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SoMa residents ask San Francisco Commission on the Environment to review DPW tree-restocking rule they say prevents alley trees
Summary
Residents and neighborhood advocates urged the commission to agendize a review of a 2018 Department of Public Works order that they say blocks replanting in narrow sidewalks and will disproportionately reduce canopy in SoMa West.
Members of the public urged the San Francisco Commission on the Environment on Tuesday to request a formal review of a Department of Public Works rule they say prevents replanting trees in narrow sidewalks and alleyways, particularly in SoMa West.
At the start of the meeting’s public-comment period, Sean Aukland of SoMa said: "This order stems from public works order 187246, enacted in 2018. Its minimum 7 and a half foot sidewalk width for tree restocking lacks any evidence based support." He told commissioners the rule effectively requires property owners to fill empty tree wells with concrete or face fines.
Aukland said his analysis of city open data shows an equity pattern: "The more diverse a neighborhood is... the fewer trees it has," and he said SoMa West’s canopy stands at…
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