The Ocean Shores City Council on Monday began to review policies that regulate how private lots are cleared and code that applies when certain trees are cut down and removed.
The review was prompted in part by concerns raised by citizens who contend the rapid pace of new home building has caused some property owners to level all vegetation on vacant lots prior to any development or construction.
Council member Jon Martin said he knew of one example in his neighborhood: “There is a lot that has been totally cleared from corner to corner. And in my mind, there were substantial trees there. … The concern is our town is changing as the vacant lots disappear.”
Under current code for clearing and grading, so-called “significant trees” over eight inches in caliper (excluding alders and cottonwoods), as measured four feet above grade, shall be retained as part of a landscaping plan.
“All significant trees located within areas designated for retention in a natural state which are not dead, dying, diseased, and do not pose a significant safety hazard, shall be retained,” the language states.
“However, to try to figure out who is cutting down what trees in their yard, unless a neighbor tells us, we are unlikely to know,” Mayor Crystal Dingler acknowledged in reviewing the code. “… It’s very difficult to police. It’s one thing when people are clearing a lot and we go and mark the trees that need to stay. We go through a process with them. But if they subsequently take a tree down, we’re unlikely to know.”
With 12,000 lots in the city, Dingler said, enforcement often depends on help from citizens. “When you cut a tree down, you are supposed to replace it with three” new trees, she added. “We have to use good common sense with the approach on this.”
Other provisions of current grading and clearing code:
• Grading plans shall assure that the “productive character of the soil is protected or restored on all areas of the site not occupied by buildings.”
• Any portion of a property not proposed to be occupied by structures or pavement shall have, at a minimum, ground cover adequate to control erosion and prevent the sand from blowing or washing onto other properties or streets.
• All landscaped areas shall be continuously maintained and kept free of litter.
Dingler noted that violation of the requirements is a gross misdemeanor with fines of up to $500. Every day that the code is broken is cause for an additional fine, she said. “We try to work with them … and make sure they replant,” Dingler said.
Permit help wanted
The city of Ocean Shores is looking to hire a permit technician to help monitor and coordinate applications to the Public Works Department’s Building Division. The new position, approved by a 4-3 Council vote, would assist applicants, members of the public, property owners and tourists, along with other city departments by providing information about the permit application process.
“We are drowning in work over there,” Dingler said of the permit office, which has processed an estimated 80 housing start permits this year already, compared to 105 last year, also “a big year for us altogether.” It often takes three to four weeks now to get a permit, she said. “We are really not giving the kind of service that we need to give.”
The city has brought in more than $100,000 in permit-related revenue this year over last year, Dingler said.
“That would more than cover this position, and it is desperately needed,” she said.
The job pays $3,651.94-$4,732.75 monthly. The position requires use of basic office equipment, computer knowledge and use of software associated with word processing, permit issuance and spreadsheet applications are used daily. Council members to vote against the hiring — Martin, Susan Conniry, and Holy Plackett via phone in her last meeting — said they wanted more time to discuss the request and the need before making a decision.
“I understand it’s an emergency, but I am not voting in favor of it today,” Martin said.
