Radnor Township Shade Tree Commission Meeting - September 24, 2025

The Radnor Township Shade Tree Commission met on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at 6:30 PM in the Radnorshire Room. The commission approved six grading-permit applications, reviewed fall planting and volunteer events, considered 2024 right-of-way tree cost data, and made budget-related recommendations to take to the Board of Commissioners.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the August 27, 2025 meeting minutes.
• Approved consent application 215508-303 Walnut Ave (pool; 104 cubic yards of dirt removed; 0 trees removed; no compensatory trees required).

New Grading Permit Applications

• 789 Darby Paoli Road - Garage and Driveway: 382 cubic yards removed; 0 trees removed. Applicant Julie Parish described a 13-foot garage expansion, a small retaining wall, and driveway widening. Approved.
• 516 King of Prussia Road - Pool: The agenda noted no cubic-yard figure; applicant Peg Prizer of Bancleaf Engineering stated 110 cubic yards of subsoil would be removed and 0 trees removed. Commissioners noted the recommendation to keep work outside tree drip lines. Approved.
• 800 Lancaster Avenue - Doherty Hall Driveway: 586 cubic yards removed; 2 trees removed. Mike Roth of Pannoni Associates and Jim Darkin of Ground Reconsidered represented Villanova University. The project will create a new driveway connection, remove one small 8-inch tree and one 42-inch London plane tree, and plant 7 replacement trees (3 scarlet oaks, 3 Yoshino cherries, and 1 dawn redwood). Commission discussion addressed protecting an 82-inch beech near the work and matching the required replacement. Approved.
• 610 King of Prussia Road - Driveway Improvements: 1 cubic yard to remain; 0 trees removed. Mike Roth explained widening the driveway radius for shuttle buses by about 300 square feet of impervious surface; no tree protection or landscaping was needed. Approved.
• 610 King of Prussia Road - Montefalco Hall Patio: The agenda listed no cubic-yard figure; applicant Al Grigga of Chester Valley Engineers stated about 1,500 cubic yards of soil would be imported. The project includes a 10,000-square-foot patio, two walkways, removal of two 8-inch beech trees, and replacement with two ginkgo trees. Recycled-plastic mats were proposed to protect root zones. Approved.
• 244 Abrahams Lane - Barn: 1,400 cubic yards to remain; 2 trees removed. Applicant Matthew Pellino described a detached garage/barn for storage and antique cars, removing a 24-inch tree and an 8-inch tree. Approved.

Old Business: Fall Planning and Events

• Villanova University Day of Service: More than 90 students/scouts planted 75 red cedars at The Willows in about 1.5 hours as part of the reforestation project. The commission plans to interplant other bare-root species for diversity.
• Fall planting: The commission ordered 80 bare-root trees from PHS (Pennsylvania Horticultural Society): 42 for residents, 34 for The Willows, and 4 replacements for West Wayne Cemetery trees lost over the winter. Township pickup is scheduled for November 13; resident trees are to be planted by a private contractor between November 13 and 21; volunteer planting at parks is planned for November 15.
• Resident registration opened without formal promotion, and 20 of 42 resident trees were already claimed. Waitlist and replacement residents were prioritized.
• Wayne Business District and Aberdeen Terrace: Mr. Gibbons won the bid for tree work; removals and plantings are expected in October-November, pending Board of Commissioners funding approval.
• Fall Festival recap: The commission shared a table with Radnor Conservancy and Bird Town and raffled a tree. Radnor Conservancy is planning a Tree-toberfest on October 26, 12-3 PM at The Willows with about 400 container trees, Locust Lane Brewery, music, and raffles; the Conservancy also offered around 200 volunteers for future service.

Right-of-Way Tree Management Discussion

• Kristen presented 2024 calendar-year data on township right-of-way tree work, broken out by parks vs right-of-way, dispatch type (removal, fallen, pruning), and tree diameter class. Total 2024 costs for the analyzed right-of-way work were about $45,000. A hypothetical fee model using the residential compensatory fee of $300 per tree, with percentage-based fees by diameter, would generate roughly $8,000 and fund about 27 compensatory trees, nearly a one-for-one offset.
• Public works staff explained that budget season makes a commission recommendation necessary. Under current ordinance, the township inspects and removes hazardous right-of-way trees; a resident can avoid township removal only by sending a letter accepting full liability, typically with a tree company.
• Commissioners debated flat fees versus percentage-based fees, stump-grinding costs, administrative burden, and the goal of maintaining a net-neutral or positive tree inventory. One commissioner supported percentage fees as keeping pace with cost increases; another favored a simple flat fee aligned with the $300 compensatory fee. Staff noted some townships pay 100%, some do nothing, and at least one uses a 70/30 resident/township split.
• A commissioner proposed converting an underused township-maintained grass area at an Ithan Avenue intersection into a forest to reduce mowing costs. Staff was open to considering it but raised sight-line and driver-visibility concerns; Odorisio Park's back field was also mentioned as a candidate.

Key Outcomes

• Approved all six permit applications listed above.
• Voted to continue township maintenance of right-of-way trees.
• Voted to charge residents a contribution toward right-of-way tree work, with details to be determined later (passed 5-1).
• Voted to charge residents a flat fee, rather than a percentage of cost, for hazardous right-of-way tree removals of trees greater than 6 inches DBH (passed 5-1); pruning and fallen-tree cleanup were not included.
• Voted to request reinstating a $10,000 township budget line item for the Shade Tree Commission's big tree fund, available for maintenance and planting.
• Voted to support an additional public works head count to help with commission programs and other township needs; public works staff will present supporting data to the Board of Commissioners.
• No new annual goals were proposed beyond the items discussed; the 2026 annual goals file still needs to be started and the 2025 file completed.

Hazardous Tree Review

• The commission reviewed resident hazardous removals at 20 Ridgewood, 555 Sproul, and 1234 Upper Gulph.
• The commission reviewed Radnor Township hazardous removals, including large trees at 438 Belrose, 682 and 813 Malin Road, 618 Pembroke, 401 N. Wayne, Wyldhaven, Emlen Tunnel Park (36-inch locust), 892 Briarwood (45-inch ash), Encke Park (38-inch ash), and 430 Barclay Road (55-inch silver maple), among others. A comment noted that the many Belrose trees were in serious decline or leaning toward the road.

No public comments were offered during the public participation portion, and the meeting adjourned.