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Millbrae council approves $400,000 embankment repair, will remove 29 eucalyptus trees
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Summary
The City Council approved a three‑step Lomita Avenue embankment repair plan that begins with cutting 29 hazardous eucalyptus trees to stumps, regrading the slope, and replanting with native coast live oaks; staff estimated the FY26 CIP budget at $400,000 and awarded the initial tree‑removal contract.
The Millbrae City Council voted unanimously on April 14 to approve a three‑step embankment repair plan for Lomita Avenue that starts with immediate removal of hazardous eucalyptus trees and proceeds through slope regrading and replanting.
Public Works Director Fay Ali told the council the site includes a near‑vertical road cut with exposed roots and erosion that has made 29 eucalyptus trees unstable and a potential public‑safety hazard to nearby homes and utilities. Ali described the three steps as emergency safety stabilization (trees cut to stumps), removal of stumps and regrading to a gentler slope, and replanting with native coast live oaks and other species.
“We identified this as a huge safety risk,” Ali said, and described geotechnical evaluations that support removing trees at immediate risk of uprooting.
Staff recommended a total project budget of $400,000 in the FY26 CIP (street fund sources and Measure E/W) with approximately $119,000 estimated for the immediate tree‑removal contract and about $33,962 for design services; the remainder will fund construction, regrading and contingency.
Council members asked about sidewalk impacts, replanting density and long‑term maintenance. Ali said the plan includes replanting at least a 1:1 ratio (29 replacement trees initially, with additional revegetation to restore canopy) and noted the project could create opportunities to widen or improve sidewalks as the slope is regraded.
Council approved the contract award to Bay Area Tree Company for the first step and authorized the city manager to execute subsequent design and construction contracts; the motion passed by a 5–0 roll‑call vote.
