The Council for Quality Growth has spent considerable time working on the proposed changes to the city’s tree ordinance package, which will be presented to the city council sometime this year, if all goes to plan. A special thanks to Council for Quality Growth members Chris Poston and Daryl Cook for their work and input on this issue. The Council looks forward to working with city officials further in order to develop a policy that allows for additional trees and green space without complicating development in a recovering economy.
Marietta Mayor Steve Tumlin, has a few options for planting trees on Church Street on Marietta Square to add additional green space without eliminating any of the already existing parking spaces. The first and most cost efficient option would plant a dozen trees along Church, from Mill to Polk streets with no loss of parking spaces.
Mayor Tumlin favors the second option which would cost the city between $151,000 and $226,000, and differs from the first option, by allowing more freedom with landscaping and widening the sidewalk. Dan Conn, the city’s public works director stated that this option would actually shrink the roads from about 15 feet to 10 feet wide.
The next option would allow for the largest number of trees to be planted, costing between $84,000 and $126,000, eliminating six parking spaces, but allows for twice the number of trees planted than would the first two options.
The fourth and final option would install a center median on Church Street, planting the trees in the center of the road; this choice seems to be the least favorable option to achieve the city goals, costing between $64,000 and $96,000. Marietta’s elected officials will have to consider the impacts of each option onto the community and local business owners. Mayor Tumlin plans to have meetings with the city council and local business owners about this issue before any final decisions are made.