Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Safe Routes Tree Hearing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Select Board delays decision on removal of mature Hemlock Street tree tied to Stratton Safe Routes project
Summary
The Arlington Select Board postponed a vote to remove a 30‑inch‑DBH London plane tree at 54 Hemlock Street after residents urged preservation and the board requested more analysis on sight distance, structural lean and ADA implications. The decision was deferred to June 22 for more information.
The Arlington Select Board on June 8 postponed a decision about removing a mature street tree at 54 Hemlock Street that town engineers and MassDOT contractors say conflicts with a proposed raised crosswalk and ADA‑compliant sidewalk for the Stratton Safe Routes to School project.
Town Engineer Bill Copathornne told the board that the contractor and MassDOT identified the tree during on‑site review and raised safety concerns: the tree "slopes out over the roadway at an angle" and reduces sight distance where a raised crosswalk is proposed. He also said retaining the tree at its current location would create an ADA "pinch point" that could force people who use mobility devices into the roadway unless mitigations are made.
Residents who live adjacent to the tree urged the board to preserve it. Nathan Carter, who said he has looked at the tree from his home for 18 years, argued small adjustments could allow the crosswalk to be relocated and preserve the canopy. "Kids are more important than trees," Carter added, but he and other neighbors said the tree is healthy and provides mature shade that new plantings will not replace for decades.
Resident Marina Papoa said the tree is a London plane with a 30‑inch DBH and that "the age is about 90 years old," and that Arlington contains relatively few similarly large street trees. Several neighbors offered to discuss minor changes — such as adjusting a yard fence or the crosswalk alignment — to avoid removal.
Select Board member Diane Mahan, who moved the original request for removal, emphasized the project’s safety goal. "The mission is Safe Routes to School," she said, and argued that with the tree in place "we no longer would be in compliance with the ADA." Town staff and the board discussed technical allowances under ADA standards (pinch points down to 36 inches can occasionally be authorized along a route, with transition plans), but also flagged structural‑risk and sightline concerns that require further field analysis.
Town staff said the larger Stratton Safe Routes project is already under construction in places and that MassDOT and the contractor need clear direction. Town officials indicated the town could seek limited additional information (including an engineering calculation of the tree’s lean angle and an updated sight‑distance analysis) without necessarily halting overall work on unrelated sections of the project.
After lengthy public input and board discussion about safety, ADA compliance and schedule risk, the Select Board voted to defer the final decision to its June 22 meeting so staff can provide the additional technical information and explore potential mitigations.
What’s next: the board asked staff to return with measurements of the tree's lean and a clearer analysis of sight distance and ADA impacts, and signaled it will revisit whether removal is necessary or whether design tweaks can preserve the tree while meeting safety standards.
