Board grants tree-removal permit at 110 Hoffman with transplant and replacement conditions

The board approved a settlement to allow removal of the northernmost street tree at 110 Hoffman Avenue, reversing a prior denial and imposing two conditions: a good-faith attempt to transplant the tree to a site chosen by the Department of Urban Forestry, and purchase and installation of a 60-inch-box replacement tree if the transplant fails within one year.

President Michael Garcia read the settlement language into the record and moved to overrule the denial and grant the removal permit with the stated conditions. Tracy Boxazile, representing the permit applicant, told the board the parties had reached agreement with Carla Short of the Department of Public Works Bureau of Urban Forestry on the language of the settlement. "We've reached agreement ... and we are in complete agreement with the language," Boxazile said. Ms. Short described departmental oversight of any transplant and said the applicant must hire a third party to perform the transplant; the Department of Urban Forestry will identify a planting location and be present during transplanting to ensure a good-faith effort.

Public commenters and the applicant’s representative both framed the settlement as a mitigation: retaining a second mature tree on the property, attempting transplantation, and requiring a large 60-inch-box replacement if transplantation fails. The board voted to approve the motion from the president; commissioners voted unanimously (5-0) to grant the permit under the settlement conditions.

What happens next: the applicant must attempt the transplant as described in the settlement and, if the transplanted tree does not survive one year, must procure and install a 60-inch-box replacement at a site selected by the Department of Urban Forestry. The board’s action implements the settlement and concludes the appeal.