Updated: Nov. 10, 2021, 4:28 p.m. | Published: Nov. 10, 2021, 4:28 p.m.
By Kristin F. Dalton | kdalton@siadvance.com
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – A bill introduced by Councilman Joe Borelli (R-south Shore) will lower the hefty restitution price tag that often gets passed down to homeowner for removal of a city-owned tree.
The most recent standard for tree restitution, paid to the city Parks Department and set by Local Law 3 of 2010, calculates the value of a tree’s loss by looking at how many trees must be planted to replace it, using a formula based on the tree’s age, size and health of its roots, trunk and branches.
An example of a large restitution price tag is when one Huguenot resident was told he would have to pay $170,000 to remove a city-owned tree on a plot of land where he was building his home.
Instead of paying the astronomical free, Mike Uberti sat back down with the architect to redesign the house plans around the tree.
Adding insult to injury, the Parks Department determined the tree was dead and needed to be removed six months after the home was built.
Borelli’s bill requires that the number of caliper inches of replacement trees be no greater than two times the number of caliper inches removed in R1, R2 and R3 zoning districts, which make up a large portion of Staten Island’s residential zoning districts.
“We want to keep disincentivizing from people cutting down trees unnecessarily but we don’t want to see homeowners stuck with hundreds of thousands in restitution fees,” Borelli said.
Borelli first introduced the bill in 2018, however, changes were made to exclude R4, R5, and R6 zoning districts — which allow for higher density residences than R1, R2 and R3 housing districts — after speaking with environmental groups and other lawmakers.
“At some point some people have to put a sidewalk in, or a dry well, or have to have off-street parking. These are things required by building and zoning code and to have the Parks Department extort them unreasonably is just messed up,” he said.
A Parks Department spokesperson previously told the Advance/SILive.com: “New York City’s urban forest is integral to the health, beauty and vitality of the city and its residents. Tree canopy cleans the air, cools the streets, reduces storm water runoff, beautifies neighborhoods, and enhances property values. We only approve the removal of a healthy tree when absolutely necessary, and after our expert foresters have reviewed the proposed removal to identify ways to preserve trees and minimize impacts.”
This new law will take effect in 180 days.