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Residents press board to save City Park’s mature trees and challenge transplant plans
Summary
Speakers warned that many preserved trees are older shade trees that cannot be moved safely and urged the board to require arborist-backed assurances about transplant survival and canopy replacement before forwarding the project to council.
Multiple residents told the board that the park’s historic character is embodied in its mature canopy and said transplanting or removing large trees could irreparably reduce shade.
Donna Finch, Community Services Director, provided tree counts during the presentation: "Of the existing trees that are on-site right now, a 100 of a 130 of those mature trees are going to remain at the project site. 67 of those will remain in their current location, and 63 of those trees will be relocated and preserved on-site." Residents countered that many signature shade trees have root systems and ages that make transplantation risky. Board members referenced an earlier consultant presentation (02/13/2024) that inventoried trees and evaluated transplant viability; staff said that inventory informed design decisions.
Speakers requested an arborist‑led analysis for trees targeted for relocation and asked that the board include clear conditions on which trees must be retained in place, which can be safely moved and what replacement planting will occur. The board included tree preservation and interpretive signage among the conditions it forwarded to City Council.
