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Board approves compromise to remove two street trees and plant two replacements at 2701 Turk Street
Summary
The San Francisco Board of Appeals approved a settlement to remove two problematic trees and replace them with two new trees at 2701 Turk St., preserving two Brisbane box trees to maintain canopy continuity; the decision was unanimous after Public Works and the appellant agreed to revised plans.
The San Francisco Board of Appeals unanimously approved a settlement on Sept. 28 to remove two street trees and plant two replacements at 2701 Turk Street, resolving an appeal filed by Curtis Speck against the Public Works Bureau of Urban Forestry.
Public Works urban forester Chris Buck told the board the department recommends removing the two trees that have caused the most severe sidewalk damage while retaining two Brisbane box trees at the corner to preserve canopy continuity. "Removal of 2 trees with replacement of 2 trees is a reasonable approach," Buck said, urging the board to adopt the department's revised plan.
Buck described the site as constrained: narrow sidewalks and significant root damage made widening the walkway impractical; a cost estimate to widen sidewalks was approximately $1,200,000 and deemed prohibitive. He said one replacement tree would be planted within the front-yard setback to avoid routing the pedestrian path into a neighbor's driveway.
The permit holder's son, who represented the property owner, said the parties had reached a compromise and asked the board to approve the revised plans so sidewalk repairs could proceed. Commissioners questioned whether pedestrian clearance and ADA requirements would be met; Buck responded that the city requires at least a four-foot path of travel and that the department would adjust tree basins to reserve a usable pedestrian zone.
Commissioner Anne Lazarus moved to grant the appeal and issue the permit conditional on the revised plans described by Public Works. President Daryl Honda and Commissioners Bobby Wilson and Rick Swig voted Aye; the motion carried 4–0.
The board's decision implements the settlement supported by both the appellant and department and requires the replacement species and planting locations to match the Public Works brief. The permit will be revised to reflect those conditions.
