(a) The owner of the property to be platted may provide an easement on all or part of the property to conserve trees and other natural features, subject to acceptance by the city, to the city or jointly to the city and a nonprofit association dedicated to the conservation of land. Before the city may consider accepting the easement, or consider approving the acceptance of an easement with a nonprofit association as the joint grantee of a conservation easement, the owner shall provide the building official with a list of the protected trees by name (both common and scientific) and caliper or an estimate thereof calculated and documented in a manner approved by the city arborist, written consent by any lienholder of the property to subordination of the lienholder’s interest to the conservation easement area, and a preservation strategy for the easement. The grantee of a conservation easement, if not the city, should be an eligible grantee such that the grantor will have the option of receiving a property tax benefit on the assessed value of the conservation easement area. The conservation easement area should be accessible to the public for walking, upon trails if the area exceeds 30 acres, unless this activity poses a risk to endangered species.
(b) The easement must be approved by the building official and approved as to form by the city attorney.
(c) The owner may offer a conservation easement to the city through the city arborist, or to a nonprofit association approved by the city (a list of such associations may be obtained from the city arborist). (Ord. Nos. 22053; 23384; 24843)