Plan to Force Developers to Pay for Tree Planting, Maintenance Debated : Landscaping: Backers say the proposal is needed to cover high costs of upkeep. Thousand Oaks builders oppose the additional fees.

Trying to build up their urban forest, Thousand Oaks council members tonight will consider requiring developers to plant trees along city streets--and then pay to trim, water and nurture them.

The proposal, designed to keep city streets shaded and graceful, is contained in a new document known as the Forestry Element to the General Plan. The thick report also calls for private donations to a so-called tree trust or tree endowment fund, to cover the growing costs of maintaining city landscaping.

“The forestry master plan is an effort to give a value to our community forest so it can be enhanced and protected,” Councilwoman Jaime Zukowski explained. “After all, this is Thousand Oaks.”

But some developers think the pro-bark plan carries too much bite.

Trees on city sidewalks should be the city’s responsibility, they argue. Developers building on vacant lots already pay $129 per parcel in tax each year to maintain landscaping, and most are opposed to shouldering additional costs.

“It’s unfair,” developer George Connor said. “I see us being responsible for the plantings on our property. But we had to plant some oak trees on the sidewalk, and those trees got all bent over. They need to be straightened with a professional job. It’s the city’s responsibility, not the developer’s to pick them up.”

Connor, who owns several shopping centers along Thousand Oaks Boulevard, expressed another concern as well: Too many trees could block small shops and make it tough for retailers to draw customers.

He especially worries about a provision urging enforcement of a recent city law requiring that at least 50% of a parking lot be shaded by trees.

“A lot of our tenants have been kicking and screaming about it,” said architect Francisco Behr, who is designing a project for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Newbury Park. “They’re very concerned about visibility.”

Shading half of that project’s 3,000 parking stalls will cost more than $1 million, Behr said.

The Forestry Element also covers other ground, establishing dozens of basic policies about how Thousand Oaks should treat its trees.

The plan calls for:

* Promoting neighborhood forestry plans. Using tree plantings to create community identity.

* Requiring permits for all tree pruning on public land and commercial and industrial properties.

* Phasing out grassy medians and replacing them with mulch and drought-tolerant plantings.

* Encouraging the use of native plants and experimental species.

When a draft of the Forestry Element was circulated last year, the document contained several proposals that council members deemed too Draconian--including a citywide tax to maintain trees. The latest draft omits that proposal and scratches a plan to count every tree in the city.

But Councilwomen Zukowski and Elois Zeanah said they would like to revive the inventory idea, calling it vital to create a record of the city’s urban forest.

“What good is a master plan, and how can the city enforce it, if there is no inventory?” Zeanah asked.

Public Works Director Donald Nelson said he does not know the cost of counting every tree in the city. But he wants to build a computer record of every tree on city property to keep tabs on maintenance procedures, he said.

Once that computer count gets going, many city officials expect it to keep growing, as more trees sprout in Thousand Oaks.

“Planting a tree is indicative of your belief in the future,” Councilwoman Judy Lazar said. “I can’t say enough in favor of trees.”