Dallas Considers Tree Restrictions for Homeowners
Dallas’s Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee is considering a measure that would impose mandatory tree restrictions on residential homeowners. As proposed, this Neighborhood Forest Overlay (NFO) would be triggered by signatures from nearby property owners.
Upon establishment, an NFO would place a deed restriction on each lot in the designated area. Depending on the chosen scope, homeowners would face restrictions on tree removal from portions or the entirety of their property. These restrictions include mandatory on-site replacement with another tree or a fine payable to the city’s reforestation fund.
“For any number of reasons, homeowners may wish to remove a tree from their yard,†said Dallas BA Executive Officer and Dallas resident, Phil Crone. “They may consider their tree to be a nuisance or a threat to people or structures on their property or they simply may want to remove it to make way for a new project. Either way, this could really hit home for many Dallas residents.â€
Dallas recently passed a comprehensive update to Article X, which regulates the removal, planting and preservation of trees and landscaping on residential and commercial development. The ordinance exempted existing residential homeowners on lots less than an acre as well as trees within the footprint of a new home. The city’s reforestation fund has a balance totaling more than $7 million as Dallas has been unable to leverage the fund to plant new trees or acquire parkland.
“Tree roots pose major challenges to concrete,†Crone said. “Seeing buckled sidewalks in the proximity of trees around my neighborhood illustrates this well. No prudent homeowner would want that happening to the foundation that holds their largest investment. In fact, most warranty companies and geotechnical engineers won’t allow it.â€
The latest version of the proposed NFO and future Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee meetings can be found at this link.
