The Radnor Township Shade Tree Commission met on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at 6:30 PM in the Radnorshire Room. The meeting covered consent agenda approvals, public comments, several grading permit applications, updates on spring tree planting, a new recommended tree list, a proposed ordinance change to add a look-back clause for tree clearing, and reports on hazardous tree removals.
Roberta Winters also commented after the Villanova discussion, endorsing the use of drone technology for site review and encouraging commissioners to attend the arboretum walk to inform their decisions.
Pledge allegiance to the flag in the United States of America for what individual delivery okay thank you everybody um first up is meeting minutes I did not get a chance to look through these did anybody look through they look good everything look okay um I'll make a motion to approve then do I have a second second all in favor unanimous thank you okay next up is consent agenda Kristen or Matt Yep uh so uh uh 265 265 Abraham's lane uh everything was in order uh shade tree protection was up they're taking no trees all the trees are visible were protected all the gradings uh to remain on site and there's no steep slope issues or anything so it looked fine thank you public uh any public any public comment on that seeing none I'll make a uh motion to approve do I have a second second all in favor all righty all right next up we have uh new grain permits do we have anybody here uh John for 126 Garrett Avenue Mr. Leslie could just introduce yourself tell us about the project I know you're here before and this is just because you're coming back for the grading permit so just give us a quick review of it hi everyone uh uh Kevin Leslie representing 126 Garrett Avenue um and just um as this as said we were here back in uh December um presenting in front of the Shade Tree Commission um we're building a 1200 square foot garage um on the back lot of the of the space 125 we own both 120 or one we both own both 126 Garrett and then the adjacent property um 130 Garrett as well um the only real changes from when we presented in um December is we're by the you know request or by the recommendation of the planning commission we're adding some trees sorry you guys can hear me we're adding um some arborvities here for kind of natural bordering on the sides a couple of trees in the front um you know uh two trees in the front and then one at the corner um and then the only other addition here is we have a tree that is kind of tied to the fence line so we're not removing any trees that's still consistent with what we discussed back in December um but now as we got approved with the land development um there is a tree in the back here that is um not gonna be influenced um in the process of the construction but um it was uh you know now as we looked at it over it's you know presented do you know Kevin is that within 25 feet of the the building uh it it's really close it's up against the fence line this this doesn't do it much justice um with it's kind of bowed a little bit over but the trunk kind of comes out all right a little bit so it's it's right up against the fence which is greater than 25 feet but by this it's probably it might be within okay so in order to preserve it could we could you do some uh tree fencing protection around it just try to get right around that drip line or a little bit past it and that will help keep the machines the excavator off of it and save the tree from dying yeah yeah absolutely we would we would uh absolutely and I can't see from here but can you tell us what trees are you said arborvite were going in as like a screening trees on the side but what are the other two trees so we presented um to the design review board a few weeks uh two weeks ago um and the ones we had listed were I believe sugar maple here on the two that are bordering um here and then uh dog wood um up here so I think those were the uh the three that we decided on okay thank you um anybody have any questions comments okay I will make a motion then or first of all uh any public comment no public comment then I'll make a motion to approve do I have a second all in favor cool good luck Kevin thank you everyone and it's uh rowing yes business consulting yeah yeah uh for high school rowers who aspire to go and row at the college level perfect cool good luck with it thank you everyone okay next up we have 32 Aldwin Lane garage driveway walkway hey good evening if you could introduce yourself and just give us a uh description of your project hi my name is uh Peter Kakonis and I work for site engineering concepts uh here representing 32 Aldwin Lane uh 32 Allwyn Lane is a single family home with a driveway uh and a shed uh in the back um Hey, good evening. If you could introduce yourself and just give us a uh description of your project. Hi, my name is uh Peter Kakonis and I work for site engineering concepts uh here representing 32 Aldwyn Lane. Uh 32 Alwyn Lane is a single family home with a driveway and a shed uh in the back. Um they're proposing to remove the shed, uh, remove a walkway, and uh extend their existing driveway uh behind the house, add a detached uh garage and have a little shed uh behind the detached garage. Uh they're also adding a little bit to the uh the brick patio in the back, uh just doing a little little repaving uh on the driveway area. Okay. Uh so you can't see my tree removal chart, but there's uh five trees to be removed. Uh it's uh three pine trees or ten inch, ten inch, seventeen inch, a Japanese maple, it's nine inch, and a sycamore that's 24 inches. Um they're located along uh where the the right along the property line where the detached garage and and driveway are gonna go. Um there's just not enough space to to save them. There's also a tree that's uh right where the detached uh garage is as well. Um what's one, two, three, four? Forget where the other tree is, but um but in any event it's five trees. Um we have tree protection fencing, as you can see. We have detail and there's tree protection protection fencing uh along the the limits of disturbance. Um also forgot to mention there's a a rain garden in the back for stormwater management. Um there's an area of trees in the middle of the site, so we do have to have a construction access to that. Uh have a note on there uh about limiting that uh using mats is necessary, uh and we have it all lined with fencing. Or any of the trees um have to come out because of the rain garden to get to it or no, and um we actually tested right beside the garage, um, but there was shallow rock. So the only place we could go was in the very back. So um obviously, yeah, we didn't do it in the middle of the site where it's all wooded. Um it's open in the back. So um, so yeah, we didn't need to remove any trees for the rain garden. Uh and there may actually be some depending on what the the contractor and the um the owner decide there there may be some trees in the rain garden. I usually specify trees. So there's none proposed to be planted at this point. There's none proposed to be planted. Uh there may be some in the rain garden, but I know there's no required, and they're they I mean they they may end up putting in trees, but we're not showing any on the plan. Gotcha. Okay. And then you're coming in through the existing driveway and just extending that up, I assume. Uh yep, yeah, just existing driveway access, and then there's uh some strips some strips. It's actually gravel. They're proposing gravel strips and then a gravel area to get into the garage. Okay. Is there any trees on the neighboring property there? Like where you're coming through along the between the property line and the house? Um I don't believe so. We usually get those on the survey if they're very close. Okay. Um I think these these trees were like right on the edge of, you know, could we save them, you know, five feet or so, six feet away. So and the 24-inch sycamore is no possibility of saving. No. No, yeah, that's that's right here. I'm sorry, yeah, one, two, three, four, five. Um, yeah, that's that that's right here. We actually did, you know, shift the the the garage a little closer to the house than they originally wanted it, um, just because they wanted some space, you know, in here.