The South Hills Study recognized the hills surrounding Eugene as an <br />important feature of the city. "That `evergreen edge' is actually protected by <br />the zoning," Brown says. "So one of our objections is that if the PUD is <br />passed, the entire hilltop will be open to a clearcut." <br />The study addresses characteristics of trees that should be preserved by <br />developers. Dreyer's assessment fails the requirements of the code because he <br />hired a landscape architect instead of a certified arborist to evaluate the trees, <br />Brown says. <br />The response committee hired its own arborist, James Mehrwein, who said <br />the trees the PUD proposal classified as "fair or poor" condition actually <br />"appear to be healthy, quite normal," according to Brown. <br />Clearcutting and toothless agreements are concerns for opponents of the <br />PUD. Dreyer has placed a third of the trees on the PUD land in a "do not <br />touch" area, he says. Opponents say these are non-binding words and <br />sentiments. <br />Any binding covenant would have to be established by the revamped <br />homeowners association for the neighborhood Dreyer is hoping to build. <br />Brown says only the covenants and restrictions written by such associations <br />are enforceable when it comes to protecting designated land. <br />The covenants and restrictions, however, haven't been submitted - they will <br />be submitted after the application is approved. "At which point they can do <br />whatever they want," Brown says. <br />In April 2017 the city fined Dreyer $4,320 for removing a small stand of trees <br />without a permit in the vacant lot he owned across from his home, documents <br />show. <br />"This is the kind of person we are dealing with," Brown says. "This isn't just <br />character sniping. The PUD application is asking the community to trust that <br />