Planner sings praises of city’s UDC, tree ordinance

Ryan Bass remembers a time when new development around Boerne resembled more of a “scorched earth” policy, than an environmentally friendly residential or commercial project.

That was before the city began its Unified Development Code, he said, which contains the city’s tree ordinance, which now restricts the swift removal of trees from property development.

Before the ordinance was included in the UDC, “any tree that fell within a platted lot less than a half-acre in size, was exempt from tree mitigation,” Bass said, drawing audible gasps from the three-dozen people gathered at the Cibolo Nature Center.