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Board conditions removal of two acacia trees near Vermont Street pedestrian ramp
Summary
After testimony from neighbors and San Francisco Public Works staff, the Board of Appeals granted an appeal related to removal of two blackwood acacia trees adjacent to a closed pedestrian ramp, but tied removal to scheduling of sidewalk replacement to preserve screening and limit blight.
The San Francisco Board of Appeals voted 5-0 on Nov. 16 to grant an appeal concerning the removal of two Blackwood acacia trees near 1383 Vermont Street, and conditioned removal on a definitive plan and schedule to repair the adjacent sidewalk.
Neighbor appellants argued the trees—one large volunteer acacia and a smaller sapling—provide noise reduction, habitat and screening for a sound wall next to U.S. 101 and warned that removing one of the volunteers would likely kill a connected Callery pear. “These two trees are the only ones that are green and thriving on the street,” an appellant said, citing concerns about air pollution abatement and blight.
Chris Buck, urban forester with San Francisco Public Works, said the acacias volunteer, are in poor locations relative to infrastructure and do not tolerate root pruning. Buck said removing the two trees and planting a single 24-inch box replacement at a nearby location was the most feasible option given confined growing space and potential for retaining-wall and sidewalk damage. “These roots are just running up and down the sidewalk here,” Buck said, explaining the species’ history of root failures.
Commissioners pressed Public Works on sequencing: whether tree removal should wait until sidewalk repair and whether removal would worsen blight if repairs stalled. Vice President Frank Fung moved to grant the appeal but condition tree removal so it not occur until the department had scheduled sidewalk replacement; the motion passed 5-0. The condition was stated as intended to preserve the block’s greenery and minimize interim blight.
Public Works staff said removal, stump removal and sidewalk repair could occur within a few months of approval and that a replacement tree would be planted after sidewalk repair; staff also said the site’s status (including a pedestrian ramp on Caltrans property) may require coordination with other agencies.
The board directed staff to tie tree removal to an identifiable schedule for sidewalk replacement as a safeguard against leaving the site blighted between removal and repair.
