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Board pauses decision on Japantown Peace Plaza tree removals after tense hearing
Summary
The San Francisco Board of Appeals continued a dispute over the planned removal of two street trees at Japantown Peace Plaza to March 13, 2024, after weeks of community input and disagreement between Rec & Park, Public Works and urban-forest advocates. Parties were told to work toward an agreed replacement plan; the continuation does not presume removal.
The San Francisco Board of Appeals on Jan. 17 continued a decision on a permit to remove two small trees at the Japantown Peace Plaza, directing Rec & Park, Public Works and the Bureau of Urban Forestry to negotiate a replacement plan and return to the board on March 13. The motion to continue carried 4-1.
The dispute centers on a curb-to-curb renovation at the plaza. Project staff say the trees were planted in constrained planters on top of substructure, that the species now conflict with visibility standards under the city’s Vision Zero program and that the small trees show poor long-term prospects at the site. Kevin Jensen, the city’s ADA and disability-access coordinator, told commissioners the trees “absolutely block those, pass pole mounted lights” and argued redundancy in…
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