fix’ and use the Online Service Request. Download the See Click Fix App using a blackberry, iPhone or Android phone. Follow the prompts from the app. A video showing how to use the iPhone app is available through YouTube.

Contributors to this newsletter: 
Melody Fosmore, Kathleen Russell, Kathy Kaye, Susanne Tsoming.
Questions or comments may be emailed to info@saveshorelinetrees.com.