Cedar Street '75% design' would remove dozens of trees; commission seeks protections, replacements and on‑site review

City staff and the Sandpoint Urban Forestry Commission reviewed 75% design drawings Thursday for the Cedar Street reconstruction project and flagged potential impacts to dozens of street‑side trees along the corridor between Lincoln and Division streets.

Eric Bush, city forester and staff liaison, said the current design calls for removal of roughly 32 trees along the corridor as drawn, with a subset being volunteer cottonwoods and aspens that have self‑seeded in the right of way. "Anything marked R in this set of plans is slated for removal; anything marked P is protect and maintain in place," Bush said.

Why it matters: Cedar Street is planned as a "complete street" project that will replace utilities, add stormwater treatment in vegetated planting strips, construct sidewalks and provide bike lanes. Those changes require excavation and road‑base work that will affect root zones; the commission focused on where the city could preserve large, high‑value trees, where removal is necessary for safety and where replacement plantings will go.

Key points from the review

- Extent of removals: Bush's count produced about 32 trees slated for removal in the current 75% drawings, but the commission noted many of those are cottonwoods and aspens that the forester does not prioritize for preservation.

- Protected trees and tricky cases: Some trees are already marked to be protected (P) in the plans. Commission members identified a large silver maple with visible trunk decay near the library and a cluster of aspens at a corner as specific cases requiring careful study; Bush said those trees will need arborist evaluation and that some removals are driven by visibility and public‑safety needs (a tree obstructing sightlines at a stop sign was noted).

- Construction and protection: Bush said tree protection notes will be included in construction contract documents and that on‑site enforcement is critical. He described options such as flagging/staking trees prior to construction, phasing the project so replacements follow each phase and planting in bioswale planting strips that will also serve stormwater functions.

- Timing and phasing: The design is at 75% and not final; construction is estimated to begin later this summer. Bush emphasized the 75% stage is an opportunity to request modifications before plans are finalized.

- Replacements and budget: Staff intends to plant replacement trees where budget and phasing allow; Bush said the project budget currently includes tree replacement funds but that timing depends on how the overall project is phased and material costs.

Community engagement and next steps

Commissioners asked for an on‑site walkthrough with flagged trees prior to construction so the group can assess which specimens are worth preserving and how to reduce construction impacts. Bush said staff will pursue field staking and work with public‑works project managers on tree protection language in contracts. The commission also discussed offering homeowners small concessions — such as adjusting sidewalk alignment or planting a replacement tree on private property with owner consent — to reduce removals where feasible.

Ending

Commissioners did not order any removals at the meeting; the discussion identified specific trees for review, encouraged site visits and set expectations that protected‑tree measures will be written into construction documents and enforced during the project.