Falls Supervisors Pass Tree-Protection, PODS Ordinances

FALLS TOWNSHIP, PA — Falls Township's board of supervisors this week enacted an ordinance aimed at protecting the township's trees.

The news language was part of an overhaul of outdated zoning ordinances that the board adopted on Tuesday. The new language also addresses earth disturbance, the placement of PODS and dumpsters and rights of way.

The new tree protections ensure that all permits for earth disturbance, demolition, building, subdivision, land development or zoning changes "shall respect existing trees as a natural resource."

The ordinance goes into effect within five days of the Tuesday vote.

The regulation requires that applicants preserve healthy trees on work sites whenever possible. Supervisors say the ordinance aims to keep the township's existing trees and increase the overall tree canopy on both public and private property.

The provision strictly prohibits clear cutting of trees. It also requires that all applications include a tree survey plan denoting each tree to be saved, lost or destroyed, the location of tree protection fences and the proposed tree replacement schedule. Any tree lost or destroyed within five years prior to an application submission must be replaced.

Township attorney Lauren Gallagher said the update was a "complete rewrite" aimed at ensuring compliance with state regulations and requiring access to easements.

For the past few years, Falls Township staff and attorneys have combed through a three-ring binder containing the township’s zoning ordinance to determine which areas are most in need of updating

"It really has been a few years of work," said supervisors Chairman Bob Harvie, adding that township staff and professionals have gone through "every one, page by page" to look for inconsistencies.

The ordinance related to PODS, or Portable On Demand Storage units, is a new one for the township. It requires a permit and provides for a limited duration of use for the PODs, which are commonly used during home renovations or in the event of fires or relocations.

The ordinance was needed, Harvie said because "our ordinance says nothing about them right now," meaning that without the regulation the township could not restrict where they can be located or duration of use.

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