SoMa residents ask San Francisco Commission on the Environment to review DPW tree-restocking rule they say prevents alley trees

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 about 3.2 percent. He urged the commission to "agendize this issue for a full hearing" and to work with Director Carla Short, who Aukland said “has agreed to review the policy.”

Stuart Collins, who lives on Harriet Street in SoMa West, told commissioners the rule will “wipe out many alleys worth of trees in San Francisco as they age and die,” and asked the commission to ask staff to report back on the policy’s impact on the city’s canopy. Collins said Bernal Heights also appears highly impacted under the rule.

Bridal Tobin, a longtime SoMa resident and co-founder of the SoMa West Community Benefit District, echoed those concerns and described repeated difficulties getting city approval to plant and maintain trees in the neighborhood. "I watch [new] small trees die over the course of, like, six months and then there's no more tree there, and then there's an empty tree well that we're now debating filling in with concrete," Tobin said.

Commissioners did not take a formal vote on the matter during the meeting. Director Tyrone Jude noted later in the director’s report that staff will follow up on items mentioned in public comment; Alice Hurst, senior policy and public affairs coordinator, said she would follow up with Director Carla Short and report back to the commission at a future meeting.

Why it matters: Speakers framed the tree-restocking rule as a practical obstacle to meeting the city’s tree-planting and equity goals and connected it to the Climate Action Plan’s targets and local environmental justice priorities. They asked the commission to use its convening role to request a staff report and consider a community-led pilot for alley greening.

Clarifying details drawn from public comment: Aukland cited Public Works Order 187246 (2018) and told the commission a 7.5-foot minimum sidewalk width is required for restocking under that order; he said SoMa West’s canopy is approximately 3.2 percent and that policy could lower it to about 2.8 percent. Collins and Tobin described existing narrow sidewalks and alley geometries that make replanting difficult. The speakers requested a staff report and a future agenda item; the transcript shows the commission asked staff to follow up.

What’s next: Commissioners indicated they would get a report back from staff. Alice Hurst said she would follow up with Director Carla Short and provide an update at a future meeting.