Parks commission upholds city denial of heritage‑tree removal at 1580 Meadow Lane

The Mountain View Parks and Recreation Commission voted unanimously on June 11 to deny a property owner’s appeal to remove a large heritage cedar at 1580 Meadow Lane, upholding staff’s earlier decision that the tree could be preserved with corrective pruning and management.

Russell Hanson, the city’s urban forest manager, presented staff’s assessment and said the tree is an approximately 48– to 46‑inch diameter Cedrus deodara with an estimated height near 70 feet and canopy spread about 50 feet. Hanson said staff rated the tree’s overall health and structure as "good" and estimated a live-crown ratio of about 60%, concluding that limb failures and interior pruning history left the tree a candidate for corrective trimming rather than removal.

Homeowner Brad Green told the commission he and his family have experienced multiple large branch failures since 2023, described a $5,000 prior pruning, and said the tree had dropped branches that crushed a neighbor’s fence and damaged his home’s downspout. Carson Chen, a neighbor, also described large limbs falling onto his property and said he did not feel safe. The homeowner provided photos and described recent large limb failures and a hollowed interior cavity he could probe by hand.

Hanson acknowledged the owners’ experience but said staff’s inspection did not find the trunk or root structure to meet the ordinance’s removal criteria and that some structural risk could be reduced by end-weight removal and other corrective pruning. He said staff would work with the property owners on pruning strategies if the appeal were denied.

Commissioners discussed the tree’s size and aesthetic value, acknowledged the owners’ safety concerns, and emphasized preservation where feasible. Commissioner comments repeatedly cited the Heritage Tree ordinance’s intent to protect large, mature trees and the possibility that targeted pruning could reduce risk. Commissioner Mitchell said he would uphold staff’s determination; several commissioners noted the city’s authority and recommended working with owners on corrective pruning. The motion to deny the appeal passed with all commissioners voting yes.

After the vote, commissioners asked staff to follow up with the owners on pruning plans and to report any subsequent failures that might require a new application.

Vote record (as read during meeting): Yes — Commissioner Bryant; Yes — Commissioner Filios (Helios in roll call); Yes — Commissioner Summer; Yes — Vice Chair Mitchner; Yes — Chair Davis.