The owner of a soon-to-open Dunkin’ Donuts/Baskin Robbins store in Clintonville was fined $8,800 by the City of Columbus for cutting down four mature street trees.
Any tree planted in the city right of way – which typically includes not just the street itself but also the adjacent sidewalks and tree lawns – is a city tree. If a city tree is damaged or dying, the city will trim it or cut it down at no cost to the property owner, but in all cases the city is the entity that decides whether a tree is taken down or not.
The trees in front of the donut shop were cut down sometime over the winter, and a complaint was made to the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department’s Forestry section.
Kerry Francis, Senior Manager of Communications for Recreation and Parks, said that the department has been in communication with the owners and thinks they were simply unaware of the regulations around city trees; “we don’t think there was any malicious intent.”
“We will work with the business owner to have four trees planted that are appropriate for the space,” said Francis via email. “Ideally we’d like to see this happen by early summer but know there are several factors that will determine timing, including the time of year (the middle of summer isn’t a good time to plant a tree)”.
The fine paid is based on the size of the trees – current code calls for a $200 fine per diameter inch, measured four-and-a-half feet above grade. However, the city’s recently-completed Urban Forestry Master Plan recommends that the fine be increased to $260 per diameter inch.
Francis said that changes to the tree code are currently being “vetted internally within the city,” before moving on to the Columbus Recreation and Parks Commission and City Council for approval.
The building where the trees were taken down, located at 3245 N High St., had been vacant for about two years but previously held a First Merchants Bank branch.
For more information, see the city’s Street Trees FAQ.