BLYTHEWOOD – The Planning Commission took action Monday evening on a request by an Ashley Oaks resident, Frank Parks, to remove five healthy trees from his front yard. Parks told the Commission last month that the trees’ roots had begun to cause erosion in his yard, causing other landscaping problems. The Commission was clearly split on the matter at that time. After a visit to the site on April 23, Rick McMakin came to the meeting Monday evening with the suggestion to allow Parks to remove three of the trees, one of which was damaged, and leave the other two trees, which were large and healthy. Parks accepted that recommendation and the Commission voted in favor of it.
After passing first reading on the Town’s new Tree Preservation and Landscaping ordinance in March, Town Council requested that the Planning Commission provide some example scenarios of how the revised ordinance would be applied. On Monday night Michael Criss, the Town’s planner presented several such test examples to the Planning Commission and asked the Commissioners to think of others that might be applicable prior to the Commission’s next work session on May 13.
