DID YOU KNOW ???
190 trees around and within 3333 California Street will be cut down? These 190 mature, healthy trees will be removed if a special “Major Encroachment Permit” is granted.
The property developer Prado Group wants to chop down a total of 190 trees on the property because the trees don’t fit their preferred aesthetic. And despite trees being one of our greatest allies in the fight against climate change, the City has no plans to stop this deforestation.
PLEASE NOTE: Preserving trees does NOT mean less housing!!
THIS IS AN URGENT COMMUNITY CONCERN, AND THE TIME TO ACT IS RUNNING OUT! YOU CAN HELP:
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ATTEND THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS HEARING. The Mayor should also be in attendance.
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WHEN: TUESDAY, 11/12/19, at 2pm
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WHERE: Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place (City Hall), Legislative Chamber, Room 250, San Francisco, California
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HOW: SPEAK YOUR MIND AND EXPRESS YOUR CONCERNS. THIS WILL BE THE LAST HEARING ON THIS MATTER!!!
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Please note that Public Comment is usually limited to 2 minutes.
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CALL PERMIT REQUEST SPONSOR, SUPERVISOR STEFANI AT :
(415) 554-7752
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WRITE TO YOUR SUPERVISOR ASAP TO TELL THEM HOW MUCH THESE TREES MEAN TO YOU, THE COMMUNITY, AND THE CITY.
If you are unable to attend please submit an email or letter to the FULL Board of Supervisors and Clerk, and ESPECIALLY Catherine Stefani, District 2 Supervisor. She is the sponsor of this Permit plan.
Submissions received on or before November 7th will be added to the Supervisors' Informational Packets, but materials can also be submitted at the hearing.
The public notice for file number 190-844-918-0846 is here:
https://sfbos.org/sites/default/files/lut102119_190844etal_Notice.pdf
Please know that the Tree Removal Permit is being wrapped into all other permits for this development. This is very unusual! Ask your supervisor if it's possible to separate the Ordinance for Major Encroachment Permit
Record Number: 2015-014028CUA/PCA/MAP/DUA from the other permit/development requests.
A list of the San Francisco Supervisors and their emails can be found here:
https://sfbos.org/roster-members
Email addresses for Land Use Committee Members and the Committee Clerk:
Clerk: Erica Major: erica.major@sfgov.org
Aaron Peskin: Aaron.Peskin@sfgov.org
Ahsha Safai: Ahsha.Safai@sfgov.org
Matt Haney: Matt.Haney@sfgov.org
Two of the Monterey Cypress trees slated for removal. These are healthy, majestic trees which were planted to remember the Laurel Hill Cemetery. It should be noted that this property is a designated historic site by the Historic Preservation Commission of San Fransisco.
* To be discussed at the Land Use and Transportation Committee Hearing on 11/12/19*
The ultimate removal of 190 trees on and around 3333 California Street. First on the chopping block:
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15 “Street Trees”.
Q: What is a “street tree”?
A: Street trees are trees within the public right-of-way. Street trees may be maintained by either the adjacent property owner or the City.
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19 “Significant trees” along California St., Masonic Ave, Presidio Ave., and Laurel St.
Q: What is a “Significant Tree?”
A: Trees within 10-feet of the property edge of the sidewalk that are above 20-feet in height, or with a canopy greater than 15-feet in diameter, or with a trunk diameter greater than 12-inches in diameter at breast height.
All of the trees slated for removal are healthy and mature. A good number of the trees have been on the property since the days of the Laurel Hill Cemetery. To Read more about the Laurel Hill Cemetery, please visit:
https://sf.curbed.com/2012/7/2/10356032/hidden-histories-laurel-hill-cemetery
San Francisco has an Urban Forestry Ordinance, which makes it a crime to hurt, damage, abuse, or chop down trees. This information is part of Article 16, which you can find here:
http://library.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/California/publicworks/article16urbanforestryordinance?f=templates$fn=default.htm$3.0$vid=amlegal:sanfrancisco_ca$anc=JD_808
In order to remove such special trees, you need to ask for a Major Encroachment Permit. Up until this point, the only reasons the Prado Group has given for removal of these trees as been entirely design-related. You can hear the hearing from 9/18/19 by DPW regarding the removal of these trees here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbXiKMt_Svc&feature=youtu.be
Below is the visual part of the presentation that the DPW Bureau of Urban Forestry Forestry Expert, Chris Buck, made at the DPW hearing on 9/18/19. He spoke about the public trees that would be removed in the first phase, if the Major Encroachment Permit is granted. His testimony starts at 29:12 on the above video.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EFAuUaYnaSfwvAuCybkpIpmXVKji1rbMyJdxPme5n7g/edit?usp=sharing
How a Major Encroachment Permit process works:
ttps://sfpublicworks.org/services/permits/major-encroachment?fbclid=IwAR06SlhD6jHoYAxzjZcABBN-RAHgnODa_RdHgzMX7il2qipgvAvXW30WgiQ
Video of the Land Use and Transportation hearing on 10/21/19:
http://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=10&clip_id=34333&meta_id=769810&fbclid=IwAR2LtGbSoQI0XrFyQx3myGPzFqTLyNPCyp0PpNcA1Uc8ts89weoMn4W8bQc
Some of the Street Trees slated for removal. You can see their height compared to the bus stop shelter.
Some facts about the trees at 3333 California St:
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According to i-tree, the land at 3333 California Street has approximately 32.5% tree canopy coverage. For reference, the Presidio which has 32.8%, (and the rest of the city which, in total, averages 13.7% - including the Presidio and GG Park).
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According to i-tree, every year these trees sequester an estimated 25 tons of CO2, and filter more than 100 lbs of particulate matter out of the air (e.g. from wildfires).
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According to i-tree, the street trees alone (not including the trees on the 'private property') have, to date, reduced atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) by 45,078 pounds. Over the next 20 years, the street trees will reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) by a total amount of 44,851 pounds
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According to i-tree, the street trees alone (again, only the trees within DPW's jurisdiction) have, to date, intercepted 407,555 gallons of stormwater. Over the next 20 years, these trees will intercept a total of 867,942 gallons of stormwater.
HOW IS SAN FRANCISCO DOING WHEN IT COMES TO CREATING AND PRESERVING AN URBAN CANOPY?
San Francisco currently has the poorest urban canopy of any major US city. According to the 2019 Urban Forest Council Annual Report, last year, SF agencies and departments planted 2,781 trees, and removed 5,288. (Note: PG&E and the SF PUC declined to provide their numbers).
Read the draft report for yourself:
To read about San Francisco's Tree Protection Legislation, please check out the link below:
http://sfdbi.org/ftp/uploadedfiles/dbi/Key_Information/TreeProtectionLegislation.pdf
NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO BE REMOVING TREES!! WE SHOULD BE PRESERVING, NOT REMOVING.
PLEASE JOIN US IN OUR FIGHT TO HELP SAVE THE TREES OF 3333 CALIFORNIA ST!
If you have any other questions, please contact us at savethetrees3333@gmail.com