The Atlanta City Council approved legislation at its Monday meeting that seeks to establish a goal of achieving and maintaining a 50% average tree canopy cover in Atlanta.
The legislation also requests a study be conducted every five years to determine if the city’s tree ordinance is helping meet the 50% goal.
The resolution approved by the council notes that Atlanta is commonly described as a “City in the Forest” but studies dating back to 2008 showed the city’s tree canopy is shrinking.
“An informal goal of 50% tree canopy cover for the city was described over a decade ago by a previous city administration and, while socialized in Atlanta, the goal has never been formally recognized,” the resolution says.
The most recent city-wide canopy study from 2018 showed Atlanta’s cover at about 46.5%, or nearly 41,000 acres of the city’s total area, excluding the airport.
The legislation was approved as the city begins implementing amendments to its tree ordinance approved by the council in December. The tweaks include giving the city arborist more enforcement resources and stricter tree planting requirements in parking lots.
The amendments being implemented now are Phase 1 of an “incremental approach” to rewriting the city’s tree ordinance, according to a city news release.
Phase 2 of the rewrite is set to begin in early summer, and is expected to include updates to the tree ordinance on tree preservation, recompense and an income-sensitive tree replacement program. A draft of the Phase 2 rewrite is set to be finalized by the end of the year.
At its April 17 meeting, the City Council also:
• Gave the second of two required approvals for legislation to amend the city’s charter and code of ordinances to change the Office of the Inspector General by removing the ethics officer and ethics division to reestablish a separate Ethics Office.
• Approved a resolution requesting MARTA adopt Disadvantaged Business Enterprise practices in its procurement and contracting processes for the More MARTA program to promote economic opportunities for small businesses, particularly those owned by women and minorities. More MARTA is funded by a half-penny sales tax approved by Atlanta voters in 2016 for transit enhancements and expansion. The City Council and MARTA have clashed over the prioritizing of projects included in the More MARTA program. Last month, the council requested an audit of More MARTA. Mayor Andre Dickens supported the audit request and MARTA has agreed to the audit. No word on when the audit will be completed has been released.
• Approved a resolution to establish that 25% of all net revenue generated from the operation of the Atlanta public safety training center be allocated to support workforce housing, sustainability, infrastructure and youth development programs in the city. The legislation also establishes a public oversight committee of the funding and directs the city to report annually on how the money is being spent.
• Approved a resolution to request that the Municipal Court’s chief judge, the court’s administrator, and the city’s solicitor coordinate with the city’s Department of Law to establish and develop a process by which people charged with non-violent offenses in the Municipal Court may efficiently seek the restriction of records of the offenses in accordance with state law.
• Approved an ordinance to extend the due date for the Council to adopt the preliminary plan for discretionary accounts for the “Moving Atlanta Forward” infrastructure initiative to June 30. The previous deadline was March 30.
• Approved an ordinance to amend the Fiscal Year 2023 Water and Wastewater Renewal and Extension Fund Budget in the amount of $7 million to add funds to the Lakewood Park Project. The project includes the design and construction of stormwater infrastructure in Lakewood Park to remove a dam, stabilize a roadway, and alleviate flooding in the area.
• Approved a resolution requesting the installation of signage in the public right-of-way along both sides of Edgewood Avenue SE — from Jackson Street NE to Boulevard NE — and Chamberlain Street SE — from Jackson Street NE to Boulevard SE — to prohibit vendors from working in this area of the Sweet Auburn neighborhood.
• Approved a resolution to authorize $673,000 to the Atlanta Department of Transportation for capital projects to include new crosswalks, stop bars, and sidewalk and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramp construction at North Highland Avenue and Macon Drive and the Old Hapeville/Bromack intersection.
