City Council passes CF-16-0461 “Tree Replacement In-lieu of Fee”
Last Tuesday, City Council voted 13 to 1 to create the new fee, which officials say will raise money to fund tree planting in nearby areas. The ordinance must also return to the council for a second vote on May 22, 2018.
Opponents to the plan state the plan places a $2,600 “in-lieu” fee *on developers to plant a sapling after destroying a mature shade tree worth $15,000 to $85,000. The sapling will take two decades to provide shade, and they won’t even be planted where the destroyed tree was removed.
The cheap fee will set off a chopping melee. NASA and L.A. scholars say that by paving over our greenery, L.A. is creating a terrible “heat island” — severe and growing heat waves.
TIMES article "Under new system, L.A. developers can pay a fee rather than plant new trees"