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Bibb developers may soon have to plant trees By Jarred Schenke Big changes may be on the horizon for Bibb County developers - they may soon have to plant more trees around strip centers, including in parking lots. That's according to a proposed tree and landscaping ordinance being drafted by Macon-Bibb County Planning and Zoning Commission staff. Jim Thomas, director of planning for the zoning board, said Tuesday the ordinance focuses on the way developers landscape commercial developments, including strip and major shopping centers. If approved by the planning and zoning commission, the ordinance is slated to: • Require an undetermined number of trees and landscaped islands spread throughout parking lots. • Hold developers responsible for landscape maintenance and irrigation once a project is completed. • Require developers to financially insure landscape and trees on commercial property. • Prohibit developers from clear-cutting property before lots are sold. "We're not trying to make it difficult to do business in Bibb County, but there's something we've got to do," Thomas said. "In the end, I'm sure not everybody's going to be happy on either side, but that's what we have to work through." Thomas said that, unlike past ordinance efforts, there is no provision in the draft to require developers to save existing trees. But he said developers will be required to plant a certain number of trees before a project is done. "We want something so you can easily say, 'You have 200 parking spaces, so you need X number of trees,'" he said. In any form, officials expect to meet resistance from the real-estate and development community over the proposed ordinance. Developers already spoke out against an initial ordinance attempt by a planning committee last year, Thomas said. But this proposal also will likely deal with saving trees and foliage during the construction phase. "Developers don't like it, and I understand that because it's a lot easier to develop a clear site than a wooded site," Thomas said. But, he added, "(Clear-cutting) just looks bad. Plus, it's bad to clear a site because of soil erosion, and it also removes any possibility of using existing trees in the (site) plan." Thomas said some developers will clear trees to generate an immediate infusion of income by selling the timber. But he said in many instances, the land remains bare for months - sometimes years - before construction actually begins. Thomas said a final draft of the plan will likely be completed in spring, and will undergo a number of public hearings before a final zoning board vote. Macon Mayor Jim Marshall applauded the efforts, saying they are long overdue. "We lag well behind others in our efforts to protect and enhance out tree stock," Marshall said. "The important part of quality of life is preserving trees. Everybody likes trees until they're in your way." The ordinance is unrelated to another ordinance being considered by the Macon City Council. A council committee was slated Tuesday to vote on its own tree proposal, which would create new guidelines for removing and replanting trees on public property, including downtown Macon. Local developer Bill Ramsbottom, a partner in The Ramsbottom Co., said the main concerns over any ordinance are requirements for developers to preserve existing trees during construction. "The problem here is if you have a beautiful old historic tree, and one foot of dirt is put on that tree because of a change of the topography, the tree is going to die," Ramsbottom said. "No pun intended, that's the root of the problem. No doubt about it, there's nothing better looking than a development with old trees on it. But it's sometimes impossible to do that." As for a requirement to prohibit clear-cutting before land sales, Ramsbottom said the planning and zoning staff should consider allowing a "select cut" compromise - allowing developers to clear a lot of just one type of tree and leave others up. "If a developer has to harvest trees to make a profit, then I think that developer paid too much for that land," he said.
To contact Jarred Schenke, call 744-4347 or email jschenke@macontel.com
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