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Board orders removal and replacement of two Hickory Street trees, sets narrow-basin and clearance conditions
Summary
After extended public testimony and debate about sidewalk access and tree survivability, the Board of Appeals voted 5-0 to allow removal of two oversized street trees at 477 Hickory Street and required replacement trees be planted in 2x4 basins while maintaining a 48-inch pedestrian clearance.
The San Francisco Board of Appeals voted unanimously on Aug. 15 to overturn a Bureau of Urban Forestry denial and allow removal and replacement of two large trees at 477 Hickory Street, directing the bureau to permit replacement trees in reduced basins on the condition that a 48-inch pedestrian clear path be maintained.
Property owner Keith Potter said the trees, planted in 1992 and now more than 50 feet tall, have damaged sidewalks, produced unstable trunks and reduced pedestrian clearance to as little as 32 inches near his property. "Replacing that basin with a 2 foot basin and a smaller tree would solve the problem," Potter told the board.
Chris Buck of San Francisco Public Works Urban Forestry explained the bureau's longstanding guideline that replacement trees generally require a 7-foot sidewalk and a minimum 3x3 basin to ensure survivability and pedestrian access. Buck said the bureau's updated director's order sets those guidelines and that, in many narrow alleys, alternative solutions (shared-street redesign or placing trees in the parking strip) were used to allow replacement. He acknowledged inconsistencies in past approvals and that the department had not provided the updated director's order at the hearing.
Commissioners wrestled with competing goals: preserving tree canopy and improving narrow-sidewalk safety and ADA access. Several commissioners and public speakers emphasized the neighborhood benefits of street trees and the importance of consistent policy; others highlighted immediate hazards and accessibility problems facing a resident who uses a wheelchair.
Vice President Rick Swig moved to grant the appeal, directing Urban Forestry to issue a removal permit and allow replacement in 2x4 basins if a 48-inch pedestrian path remained; the board adopted that motion 5-0. The board asked Urban Forestry to follow up with clearer, publicly accessible guidance about basin and sidewalk standards and noted the department's willingness to consider alternative models such as shared streets when feasible.
The decision requires Urban Forestry to issue removal and replacement permits consistent with the board's direction and to coordinate any installation and maintenance plan with the property owner and the bureau.
