Reso13 PC 13-09 2859 Initial Study Mitigated Negative Declaration Kensington

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4.4 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES The following discussion is based,in part, on a tree survey prepared by Ralph Osterling Consultants in June 2011. A copy of the Arborist Report can be found in Appendix B. 4.4.1 Setting 4.4.1.1 Existing Vegetation and Wildlife The project site is located in a highly developed urban habitat. Urban habitats typically include street trees,landscaping,lawns, and vacant lots and provide food and shelter for wildlife able to adapt to the modified environment. Vegetation on the project site consists of a stand of trees at the west end of the property (the remnant of a previous walnut orchard)with ruderal vegetation throughout as well as a stand of trees along the southern property line and a few trees and shrubs around the buildings. There are no sensitive habitats or special-status plant or animal species on-site due to a lack of habitat to support them. 4.4.1.2 Redwood City Tree Ordinance The City of Redwood City tree preservation ordinance(Redwood City Municipal Code, Chapter 35) defines a Heritage tree as "any woody plant characterized by having a single trunk of a circumference of 38 inches (equivalent to 12 inches in diameter) or more, measured at any point between six and 36 inches above ground level. A tree removal permit is required from the City for the removal of any such tree. In addition,the Parks and Recreation Commission (Commission)may declare any tree,regardless of size,to be a heritage tree if the tree is healthy,has adapted well to the climatic conditions of the area,if the tree is visually accessible from a public ROW, and if the Commission finds that at least one of the following conditions exist: 1) said tree has historical significance, 2) said tree is indigenous to the area, or 3) said tree is one of a group of trees and that each is dependent on the other tree for survival. There are 26 trees on the project site including 10 evergreen pear, 10 English walnut,two coast live oaks,two Spanish dagger, one southern magnolia, and one valley oak. Of the 26 trees on-site, only 13 qualify as trees under the City's tree preservation ordinance based on size. The following table lists all trees identified on the site during the tree survey. The location of the trees is shown on Figure 4. TABLE 2 Tree Surve Tree No. Common Name Diameter Circumference Overall Condition6 41 S anish da er 13 41 Fair 42 S anish da er 7 22 Fair 43 southern ma nolia 24.5 77 Fair 44 ever reen ear 10 31 Fair 45 ever reen ear 9 28 Fair 46 ever reen ear 9 28 Fair 6 Overall condition was measured relative to the health and structure of the tree. Kensington Assisted Living Facility Project 25 Initial Study Redwood City Apri12013