Laserfiche WebLink
r • <br />Debb Robinson, Vice President of Laurel Homes, maintained that government does <br />not have to regulate trees. She asserted that properties with trees will cost more to develop <br />and the extra cost will be passed on to home -buyers. She pointed out that the people who <br />need affordable and moderately priced housing were not there to speak. She suggested, <br />instead of penalties, that the County give incentives for planting trees on lots. <br />Dale Armstrong, Senior Forester with Florida Division of Forestry, 6356 4th Street, <br />gave credit to Messrs. Poole and DeBlois for putting this together and felt there were a lot <br />of good features in it and some misunderstandings. There is a lot of information available <br />about the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of tree wells. A University of Florida publication <br />by Dr Ed Gelman recommended the tree well should be placed outside the drip line. More <br />information is necessary because there are varied opinions on tree wells. He specified that <br />live oaks are a very hardy species unlike maples and laurel oaks which cannot handle injury <br />very well. The PVC with air vents system being proposed has been in a textbook since <br />1987 and is recommended by the University of West Virginia and Texas A & M Extension <br />Services. Trees on lots increase property values from 7% to 13%. Regarding tree <br />replacement, he proposed a 4" diameter but was willing to see what a 2" diameter will do <br />since the availability of the larger diameter trees is somewhat limited. In parking lots, he <br />recommended increasing distance from the trunk to 10' since placing structures near the root <br />system increases the potential for upheaval of the root system. <br />Lois Work, 8407 Red Bay Court, Indian River Shores, as President of Realtors <br />Association of Indian River County, opposed regulations which impose landscaping and <br />design standards on individual landowners in the belief that the property owner's ability to <br />make decisions on tree placement is paramount and should be protected. The proposed <br />amendment does two negative things: it attacks the private property rights of all landowners <br />and raises the price of homes, making affordable housing more difficult for first-time home - <br />July 9, 2002 <br />43 <br />