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HomeMy WebLinkAbout23 FICUS TREE REMOVAL 05-16-94NO. 23 ,ATE: MAy 16, 1994 Inter-Com TO: WILLIAM A. HUSTON, CITY MANAGER FROM: PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT/FIELD SERVICES DIVISION SUBJECT: YORB& STREET FICUS TREE REMOVALS (P.W. FILE NO. RECOMMENDATION That the Tustin City Council confirm their previous action for the removal of the remaining ten Ficus trees along the easterly side of Yorba Street between Amaganset Way and VandenbergLane and authorize the replacement trees to be a 24" box size Bradford Pear tree in lieu of the previously designated 15 gallon size (Option'l). FISCAL IMPACT .... Option one, for r'eplacement of ten'trees the estimated cost is $1,750.00 which couldbe funded by the FY 93-94 Public Works Operating Budget. . -. _ . Option'two, for replacement of thirty-nine trees the estimated cost is $6,825,00 Which would require a'....supplemental budget appropriation of $5,075.00. ," / · . BACKGROUND The-removal. of the Ficus trees along Yorba -Street between-- ~rvine Boulevard and Vandenberg Lane has been and still is a topic of concern to the neighborhoods along and adjacent to Yorba Street. The ten remaining Ficus trees along the easterly side.of Yorba Street have outgrown their economical and physical existence within the containment of the Yorba Street parkways which are eight feet in width. Over the past ten to twelve years, the City has repeatedly repaired the sidewalks and-curbs in the ~ame locations to reduce areas of ponded water, and trip/fall hazards to the pedestrians. There are ten remaining Ficus trees along the easterly side of Yorba Street at the following locations: Three adjacent to the residence(s) at 14302 and 14332 Yorba Street. Three between Norwood Park Place and Parker Drive. One between Parker Drive and Village Drive. Three between Village Way and Amaganset Way. In 1991, the City Council authorized the removal of all of the Ficus trees along the easterly side of Yorba Street over a three phase/year program, and the planting of replacement tree(s) identified as the Bradford Pear, a small deciduous type tree. The first phase of these tree removals were initiated and completed in the fall of 1991 and the replacement trees wer~ planted. Later that yeal .11 of~th~ FiCus.treeS on the easterly side of Yorba Street, southerly of Am~a~9~'W~~rg.. removed ahead of schedule to provide visibility to motorists fo~'t~ stop signs installed on Yorba Street at Amaganset Way. The final phase of the Ficus tree removals and replacements are scheduled for Spring of 1994. The City has received comments from concerned residents within the area regarding the'removal of additional trees along Yorba Street and within the general neighborhood. On December 16, 1994, staff held a.meeting with residents of the Yorba Street area to hear their concerns and comments. The particulars of thismeeting are outlined in the attached memorandum dated December 21, 1993, and marked as Attachment "A". Also attached are two letters which are marked as Attachment "B" and ,,C,,, from Ms. Tippy Sheppard who is concerned about the removal of mature trees throughout her neighborhood and a letter of concern from Mr. and Mrs. Bauer marked as Attachment "D". Staff has received one request from Mrs. Gaunt requesting the removal of the Ficus trees along Yorba Street. DISCUSSION Staff is requesting confirmation as to whether the City Council desires to proceed with the' removal of the remaining ten Ficus trees along the easterly side o_f Yorba Street between Amaganset Way and Vandenberg Lane and replace them with the Bradford-Pear tree in a 24" box size. The previous Bradford Pear tree replacements were a 15 gallon size (Option 1). <. There has been a Suggestion by the .seven residents ~that attended the December 16, 1993 meeting that the twenty-nine (29) previously planted Bradford Per trees be. remoYedm and replaced with. 24" box~ Podocarpus (Fern Pine) trees and 'that the ten-remaining Ficus trees to be removed al. so be'~. replaced with the 24" box Podocarpus (Fern-Pine).-'trees wbich'-are' an evergreen .type tree (Option 2). The cost of the 24" box replacement trees are as follows: o Ten trees for replacement of the remaining ten Ficus trees at $1-75.00/tree .................... $1,750.00 Thirty-nine trees for replacement of the remaining ten Ficus trees and twenty-nine Bradford Pear trees $ 00/tree · $6 5 at 175 .................................. ,82 .00 The cost for.removal of the ten Ficus trees would be funded by the '93- 94 FY Public Works Operating Budget and would .require no supplemental budget appropriation. Robert Ledendecker Director of Public Works/City Engineer RL: ccg: ficusrem Attachments ,TE: DECEMBER 21, 1993 TO: FROM: SUBJECT; NEIGHBORtlOOD TREE MEETING OF DECEMBER 16, 1993 !?__U_STIN PUBLIC WORKS DEPT. .. There were 277 letters sent to residents who live on or near Yorba-Street notifying them of a meeting scheduled for the pu~ of discussing replacement trees for the Fieus' scheduled for removal this spring. Of the 277 residents notified, seven C/) attended the meeting. One resident notified me by phone that he could not attend the meeting but would respond in writing. (See attached letter.) . -Sara Penn, Rosewood Circle; Don Steinmeyer, Amaganset Way; Jan Alfrey, Yorba Street; Tippy S. heppard, Mimosa' Lane; Vi Wetherholt, Village Drive..; Pat Rice, Mimosa Lane; and Pat Schoefer, .Village Drive were in attendance at this meeting. Follo...,wing are comments and requests from the residents and resi~nses made by me, Ken Schultz, Supervisor Landscape Maintenan, ce and Michael Mahoney of West Coast Arborists:. -- . REQUEST: Do not remove the remaining Ficus trees from Yorba Street. RESPONSE: I went over th6 history behind the Ficus tree removals on Yorba Slxeet and the events leading up to the previous removals including the safety hazards and taxpayer costs associated with the continual sidewalk, curb and gutter damage caused by these large trees. Residents were reminded that removal of the existing Ficus trees was approved by the City Council in 1991, and scheduled for the spring of 1994. They were also told that the City Manager, William Huston, has determined that the replacement trees are to be 24* boxed trees instead of the smaller 15 gallon size previously planted. COMMENT: · The resident's do not want small deciduous trees; they prefer large evergreen trees of some type. Page 2 of 3 RESPONSE: Michael Mahoney of West Coast Arborists and the residents agreed that a large part of our conflict is the drastic change from the large evergreen Ficus trees to the small deciduous Bradford Pears. Mr. Mahoney then explained differences in tree types to residents and they agreed that the Podocarpus Gracilior or 'Fern Pine' would be their preference. NOTE: The Podocarpus tree is a deeper roofing tree and would not be as destructive to the surrounding hardscape as the Ficus and it is an evergreen which appeals to the residents. REQUEST: Residents would like a follow up report or meeting to inform them of the status of the Ficus Trees. They want this information in advance of any further removals to provide them time-to present their concerns to the City Council.' " RF~PONSE: - -' - -. · .: '· I agreed tO notify them as soon as theremovals' have been scheduled. REQUEST: · The residents would like to. see a tree preservation policy adopted in our City Code. RESPONSE: I explained that Wesi Coast Arborists are currently under contract with the City for tree trimming. I further informed them that the contractor is not only trimming trees but also taking an inventory of all City'trees and that from this tree inventory we will be establishing an Approved Street Tree Program that could possibly be established as a removal/preservation policy for adoption into the City Code. REQUEST: · The residents requested that the tree wells be enlarged as an alternatiVe to removing the Ficus trees. Page 3 of 3 RESPONSE: Mr. Mahoney described the growth characteristics of the Ficus tree and explained that this tree is not suited for the small tree wells they are planted in. He then explained that-cities have standards that must be followed for sidewalk construction which in most cases does not include the enlargement 'of tree wells. · I then informed them that a project such as this would be very expensive and .would have to be reviewed and approved by the engineering department. COMMENT: · The residents suggested that we remove the newly planted Bradford Pear trees and replace them with 24" Podocarpus trees. RESPONSE: · I told them I wouldpass their suggestion on to my superiors. _ . / , · ..- . ·Tiie residentS would like to see the...~tme type of tree on both ~ides of Yorba Street.' RF_~PONSE: · Again, I told them I would pass then' suggestion on to my superiors. NOTE: Unless or until I am officially notified to do differently, we will be completing the removal of the Ficus trees on Yorba Street as Scheduled and they will be replaced with the 24' boxed Bradford Pear trees. I am recommending that we stay with the Bradford Pear for the sa~e of co,~nuity. Ken Schultz Supervisor Landscape Maintenance KS/ccm cc: Bob Ledendecker, Director of Public Works/City Engineer TIPPY SHEPPARD 14711 MIMOSA LANE TUSTIN, CA 92680 October 7, 1993 Mr. Jim Potts City of Tustin 300 Centennial Way Tustin, CA 92680 Dear Mr. Potts; We moved to Tustin 3 years ago from Ohio. We chose to live in Tustin for several important reasons; Tustin seemed to have the friendliness, warmth, and CHARM of a small town. It is the CHARM .that I am concerned abouL Tustin apparently has no policy regarding the removal of trees. Most of the cities around us and nation-wide have very specific and strict policies about the removal of mature trees. We bought our house on Mimosa Lane partly because of the charm and feeling of an 'established~ neighborhood; in the three years since we moved here, more than 30 mature trees have been removed within a several block radius of our. house. Frankly, we are horrified! These b~autifUl, mature shade trees have been replaced with very small pear trees that probably will not grow enough in any of our lifetimes to ever provide shade for anything. I am told that the reason the trees were removed along Yorba Street is that they provided a hazard to ~~. ff the trees were keep trimmed, the roots would not be as aggressive as they have been. The worst blow came When 2 neighbors decided to remove 6 beautiful mature-trees.' ..gone in one day! Because trees drop leaves occasionally or ne~xl to be trimmed and maintalnedis not a reason ,to cut'them down. I am terribly upset because one of the things that attracted me to our neighborhood is being destroyed. If we had wanted a sterile environment, we would have bought in a-newer planned community. These beautiful, mature trees cannot be replaced once they are gone! I have considered going on some kind of campaign to residents in our area but decided it would be better to write and inquire what the cities' policy is regarding tree removal. If there is no specific poliCy, I request council to consider the issue and develop a policy which takes into account all the applicable considerations. look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Tippy Sheppard CC: All Tustin City Council Members January 22, 1994 TIPPY SHEPPARD 14711 MIMOSA LANE TUSTIN, CA 92680 JAN241994 !TUSTIN PUBLIC WORKS Mr. Bob Ledendecker Director of Public Works City of Tustin 1472 Service Road Tustin, CA 92680 Dear Mr. Ledendecker, I need to express to you that I am extremely upset to learn that the city has put a halt on the destruction of the trees on Yorba Street yet they are continuing to allow the wanton destruction of mature shade trees on other nearby streets, i.e. 14702 Mimosa Lane! This 'destxuction should, at least, be postponed until the city has dealt with this problem and established some kind of Tree Preservation Policy!. . . I was'pleased to learn that the city had planned a meeting~[o allow some of the residents to · discuss this issue; however, I am frustrated .to realize tlrat"~those in charge* do not respond to any of the concerns nor do they take any respons~oility for this issue. I wrote letters to each council member and the mayor and none of them evea took the time to respond to my concerns but inst~d, passed the problem to you; Ken, and yet did not give you the authority to make any decisions relating to this issue. '" "~' Every other city around ns has a policy regarding preservation of trees and established procedures written down for the tax payers to look at and discuss. Don't you think it is time for Tustin to ~get with the program~ and deal with this concern by establishing a policy before destroying any more of these priceless trees. I do expect to hear from each of you regarding this concern. A Very T~'oubled Tustin Resident, Tippy Sheppard Enclosure CC: Bob Ruhl Ken Schultz BAUER ENTERPRISES INVES~ AND DEVELOPMENT CO. December 16, 1993 Mr. Bob Ruhl Public Works/Field Services Division 1472 Service Road Tustin, CA 92680 Dear Mr Ruhl: We are writing this letter as concerned citizens of.the Yorba street area of Tustin. _. We ~Ve noticed the removal of a few tree~ on Yorba street. · over-the'past feW'months, and were'very'concern about it. , .. Th~splend°r~'°f-~'btg.trees add~"a ~special':touch to this~wonderful ~' community-and"adds value t~o the property. We haVe 'seen the replacement trees and there is no comparison t0-'the larger '- established trees. Therefore, we object strongly to the further removal of any trees. We would like to inquire as to why_the trees are being remove at all? We feel this is a complete mutilation of nature. But, if the removal is imminent, we would like to sug_gest Eucalyptus trees as an alternative on both sides of Yorba with a minimum of fifteen feet tall. Sincerely, H. Bauer Any response to: 17282 Bergen Cir. Tustin, Ca 92680 14252 CULVER DRIVE- SUITE A-259 o IRVINE. CALIFORNIA 92714 ,, (714) 953-1163