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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - BC - 2015.11.05BURLINGAME BEAUTIFICATION COMMISSION November 5, 2015 The regularly scheduled meeting of the Beautification Commission was called to order at 6:30 pm by Chairperson Kirchner. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Kirchner, Commissioners Hinckle, Hunt, McQuaide and Dittman Absent: None Staff: Parks & Rec Director Glomstad, City Arborist/Park Supervisor Disco and Recording Secretary Borba MINUTES Minutes of the October 1, 2015 meeting were amended and approved. CORRESPONDENCE BBC Landscape Award presentation photo was in the Daily Journal on October 26, 2015. Peter Kelly, resident at 2325 Poppy Drive, submitted a garage repair proposal. A copy of the 2016 Business Landscape Award Nomination form was distributed to the Commissioners. Letter from Rudy Horak regarding gray water was distributed. PUBLIC COMMENT None NEW BUSINESS 1. Appeal of the Removal at 2325 Poppy Drive Arborist Disco read the staff report and noted that the Redwood tree has poor structure, codominant leaders and included bark, which increases the chance of failure and led to his approving removal of the tree. He also stated that each one of the trunks on the Redwood is dependent on each other. If one of the trunks is removed, the others trunks are exposed to the elements, which could increase the possibility of failure. Commissioner Hinckle asked if the tree would be a danger to children playing in the backyard. Arborist Disco said the leaders are so large that a failure of any of the leaders could be a hazard to people and the surrounding homes. Commissioner McQuaide stated that Arborist Disco said the tree is in fair to good health. Arborist Disco stated it is in good health and will continue to grow at a rate increasing the included bark, the trunks to expand and separate. Commissioner Dittman stated walking around town you see a lot of the Redwoods with codominant trunks, would this be setting precedence? Arborist Disco stated that each tree is looked at individually, including the size, number of codominant trunks, structure, health and possible remedies to protect it. Public Comment: John Nordin, a frequent visitor to 2308 Hale Drive. John read a letter from the Coleman's. The letter stated that the tree has been a part of our daily lives, the tree brought nature into view and it's the tree our children grew up with and home many bird species. It is the tallest tree in the vicinity. Brian Tu, a resident on Poppy Drive west of the Kelly's. He stated that his family moved to Burlingame 5 years ago because of the community and the natural beauty. He has also had plumbing issues and found out the Redwood tree roots were blocking their sewer line. John Kohli, a resident on Hale Drive and a neighbor to the Coleman's stated the Redwood tree sits to the west and provides shade and a view of natural beauty. Linda Ryan, a resident on Drake Avenue stated she is really concerned that removal will set a precedent and destroy the neighborhood. She expressed that she wanted to let the Kelly's know the neighbors don't want to see the tree come down because it's a part of the community. Ed Goldman, a resident on Hale Drive stated the tree is prominent from her backyard. It's the biggest tree in the area and he has seen a hawk at the top of the tree and a crow flying around it. Stella Daire, a resident on Hale Drive stated when she walks out her door the Redwood is the first thing she sees. She sees beautiful birds in the tree all the time and doesn't want to see it taken down. Appellant: Amanda Coleman, a resident on Hale Drive represented her family and neighbors who couldn't be at the meeting. She stated that she understands that new residents want to make improvements to older structures but Burlingame is called the City of Trees. She mentioned that in the Easton addition it is flatter and there are fewer big trees; a tree that is in fair to good condition should not have to be removed. Respondent: Peter Kelly, owner of the property at 2325 Poppy Drive. He stated that he is not a person who wants to take down trees. When he bought the house he was unaware of the issues related to the tree. He stated that the root system of the tree is destroying the foundation of the garage and has made it potentially unsafe. The estimate he received to repair the garage is $27,000.00. He stated that a structural engineer looked at the area as well as an independent arborist to help assess the matter. The structural engineer report said that the foundation may not be serviceable in the future unless something is done. The independent Arborist's report stated concern for failure to the tree. Mr. Kelly expressed that the tree is beautiful and he understands why people like it and want to keep it. He said they thought about how they could save the tree but from safety and financial standpoint, they could not come up with one. From the consultant's reports, he sees that the Redwood tree will continue to get bigger, continue to damage the property and have a higher rate of limb failure. He stated that this is a huge financial and safety burden moving forward. Public Comment: Commissioner McQuaide asked if the Kelly's were told about protected trees in Burlingame and if they noticed the damage when they looked at the property. Peter Kelly stated that he didn't realize how significant the damage was and the issues to the tree's structure. Commissioner Hinckle asked if the Kelly's were informed by the realtor about protected trees in Burlingame. He said he was aware of protected trees in Burlingame. Commissioner McQuaide asked if he knew that the garage had issues because of the tree. Peter said that this is the first home they have purchased and he knew it needed work but did not know the extent of the expense to repair or that it would be something that would continue and the risk of limb failure as the tree grew. Commissioner Hunt asked about moving the garage and the Kelly's said they can't afford to move the garage. Commissioner Dittman asked if there was an estimate to remove the tree. Peter said the estimate was $8,000.00 to remove the tree. Peter stated that regardless of what happens with the garage, Arborist Disco and the independent arborist have stated that there is a hazard of limb failure. He said it would be catastrophic to his property or his neighbor's property if the Redwood fails and it is a safety and liability hazard and he is very concerned. Commissioner Discussion: Commissioner Kirchner asked some questions that were brought up during Public Comment. 1. What is the current likelihood of the tree failing tomorrow and is there any way to predict it? Arborist Disco stated that it is not possible to predict. Sometimes there are warning signs where the leaders start to pull apart and you can see and hear it happening, or it can just completely fail. 2. Are Red Tail Hawks a reason to keep the tree? Arborist Disco said he didn't know if there were Red Tail Hawks in the tree or if they needed to be protected. 3. Is it possible to prune the roots? Arborist Disco stated he would not recommend root pruning that close to the garage. He said the tree is only three feet away from the garage and the roots will be big. Cutting the roots will cause the tree to be unstable and lead to decay which can then move up the trunk into the leaders. He noted that root barriers are a preventative measure for a certain amount of time and eventually the roots will grow over or under them. 4. Is there construction? Arborist Disco stated when he went to look at the tree in September, the house was vacant. He was unaware if the removal was tied to a remodel but his decision was made regardless of any future construction. He stated removal was approved due to the structure of the tree and its proximity to the residences surrounding it. Commissioner Hunt asked if it is possible to cable the tree to secure it. Arborist Disco replied that cabling is not used by the City because it indicates a problem with the tree and no cable is going to hold a tree of that size to keep it from falling. Commissioner Dittman stated that when the tree is gone, we will not see anything like it again. Commissioner McQuaide commented we are the city of trees and we love our trees. Trees uproot garages and sidewalks. She asked do we want to live with the consequences of trees or have a sterile environment. She stated it is hard to live in a city where we are always finding reasons to take trees out. Commissioner Hinckle stated it's not just living with the consequences or having a sterile environment. She said she thinks that there are the right trees for the right place and the wrong trees planted in the wrong places. Commissioner McQuaide replied that the Redwood was here before we were and it is difficult because the tree is healthy. Commissioner Kirchner stated that when the Redwood tree was planted 80 years ago, they had no idea what the tree was going to be today and at some point these trees become bad neighbors. Commissioner Hinckle stated it's the wrong tree in the wrong location but it is a beautiful tree and not the right place. Commissioner Hunt stated that for safety reasons it needs to be removed. Commissioner Dittman stated that she can't imagine not seeing that tree. She said that she understands that it's destroying property and about the codominant trunks and it will destroy a lot more property but it is a magnificent tree. She expressed she didn't want to set precedence where they City can lose more trees that have codominant trunks. Commissioner Kirchner stated that the trees need to be reviewed on a case by case basis. He said that not every tree with codominant leaders needs to be removed. Commissioner Dittman asked what is special about this tree with codominant trunks and included bark that it has to be removed compared to all the rest. Arborist Disco stated that this tree had four codominant trunks which increase the chance of failure. He stated that each trees is reviewed on an individual basis and he follows the guidelines that are set in the City ordinance. Commissioner Hunt stated that if the tree did fall and the Commission denied removal, the City would be at fault. Motion: Commissioner Hinckle moved to deny the appeal based on the potential liability and danger of tree failure and the significant damage the tree is causing to the existing garage with replacement of two 24" box size Scarlet Oaks (Quercus coccinea) to be planted in the same general area in the backyard. Commissioner Kirchner seconded the motion. Motion passed 3-2 OLD BUSINESS 1. 2016 Business Landscape Award The Commissioners were given a draft of the 2016 Business Landscape Award Nomination form. Commissioner Hinckle will be chair and Commissioner Kirchner co-chair next year. 2. Residential Landscape Award for Drought Tolerant Landscapes Commissioner Kirchner handed out revised guidelines of his original proposal. He asked the commissioners to review and provide feedback at the next meeting. REPORTS 1. Parks Supervisor/City Arborist 1. A Eucalyptus tree on Howard and El Camino Real will be removed next week. 2. A large Liquidambar at Carmelita and Paloma will be trimmed for safety 3. October/November street tree planting will start on November 161}i with 100 plus trees being planted. 2. Parks & Recreation Director 1. City staff has been working with Caltrans Maintenance Architectural History Branch staff and have identified 30 sites where trees can be replaced. Caltrans will be delivering 20-24" box size Elm's to be planted on El Camino Real and watered by the City Tree Crew. 2. Davey Tree tagged and mapped the El Camino Real trees. Arborist Disco is reconciling Caltrans list and Davey Tree list. He will be marking trees that he is most concerned about for testing. 3. Staff met with Broadway BID to discuss the blight that has hit some of the Aristocrat Pear Trees. The proposed plan is to replace with Red Spirer trees that are disease resistant. As trees decline and need replacement there is a plan in place. In February Arborist Disco will bring the plans for review to the Commission and community input. 3. Commissioner Kirchner Commissioner Kirchner commented on the ongoing projects for the Commission, Complete Streets, Floribunda/El Camino Real trees, Broadway trees, Trousdale and Art in the City. He also asked if there is a fine if a moving van hits a tree. 4. Commissioner Hinckle Commissioner Hinckle stated she has been contacted by a Burlingame resident about trees on her property and trees next to her property on plot of land that is being developed. The concern is that there are conditions for a building permit that are very specific regrading protecting the trees during construction. How is this being enforced? 5. Commissioner McQuaide Commissioner McQuaide commented that there are dead trees on Rivera and Skyline. She is noticing the decline in private trees from lack of water. 6. Commissioner Hunt Commissioner Hunt stated the Landscape Award Ceremony at the Council meeting was a great time. 7. Commissioner Dittman Commissioner Dittman asked if she will be notified of her replacement and last meeting. The next Beautification Commission meeting is December 3, 2015. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:58pm. Respectfully submitted, Chun c3o4 a Gina Borba Recording Secretary