Contemplating Earth Day, it seems strange that we would be facing the removal of four beautiful trees from the streets of Fairhaven - all for the convenience of a developer. Only late this week did city hall realize they had scheduled the cutting down of 4 mature trees for this coming Tuesday - two days after Earth Day. The cutting was delayed - for at least a week.
Why would we cut down four large trees on the most historic corner of historic Fairhaven? Because the developer wants to save money and create better visibility for his new building. Jim Swift of Rocket Donuts wants to build a new store at the corner of 11th and Harris, where A Lot of Flowers has been for decades. Besides getting to butcher the trees, his building also escaped the historic design restrictions everyone else has had to follow. City Planning and the Historic Preservation Commission somehow gave the nod to this building's proposed yellow brick and art deco style. It may be just as well to breach the historic design standards. It is an unconvincing historic district that always sports such juvenile trees. Some readers will recall when the trees in front of Tony's Coffee were cut for a road widening project that never occurred.
The developers will save money by removing two trees that interfere with placing an electrical vault. They have stated their preference for cutting down all four trees, according to the builder, to "balance" the corner. The Planning Department is fine with this. It's OK with the Parks Department. Public Works has even offered to help pay for moving the water main on Harris Avenue a few feet so the electrical vault will fit without harming the trees. The developer does not want to spend the extra money. And so the city has permitted the removal of two trees and the Parks Department has given preliminary approval of removing the other two trees.
Today, signs appeared on all four trees urging people to call the mayor's office at 778-8100 and ask that the trees be saved. City council members Seth Fleetwood and Gene Knutson have both scrambled this past week to get the cutting delayed so that options could be looked at. Mayor Linville this weekend said she has ordered a delay so options can be examined.
All this proceeded quietly with little public notice. Word started getting around after the parks department and the developer recently made a presentation to Fairhaven merchants. At first, concerns and questions were dismissed and word was all four trees had to come out, that there were no options. Now, Public Works has confirmed that moving the water main has always been an option but the developer did not want to pursue it. That information was not presented to the Fairhaven merchants who were therefore resigned to losing the trees.
Maybe, thinking about Earth Day, just maybe we can do better than that.
Call 778-8100 to register your opinion.
Comments by Readers
Hue Beattie
Apr 22, 2012http://www.whatcomwatch.org/old_issues/v10i9.html
For more detail on the last tree cutting fiasco.
Herstoric trees make an historic district. Don’t let a donut leave us with holes.
With the sothern exposure on this corner it would behove the city and the adjacent owner to keep them for the hot summers of the future. Saves energy.
Stan Snapp
Apr 23, 2012Hue, in fairness though. The last tree cutting fiasco was under a different mayor and a different public works director. As I recall, it had no vetting at all. Hopefully, this is a new time and process.
The Parks Director says these trees are not suitable to be kept, why not require that more suitable trees be planted after construction and they be fairly mature so it doesn’t take a lifetime to restore the beauty that is now there? Are we really going to have a “YELLOW” brick building? I can’t imagine how that will enhance the district. I hope we aren’t going to also get another ugly rocket….....
Mike Rostron
Apr 23, 2012I don’t know if it is appropriate at this particular site, but what we need for Bellingham is something like the Seattle Heritage Tree Program. Like historic buildings, important trees should be preserved where possible.
http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/heritagetree.htm
John Servais
Apr 23, 2012Stan, as with most things, there are perhaps some facts and perspectives that the city department is not telling you, a council member. For instance, at a meeting in February with Parks and Public Works, they stated there were no trees in Fairhaven that needed to be removed in the next few months. This was, of course, is response to questions. A month later, suddenly these four trees must be removed.
No one is saying that trees must never be removed. But as we learn more facts about these trees, it seems there is more than just the trees not being “suitable”. Please do not, as our elected representative, just buy off on the quick and easy excuse. Please look into this further. We in Fairhaven have been trying for several years to put a tree management plan in place. Parks has demurred. I well remember the fiasco of the cutting down of all the trees on one block of Harris. Maybe we have a different mayor now, but some of the same bureaucrats involved then are involved now. This is perhaps an opportunity for our mayor to learn what her departments are actually doing in this situation. And also for you.
John Watts
Apr 23, 2012Uh oh, another tempest in a teapot?
Aren’t there more critical things to get worked up about?
Hey, I love trees as much as anybody, but they do grow and sometimes in inappropriate places!
Maybe the owner will agree to planting new street trees?
Why not ask him?
Christy Nieto
Apr 23, 2012I am a lover of trees and long-time member and supporter of Plant Amnesty (co-founder of Seattle Heritage Tree Program) but was immediately surprised by this story. It is my understanding that the owner/ developer was told my Public Works that the trees must go. The owner is not trying to save money by cutting the trees down. It was thought that tearing up the street alongside the trees would damage and ultimately kill the trees anyway. BTW, the building is not going to be a yellow brick building, it is going to be a light colored building (beige brick), the color chosen to compliment the color of the stone building which is kitty-corner to it. It is my understanding that the building did go through the same rigorous historic design specifications as other buildings in Fairhaven.
To Stan Snapp: Most people I talk to happen to like the downtown rocket. It’s the ugly art piece across the street that people don’t like. You know, the one the city of Bellingham agreed to pay $128,000 dollars for… created by an out of town artist.
Why was the owner or contractor not contacted for questions on this story?
Signed,
Your Fellow TreeHugger
Dan Pike
Apr 24, 2012Christy,
The City did not pay for the sculpture you say it spent $128,000 for. The City’s Arts Commission *did* select the piece, but neighboring businesses paid for it—including Rocket Donuts. Sometimes if wrong information is repeated often enough, people believe it is true, This is one instance it is not: the City’s only cost was some of the permitting, and possibly some help with the installation—I don’t have access to tell you that piece with certainty.
I happen to like both pieces; they make downtown more interesting. My favorite piece, though, is DynoAxiomTrilobite.
John Servais
Apr 24, 2012Christy,
Ted Carlson, Director of Public Works has written: “Public Works is not requiring the developer to cut the trees down. The electrical vault can’t be placed by the high pressure water main, that is a health and safety code requirement. The option to relocate the water main to accommodate the new electrical vault has always been on the table. The developer does not want to pay the cost to relocate the water main.”
Michael McAuley
Apr 24, 2012I hope those trees can be maintained. Large trees add instant credibility to a walkable neighborhood, esp. with infill or when new buildings replace the old. Replacement trees are the rule and I am glad for that but immature trees do nothing for the character lost.
Mike M
Ken Wilcox
May 02, 2012Hugh, thanks for posting the link.. been a long time and fun to read it again. This latest bit about Rocket Donuts makes for an interesting epilogue. Kris and I are rooting for the trees, of course.
Ken