A total of $39,000 will be put toward tree replacement within the township
A presentation in May to the Lower Gwynedd Township Supervisors resulted in an approved Resolution 2024-21 during the most recent meeting of the Board. The proposal will allow 130 trees to be removed from a property, with a fee “in lieu” to instead be paid.
The supervisors were asked to review a memo from Assistant Township Manager Jamie P. Worman, which outlined the conditions of a “minor subdivision” of land at 1616 School House Lane during its July 23 session. The trees are to be removed in order for the future construction of a single-family dwelling.
According to the minor subdivision plan, the lot is owned Frank and Rita Dombrowski, and it is located in an A-Residential zoning district. The property currently includes 2.4 acres with a two-story dwelling with detached garage, which is to remain on the lot. Two paved driveways are also on the piece of land along School House Lane, both of which provide access to the existing structures. The land outside of the structures is currently comprised of lawn and wooded area.
The lot will be separated into two, unique lots, as Jack MacCord, with Total Custom Homes, Inc., based in Lower Salford, applied for the division in February 2024, with revisions last updated in April. The May presentation sparked what Worman called “a lengthy discussion” about the removal of the trees on the property.
The applicant, after hearing the concerns, provided the township supervisors with a landscape plan which outlined a tree removal assessment based on the most limited anticipated level of disturbance. The plan was provided to the Planning Commission, which reviewed the plan.
During such building projects, the township has created an option to provide funding in lieu of replanting trees. In such circumstances, the township has “consistently estimated the cost of replacement trees at $300 per tree,” according to the memo. In the case of 1616 School House Lane, the removal of 130 trees will mean a cost of $39,000 would be paid. The trees include a total of 389 caliper inches, or inches of tree circumferences.
“The Township Engineer is comfortable with this projected tree replacement,” Worman noted in the memo, which was included in the supervisors’ packets July 23. “The recommendation motion is that the BOS approve Resolution 2024-21 granting preliminary/final approval with the conditions as stated and set forth by the planning commission.”
The board did so without any additional presentation or discussion on the matter. No public spoke about the topic, and no further questions were asked by the supervisors. The resolution passed unanimously, with all supervisors voting in favor of the fee in lieu of tree replacement plan for the property.
As previously reported by Wissahickon Now, the board has arranged such resolutions in order to work with area builders and residents. The supervisors approved in June to allow both Gilmore & Associates, an engineering and consulting firm, and the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to assist in mapping a plan for the township’s wooded areas. A “Strategic Forest Management Plan.” Funds from the “tree money” were used to hire the firms with a total not to exceed $14,510. The spending was approved in the June meeting.
