Troy, NY Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Troy does not print one citywide parkway planting standard in its zoning chapter. The street tree rule in the Code of the City of Troy sits in § 285-66.4, the Hoosick Street Overlay Zone District, and subsection C says its development standards apply only to parcels partially or wholly within that overlay district.

Under the Streetscape standard, street trees are required. Spacing, number, and species of tree are at the discretion of the Planning Board. All newly planted trees must be at least two inches caliper size and must be a combination of flowering and indigenous trees.

The code then lists the places where trees must not be planted: within five feet of access drives, within 25 feet of preserved existing trees (the code prints the word as "tees"), within bus stop zones, below fire-escape balconies, where blockage to building entrances presents safety concerns, and within five feet of hydrants, manhole covers, or permanent streetscape furnishings. When planting trees, visibility of traffic signals and way-finding signage, both vehicular and pedestrian forms, must always be maintained.

The tree strip sits beside the sidewalk standards in the same subsection. In the Hoosick Waterfront and Hoosick Commerce Districts the sidewalk width is 12 feet measured from the curbline. In the Hoosick Professional District and east of it, the sidewalk is seven feet, measured from the curbline including a two-foot grass strip. Site furnishings such as benches, litter receptacles, bollards, bike racks, bus shelters, parking meters, fences and sign poles, excluding vehicular way-finding signs, are to be black, powder-coated metal.

Trees on developed parcels in the overlay corridor are therefore designed into the project, while cutting or injuring a tree already standing in a public street is a separate matter handled by § 251-8 of the Public Street Ordinance.