Avondale Estates’ new five-person green space committee met informally with city commissioners for the first time during a work session last week. The commission outlined several initial goals, but Mayor Jonathan Elmore clearly delineated the collective’s first priority.
“We want you to look at a residential tree ordinance,” he told the committee. “We would like to see you produce a draft for this ordinance.”
Avondale has periodically discussed a tree ordinance over the past year, and the city even posted a rough draft on its website last spring and summer. But that document mostly anthologized ordinances from other cities and was largely unpopular with local residents.
Despite that criticism Elmore remains steadfast on the issue, especially since Avondale’s current tree ordinance covers all zoning districts except residential.
“It’s time for us to seriously consider a residential tree ordinance,” he said. “We need something in place to protect our canopy.”
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