Revisions proposed to the Tree Preservation Ordinance for the City of Mount Vernon may placate some who opposed the ordinance. A new public hearing on the matter is set in conjunction with the monthly meeting of the city council Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 6:30 p.m.
The ordinance being proposed is a compromise. All existing property uses in Mount Vernon are grandfathered. The revised ordinance will impact new housing developments where large tracts might be taken in for development as housing or industrial parks.
Replacement trees are now down to one inch and two inch sizes from the three and four inches in the earlier proposal.
Councilman B. F. Hicks submitted a revised ordinance for consideration. In a letter to the city, fellow councilmen and several concerned citizens, he outlined concerns that parts of the ordinance be allowed to stand.
He pointed to the need for trees to help prevent erosion along suburban creeks. Mr. Hicks noted that neighbors along a creek south of the Wal-Mart, Priefert, Big Tex and Home Depot area in Mount Pleasant were experiencing what happens when trees are removed. “The creek was a peaceful stream where children could play. It is now a deep and dangerous gorge ... their (residential property owners) land is being lost to erosion,” Mr. Hicks stressed.
The section of the ordinance requiring construction of eight foot high masonry walls and tree buffer zones met with opposition from some realtors and developers. Mr. Hicks points to multi-story apartment complexes in Mount Pleasant and other nearby cities where renters in upper levels of the apartments now look directly into the backyards of private homes.
In addition, all mandatory requirements, including most shrubs and all requirements for artificial watering systems, are removed from the revised ordinance proposal.
“I don’t care about the Tree City USA status,” Mr. Hicks stated in his letter. “I care about getting something in place here (to protect the trees we have).”
Copies of the revised ordinance are available from the city hall. It is available online at www.comvtx.com.
- Lillie Bush-Reves ‘10
