Chesapeake, VA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

The street-tree standard sits inside Article VI of the subdivision ordinance, which governs residential cluster developments approved under the conservation-land design process in Sec. 70-211 and Sec. 70-212. Sec. " The trees must be a canopy species as defined in Sec. 19-600 of the zoning ordinance, planted where possible in a tree lawn strip at least four feet wide separating the sidewalk from the curb or the edge of right-of-way pavement. Because that strip often carries utilities too, the section requires utility lines to sit either within the tree lawn or in a separate utility easement placed beyond the sidewalk, and lets the final plan specify root barriers to keep tree roots away from pipes and lines; plantings inside a water or sewer easement additionally need the public utilities department's written consent.

The developer's guarantee runs 18 months from planting, and the director of development and permits, or a designee, can invoke it to require replacement of any tree found diseased, dying or dead during that period. The same article also sets related cluster infrastructure standards nearby, including 250-foot minimum-radius reverse curves and shared driveways in the A-1 district limited to three dwellings, showing the street-tree rule is one piece of a broader conservation-design package adopted by Ord. No. 04-O-080 on May 18, 2004.