City Hall decides to reduce number of trees to be relocated in downtown area
DOWNTOWN City officials have reduced the number of ficus trees to be uprooted and relocated as part of a streetscape improvement project on Second and Fourth streets from 31 trees to seven, according to a flyer being distributed to residents and business owners.
Initially up to 31 trees were targeted for relocation within the project area and other locations throughout the city, but after surveying underground utilities, seven ficus trees were found to be good candidates for relocation to the proposed Palisades Garden Walk park on the former RAND Corp. site.
The remaining 24 trees will not be touched, joining 120 new ginkgo bilobas and other species for a grand total of 254 trees on eight blocks, said Kate Vernez, assistant to the City Manager.
“We want these trees to thrive,” Vernez said.
Twenty-three ficus trees are still scheduled to be removed and turned to mulch because they have been deemed structurally deficient.
The bulk of the streetscape project includes widening and repairing sidewalks and enhancing lighting along the two commercial corridors, however, the trees have received the most attention from activists and the media.
Santa Monica Treesavers, who are fighting the removals in court, said City Hall’s decision to relocate seven trees instead of 31 is a direct result of their activism and their filing of a restraining order in an attempt to save as many trees as possible.
City officials said that is not the case. They contend that 31 was just an estimate and that the real number of trees to be relocated would be determined once workers went underground.
“We’re grateful that the city has decided to remove less trees, however, I know the Treesavers would like to see all the trees remain except for those that pose a danger to the public,” said Nitti and City Hall are awaiting a decision from the state Court of Appeal on whether or not the restraining order preventing removal and relocation will remain in place or be dissolved. City Hall is also seeking permission from the court to remove the 23 unstable trees as soon as possible.
City officials essentially maintain the same position that they have held in previous court hearings, arguing that the statute of limitations during which the streetscape project could be challenged expired 180 days after the project was ruled exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act in 2005. City Hall ruled on the environmental elements of the project, not once, but twice, according to court documents.
The Downtown Urban Design Plan, of which the beautification street plan is a part, was first analyzed under CEQA and approved in 1997 and City Hall was not mandated to rule it CEQA exempt in 2005.
As for the flyer, Vernez said the City Manager’s Office felt it was necessary to spend $22,500 printing 65,000 of them so that the public could be informed about the streetscape project. Vernez said plenty of misinformation has circulated throughout the community and City Hall is looking to set the record straight.
The streetscape project is also a public improvement project and therefore City Hall has a duty to keep the public informed, just as it did with the Transmit Mall project in Downtown, Vernez said.
The streetscape project is intended to improve pedestrian safety, provide necessary access for the elderly and disabled by repairing sidewalks and curbs, and enhance the downtown area by providing better lighting and more visible crosswalks, the flyer states.
Nitti said the flyer is, “City Hall propaganda to make the city look green to the public.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 5, 2008. Read the original PDF.