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Committee asks staff for feasibility study and delays funding decision on North Beach tree‑canopy expansion
Summary
Members asked staff to consolidate three related items about planting trees and expanding canopy in North Beach into a feasibility study and return with cost estimates; commissioners debated scale and timing and agreed to revisit in six months.
Three linked agenda items about expanding tree canopy and pilot tree plantings in North Beach were discussed on March 26.
Staff reviewed an initial small pilot of “tree pit” plantings at diagonal parking islands along 70th Street and outlined a more robust option requiring underground infrastructure and loss of some parking. Commissioners noted the pilot provided short‑term vegetative relief but would not produce long‑lived canopy without deeper infrastructure investments; consultants estimated multi‑million dollar transformational work would be required to create meaningful shade across targeted corridors.
Commissioners debated funding options — inclusion in the CIP, CRA funds, grants, private partnerships or a bond — and whether to place a citywide tree bond on a ballot. Given the complexity and citywide implications, the committee asked staff to consolidate the three items (MB7, MB10, MB11) into a single feasibility study and return in approximately six months with recommended approaches, cost estimates, and funding scenarios. Staff estimated a feasibility study and multidisciplinary review could be scoped and budgeted for the FY26 process.
