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Birchwood Ponds resident objects to planned tree removals, questions costs of street assessment
Summary
A Birchwood Ponds HOA board member told council he was told to remove dozens of right-of-way trees ahead of a street reconstruction assessment and asked who will compensate homeowners and provide per-tree documentation; he estimated the reconstruction assessment could be $10,000–$14,000 per property.
Damon Roth of Birchwood Ponds told the council during public comment that city staff notified his neighborhood that dozens of trees in the public right-of-way must be removed as part of an upcoming street reconstruction project and that his HOA has not been given per-tree documentation. He said the city’s estimate (which he read the engineer reported) differed from the HOA’s own count and that the required removals will carry a financial burden for homeowners.
Roth said his neighborhood was told to remove 81 trees (which the HOA contests is closer to 55) and that residents have spent decades maintaining and treating trees in the area. He said preliminary estimates for the special assessment for reconstruction are in the range of $10,000–$14,000 per property and asked who would compensate homeowners for tree removal and lost property value. He told the council he had asked city staff for a tree-by-tree breakdown and had not yet received that documentation.
The acting chair asked Roth to fill out a public-contact form so staff could follow up; Roth said one possible course would be to seek an injunction to halt the removals. No formal hearing or council action on the project was recorded at the meeting; staff indicated they would follow up with the resident through the clerk’s office.
The comment highlights residents’ requests for documentation of city findings, clarity on assessment calculations, and consideration of homeowners on fixed incomes.
