Brookhaven Begins Tree Ordinance Rewrite, Launches Interactive Website

From the City of Brookhaven:

January 13, 2021

With the launch of an interactive website and the announcement of virtual public meetings, the City invites residents to participate in its rewrite of the Brookhaven Tree Ordinance.

“I have long made the pledge that our Tree Ordinance is a living, evolving document,” said District 2 City Councilman John Park. “As we work toward striking a balance between residents who are passionate about preserving our tree canopy and developers who possess certain property rights, I invite everyone to participate as we take a new look at our Tree Ordinance.”

The City will collect and consider input from its new interactive Tree Ordinance Rewrite website at www.BrookhavenGA.gov/commdev/page/tree-ordinance-rewrite. Residents will have the opportunity to learn about the project, download the existing ordinance, and contribute to a virtual ideas wall, community forum, survey and interactive map through March 1.

The first round of virtual public input meetings will take place on Jan. 27 at noon and 6 p.m. Residents can visit the new website to register in advance for the meetings, which will take place via Zoom. The two meetings will contain the same material, so it will not be necessary to attend both.

The entire rewrite process is expected to culminate with City Council adoption this summer.

In addition to the Tree Ordinance Rewrite, the City has a number of tree preservation initiatives. The City currently participates in Tree City USA through the Arbor Foundation, the One Million Trees Initiative, and the Trees Atlanta Front Yard Program. Brookhaven also manages a tree nursery, tree rescue program, tree plantings, memorial tree program, and a tree fund. In a 2017 tree canopy study, research found that the City had an estimated 3,928 acres of canopy out of a total of 7,420 acres (53.6% of the City).

This press release was produced by the City of Brookhaven. The views expressed here are the author’s own.