Members of the Barrington Plan Commission, addressing village trustees at a Committee of the Whole meeting Wednesday night, said they will proceed with an effort to develop an ordinance requiring property owners to preserve trees.
The Village Board had previously told the commission to focus on trees planted on rights of way, but doing only that would not go far enough toward preserving a “valuable resource,” said Greg Furda, Plan Commission chairman.
The proposed ordinance would focus on trees in front of buildings, the pruning of trees, preserving heavily wooded property in the village, and preserving wooded lots outside village limits.
Furda said the ordinance would empower the village to stop development within 1.5 miles of village limits if tree-clearing is planned. He cited 21 undeveloped parcels–eight of which are close to the town’s border–that could be at risk if action is not taken.
“We have no standard right now to show a developer,” Furda said. “It’s strictly negotiation. Frankly, we’re tired of doing that.”
