"Development is great," Mrs. Rios said. "But there needs to be a happy medium, not plowing a field completely bare naked with no trees or shrubs or anything. Then they build in the middle part."

In many cases, mature trees near the edges of the development could be left in place, she said.

"It's anger because I know it can be prevented," said Mrs. Rios, a commissioner of Keep Grand Prairie Beautiful. "Other cities prevent it."

City officials say they can't prevent property owners from cutting down trees, but they can provide incentives for keeping them.

On Tuesday, the City Council will consider an ordinance that does just that. The proposed landscaping and screening ordinance also increases the amount of landscaping required at new or expanding nonresidential developments.

The ordinance has been nearly a year in the making, and has been approved by the council's Development, Public Safety and Health and Environment committees, as well as the Keep Grand Prairie Beautiful Commission, the Park Board and the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Council member Richard Fregoe said the Public Safety Committee initiated discussions about a landscaping ordinance.

City officials said citizens have often complained about developers clear-cutting lots.

In particular, some residents complained to the council several years ago when an oak tree believed to be about 100 years old was destroyed for the Kohl's development on South Carrier Parkway.

The proposed ordinance would require developers to plant more trees, shrubs and ground cover over a larger area of their property than the current ordinance, Chief Planner Kevin Lasher said.

But developers who retain healthy existing trees get a break on tree-planting requirements.

"There is a tree preservation credit that would be issued according to the size of the tree," Mr. Lasher said. "The credit would subtract from the total amount of trees required to be planted."

Existing city ordinances require landscaping only along the front and sides of developments that are adjacent to public rights of way.

"This ordinance addresses the site in its totality," Mr. Lasher said.

The amount of area that must be landscaped is determined by the size of the lot and the type of zoning, from 4 percent for light industrial to 10 percent for general retail and 20 percent for multifamily developments.

The proposed ordinance would require one tree for every 500 square feet and one shrub for every 50 square feet. The ordinance also calls for one tree for every 20 parking spaces, and no tree may be more than 100 feet from a parking space.

Besides new development, the proposed ordinance applies to the expansion of nonresidential structures, if the expansion increases the building by more than 30 percent or adds more than 3,000 square feet.

Single-family exemption

That omission may prove controversial, some city officials say.

Some residents said residential developers also clear-cut lots.

"Right across from Colin Powell Elementary. they did that for a new development," resident Betty Hasty said. "When they go in there and clear the ground, that is just terrible."

Mr. Lasher said single-family developments must meet existing landscaping and screening requirements.

Special projects coordinator Tammy Chan said it's almost impossible to save trees when building residential communities.

"If anybody on the city staff ought to be a tree-hugger, it's me," Mrs. Chan said. "But when you're trying to develop a 6,500-square-foot lot, there is not enough room in there to move equipment around and still save any trees."

The council will vote on the ordinance when it meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 317 College St.

Staff writer Stephanie Sandoval can be reached at 817-695-0315 or .