Agenda Package - City of Vernon

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The Agricultural and Hillside Residential District presents specific conditions which
are distinct from other areas of the city. Development in this district is subject to the
Hillside Guidelines and the specifics of development requirements as outlined in
neighbourhood plans drafted specifically to address conditions present in each
neighbourhood plan area. A canopy goal is not required in this development
district. lnstead, an approach to tree protection during development should be
included in neighbourhood plan development and address the needs of nesting
birds, wildlife corridors and fire protection,
It is recommended that Council endorse the tree canopy goals to permit their use
in neighbourhood plan development, zoning bylaw updates, support the goals of
Gommunities in Bloom and to provide direction for a community tree maintenance
education program,
5. Gommunity Tree and Boulevard Programs
Tree planting programs vary widely between local governments. Some are
undertaken by local governments to outline operational tree planting priorities,
maintenance mechanisms and budget allocations. Others are undertaken to
encourage community participation in tree planting throughout a city and to provide
trees, tools or incentives to encourage tree planting on private propedy and assist
community members in successfully maintaining trees. Most recently, local
governments are being encouraged by the provincial government to increase
community tree planting and maintenance to address community greenhouse gas
emissions reduction requirements or to offset local government carbon offset
purchasè requirements over time.
Boulevard maintenance programs are undertaken by local governments to provide
residents with information addressing appropriate public boulevard maintenance
activities including gardening, landscaping and weed management practices in
public rights-of-way adjacent to their properties. As well, a boulevard program can
include encouragement for active resident participation in the beautification of
streets and can include incentives to encourage participation across the
community.
These programs can include incentive programs which can involve resident
maintenance agreements, water rebates for tree watering, municipal tax discounts
for well maintained public boulevards and healthy tree maintenance among many
other tools. A public boulevard maintenance program, with or without an incentive
program, could be undertaken in Vernon and could include public boulevard tree
maintenance, landscaping and native plant information, water conservation tools
and weed management education. Tree planting and boulevard maintenance
programs, as described above, are outlined in Attachments 3 through 5.
It is recommended that Council endorse the establishment of a combined Tree
Planting and Boulevard Maintenance program applicable to all residential zones
throughout the city. This program would provide the opportunity for community
participation in the planting and maintenance of street trees and boulevard
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