Heard a city planner talking about tree removal permits at a coffee shop in Denver

I was grabbing a latte near City Park and overheard this guy say they're looking to fast track permits for removing mature trees on private property if the owner claims 'safety concerns'. No inspection needed before approval. That means any homeowner who doesn't want to deal with leaves or roots can just lie and get a 60 year old oak cut down in a week. Has anyone else seen this happening in their town?

2 comments

2 Comments

avery_carr5718d ago

Oh man, that's wild! I can totally see this backfiring in the goofiest way possible. I've got a neighbor who'd probably claim his lilac bush is a safety hazard just to get out of trimming it himself. Honestly, I'd probably be the guy filling out the permit wrong and accidentally getting my mailbox removed instead of the tree. It just seems like a lazy shortcut that's gonna let people chop down perfectly good trees without thinking twice.

aaronf4017d ago

And I had a buddy who tried that exact loophole last year. He claimed this big oak was "leaning dangerously" and the city came out, measured it, and told him it was perfectly straight. They ended up fining him for wasting their time and now he's on some kind of watch list with the arborist department.