Agenda Date: 01/20/2026
Subject:
Title
Ordinance 03-2026: An ordinance on first reading approving text amendments to Title 10, Unified Land Use Code, regarding the preservation and enhancement of the city's tree canopy and the tree canopy loss rate
Body
From:
James L. Becklenberg, City Manager
Prepared by:
Andrea Vaughn, Senior Planner
Mary Danser, City Forester
Presentations:
Andrea Vaughn, Senior Planner
Mary Danser, City Forester
Diana Kamenel Trettin, Manager of Grounds, Open Space and Natural Resources
PURPOSE:
To consider adoption of amendments to the Unified Land Use Code (ULUC) regarding an update to the Tree Canopy and miscellaneous greenscape provisions for the preservation of the City's tree canopy.
LONG-TERM OUTCOME(S) SERVED:
Sustainable Community with Natural Beauty; Environmental Stewardship; High-Quality Governance
DISCUSSION:
The protection and enhancement of the City's tree canopy has been identified by the City through several documents, including Envision Littleton, Horizon 2027 and the Urban Forestry Management Plan. Specifically, the Urban Forestry Management Plan calls for the City's tree canopy to be increased from 19.5% (as of 2023) to 50% by 2090. In order to meet this goal, this will require investment by the city, its residents, and private developers. The proposed text amendments seek to increase the tree canopy requirements for new developments in specific zone districts and for an increase in the fee-in-lieu for removal of healthy and mature trees; this fee will be used towards the City's Tree Equity Fund, which will plant trees in areas identified by the Urban Forestry Management Plan in greatest need of plantings.
The ULUC proposed code changes are now ready for City Council review and consideration.
BACKGROUND:
In 2023, the City hired a consultant to review Littleton's general tree ordinance provisions. The consultant identified various areas for improvement to increase the effectiveness of our code, including t...
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