Reply to “Shady” tree private fix by Mary Cheh for developer?

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[quote=Anonymous]There’s an op-ed column in this week’s Northwest Current that is very concerning.   A developer seeking to do a subdivision in Wesley Heights faced a signficant obstacle under the DC Tree Canopy Protection Act to cut down a 120-year old, 200’ tall, heritage tree.  The fine to remove the tree would have been nearly $38,000.  However, Council Member Mary Cheh inserted a private fix in the form of a one-paragraph amendment to the law, that was added to the 124-page 2018 Budget Support Act and which in effect singled out the tree, exempting it from protection. Once the Act passed, the developer immediately applied for a removal permit and the tree was cut down with no payment to the District.  However, it seems that the developer failed even to comply with the favorable terms of Cheh’s special favor, which provided that the tree could be exempted only after Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs approved the building permit for a new house.  However, DCRA has not issued the permit.  Now the developer is arguing that it cut the heritage tree because the tree was “ailing”, but the law requires a heritage tree must be declared a hazard by a certified member of the International Society of Arboriculture to be eligible for such removal.

Clearly Cheh has some ‘spainin’ to do, on how this seemingly “shady” tree favor was provided to a developer, who then proceeded to spurn the minimal requirement of the private fix it secured.  Does this self-styled D.C. champion of transparent, good governance and "green" advocate have a different notion of green in mind?

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