August 15, 2019

One week ago, I attended the Environmental Quality & Sustainability Commission meeting, where I was expecting to see this Commission FINALLY vote to move the draft recommendations to increase shade within the City of Phoenix forward to the City Council, which had been approved by the Tree and Shade / Urban Heat Island Subcommittee in July. Keeping in mind, that the Tree & Shade Master Plan was created 9 YEARS AGO, and yet, here we are. I was both frustrated and extremely dismayed at this meeting to hear that not only would a vote to move the recommendations forward NOT be happening, but a city employee from Planning & Development stated he didn't think their department would be ready until late this year or even early 2020. He also said he believed the "stakeholders" and public (read: developers) had not had enough time to offer input. When I asked him why 9 years wasn't long enough for his stakeholders, I got the stink eye. It was decided they would collect additional "public input" until Sept. 5, so it is vital we all weigh in now.

We must stress the urgent need for TREES & SHADE to be made a PRIORITY and viewed as the public health infrastructure they are - especially in our under-served communities. The heat related deaths & illness in Phoenix are RISING, we're breaking heat records every month, homelessness is surging (with seniors being the fastest rising segment) and our city needs trees and shade NOW. We have waited too long already. 

The next EQSC meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. on September 12 at Phoenix City Hall on the 12th floor. I hope you will join me there, as well as re-sign, comment and share this petition with everyone you know.

Here is the back story from when I started this petition ( and why I started it) for both context and history:

The City’s Tree & Shade Master Plan was adopted by City Council in 2010, and calls for preserving, protecting, and increasing the urban tree canopy across the city to achieve 25 percent coverage by 2030.

Though the plan was adopted in 2010, citizens have seen little effort to accomplish the goals and requirements set out in the plan. The community-led Citizen Tree and Shade Committee, spearheaded by local groups The Urban Phoenix Project and Rogue Green, brought 18 residents with expertise and passion together to create a set of ordinance guidelines for Phoenix. Modeled on best practices from other cities, but shaped for our arid climate, this document was created to help Phoenix accomplish the goals the City created, but has thus far failed to implement.

The effort was sparked in November of last year when the owner of downtown Renaissance Square development planned to remove large ficus trees from their plaza and replace the shade trees with palm trees. There was significant backlash and confusion surrounding not only the removal of the large shade trees, but also the lack of transparency and notice to the community. A petition was created that received 3400 signatures to save the trees. These trees were ultimately cut down, but the building owner did plant shade trees in their place due to the public outcry.

On April 4th, a group of Phoenix residents, led by local business owner Dwayne Allen, presented a Citizen’s Petition at the Formal City Council meeting to push for meaningful action on trees and shade in Phoenix.

The petition demands that the council officially establish a citizen committee responsible for monitoring and guiding the City’s Tree & Shade Master Plan. The petition also asks the City to implement the ordinance guidelines the volunteer group created to preserve, protect, and increase trees and shade in Phoenix, with an emphasis on both public health and environmental justice.

The resident-led committee encourages anyone who is passionate about shade, walkability, and sustainability in Phoenix to sign and share this petition to voice support for meaningful actions surrounding trees and shade, and to attend the Council meeting this Wednesday in support of the citizen-led petition.