[CANUFNET] Underground utilities and Municipal Design Standards

[Janet Wong]

I don’t think that is a fair comment to make about land use planners.  There are numerous land use planners who have championed for tree installation and preservation in many southern Ontario communities.  It doesn’t really serve anyone to diss other professionals.

Janet Wong

> On Dec 8, 2024, at 2:34 PM, Oliver Reichl via CANUFNET <canufnet at list.web.net> wrote:
> 
> Municipal governments need to recognize that, as long as engineers and planners get to call the shots and have the final say on development plan approvals, trees will always be an afterthought (if given any consideration at all). I’ll have to check out what Ottawa is doing.
> 
> On Thu, Nov 28, 2024 at 2:00 PM Peter Wynnyczuk via CANUFNET <canufnet at list.web.net <mailto:canufnet at list.web.net>> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi,
>> 
>> Look to the City of Ottawa as they have an excellent new  model.
>> 
>> Regards
>> 
>> Peter Wynnyczuk
>>  
>> 
>> ------ Original Message ------
>> From: canufnet at list.web.net <mailto:canufnet at list.web.net>
>> To: canufnet at list.web.net <mailto:canufnet at list.web.net>; canufnet-owner at list.web.net <mailto:canufnet-owner at list.web.net> Cc: woodc at halifax.ca <mailto:woodc at halifax.ca>; Karam.Tay at halifax.ca <mailto:Karam.Tay at halifax.ca>
>> Sent: Wednesday, November 27th 2024, 14:15
>> Subject: [CANUFNET] Underground utilities and Municipal Design Standards
>>  
>> 
>> Hello folks,
>> 
>>  
>> I’m looking to get some perspective from across the country.
>> 
>>  
>> In Halifax, we are encountering the issue of finding suitable locations to plant street trees in new subdivisions. The frontages are already very narrow for many of our suburban lots, and the utilities (site services), based on our design standards, are located in the lawns, challenging the plantings of trees in said lawn.
>> 
>>  
>> In most other jurisdictions that I have worked, the utilities (site services) are often located under the driveways, which opens the lawn to planting trees without conflict. While I haven’t sat down to speak with the Utilities in Halifax, or the Engineers responsible for our design standards just yet, I’m trying to get a sense, from other judications, as to why Halifax might differ. I suspect a reason to locate utilities under a driveway would be to free the lawns to planting, but also suspect the utilities may have reason not to want their assets under the driveway for maintenance.
>> 
>>  
>> I would appreciate any perspectives or experiences with this matter. Or to put it another way… if other municipalities have design standards requiring the utilities be located under the driveways, how did they accomplish this so that I might learn. Was it a tree planting argument? or were there other reasons?
>> 
>>  
>> Any perspective, constructive comment, or advice is appreciated.
>> 
>>  
>> CRISPIN WOOD
>> 
>> MANAGER OF URBAN FORESTRY
>> 
>> INFRASTRUCTURE MAINTENANCE & OPERATIONS
>> 
>> PUBLIC WORKS
>> 
>>  
>> HΛLIFΛX
>> 
>> PO BOX 1749
>> 
>> HALIFAX NS B3J 3A5
>> halifax.ca <http://www.halifax.ca/>
>>  
> --
> Oliver K. Reichl, B.E.S.(Hons)
> -----------
> Sent from my mobile phone.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://list.web.net/pipermail/canufnet/attachments/20241209/899ff14e/attachment.htm>