Editor’s Note: The city of Bellevue is updating its comprehensive plan. Over the next four weeks, city officials will discuss different parts of the plan on this page. See box on this page for how to comment on the plan and attend an open house.
By Patrick Foran
Special to the Reporter
Nearly every morning, Stephen Cobert opens a gate in the corner of his backyard and walks into a lush greenbelt behind his house for a 45-minute walk with his mixed black Lab Maddy. The well-maintained path connects to a network of trails called the Somerset Greenbelts, part of an interconnected park and open space system that stretches for miles.
Cobert, an ear-nose-throat surgeon, moved into his home in the Forest Glen East neighborhood in 1995 and lives there with his wife and teenage son. He said the greenbelt is a dense mix of deciduous and conifer trees.
“Now it’s quite interesting, with a high-, low- and mid-canopy and lots of understory,” said Cobert, who has seen deer, coyote and even bear in the woods over the years. “The deciduous trees … let in a lot of light in the winter and they’re beautiful in the fall when the leaves turn color.”
Cobert’s attachment to the greenbelt behind his house is what got him involved more than a decade ago when some property owners pushed for an ordinance that would allow cutting down trees to “enhance” the city-owned greenbelt. Cobert thought the advocates were more interested in improving their views and led a successful effort to stop the proposed ordinance.
Like many Bellevue residents, Cobert takes trees very seriously, and so does the city of Bellevue. Cutting trees on city-owned land is generally not allowed and cutting trees on critical areas such as steep slopes requires a special permit. In most cases, cutting trees on private property is allowed without a permit if the land is level. If you need clarification about when a permit is required, call a senior planner at 425-452-2739.
One of our programs in the Parks & Community Services Department, called Natural Resources Management, works to improve 10 to 20 acres of degraded natural area each year by planting more than 10,000 native trees and plants. Expanding the tree canopy helps decrease air pollution, reduce greenhouse gases and reduce storm water runoff.
The NRM program also maintains 85 miles of trails in Bellevue, including the greenbelt trail behind Cobert’s house, and conducts outreach to residents about how they can conserve and enhance our shared natural resources. This educational effort is important because more than 90 percent of Bellevue’s land base is privately owned.
Because Bellevue’s tree canopy is so important, we address the issue in the city’s comprehensive plan, which is currently being updated. The Comp Plan, as it is known, is the community’s vision for the future, guiding city investments in infrastructure and policy. It helps define the kind of city we want Bellevue to become.
The draft Comp Plan Update says, in part, that the city will strive to “manage Bellevue’s forest resources, including street trees, formal plantings, and self-sustaining natural stands, to ensure their long term vitality.”
Planning long-term on how to manage trees is important to Cobert. “Bellevue has a good record of being a good steward of nature and the tree canopy,” he said. “(The city) should never allow tree cutting in public greenbelts for private purposes.”
Patrick Foran is Director of Parks & Community Services for the city of Bellevue. City staff contributed to this story.
Comment on Comp Plan
The city of Bellevue is updating its Comprehensive Plan, the community’s plan for shaping the future of the city. Your thoughts and suggestions are encouraged.
If you want to comment on the topic highlighted in today’s story, or any other section of the draft Comp Plan Update, here are ways to do it:
- Online Open House: http://bellevue2035.publicmeeting.info
- Planning Commission public hearing: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 4, City Hall, 450 110th Ave. N.E.
- More information: http://www.bellevuewa.gov/comp-plan-update.htm