After 18 months of review, developers, tree lovers, and property owners still at odds over proposed ordinance; Des Moines, IA; 4/24/09

Tree meeting recap DesMoinesRegister.com - Des Moines,IA,USA
Wednesday night’s public meeting on a tree management ordinance in Des Moines exposed clear differences among conservationists, developers and some property owners.
It’s taken city officials some 18 months to come up with the ordinance’s current draft. All of the feedback generated between last night’s meeting and recent sit downs between city officials and developers could mean more tweaks to the ordinance.
Regarding those meetings city officials held with developers, Brian Millard, a neighborhood advocate from the Lower Beaver area, called upon city officials to make notes from those meetings public. Millard, who also serves on the city’s Plan and Zoning Commission, has been highly critical of the city’s closed sessions with developers.
Millard, a long-time tree preservation advocate, described the draft ordinance as reasonable.