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After tense public comment, Albany commission approves removal of large Solano Avenue tree
Summary
The commission approved removing a large willow‑leaf peppermint/eucalyptus at 1491 Solano Avenue after arborists found buried root flare, girdling roots and about 20% internal decay and staff warned required sidewalk grading would require extensive root cutting that would further destabilize the tree.
The Albany Urban Forestry Commission voted to recommend removal of a large tree at 1491 Solano Avenue after staff and consultant assessments cited internal decay and root conditions that would make necessary sidewalk repairs unsafe for the tree.
John Hawkerage, the city’s urban forester, showed photos and two assessments indicating a buried root flare, girdling roots and roughly 14–18 inches of decay in the trunk, which consultants measured at about 20% in affected cross sections. Hawkerage said reestablishing sidewalk grades to stop water intrusion into a neighboring restaurant would require extensive root pruning ‘‘on the north side, the south side, and more than likely on the east and west side as well,’’ and that such root severing would likely make the tree unstable.
Business owners and the property owner described repeated flooding into the restaurant and an ongoing need to repair a sewer lateral; they told the commission the sidewalk project, sewer repair and parklet relocation would be coordinated and expensive. Multiple neighbors, however, urged the commission to find alternatives and emphasized the tree’s importance to Solano Avenue’s character.
Commissioners questioned whether additional engineering or second opinions could identify mitigation that avoided removal, but staff said most alternatives were infeasible given door thresholds, limited sidewalk width and an upcoming construction window that would be missed if more analysis delayed work into 2027. After debate, a motion to seek additional study failed for lack of a second; a subsequent motion to recommend removal carried by majority vote.
The commission’s recommendation clears the way for the sidewalk work and tree removal to proceed as part of the package already out for bid; staff said removal would be coordinated with sewer repair and parklet adjustments. The decision can be appealed to the city council within 30 days.
