June 12, 2008

California Ridge HOA to set up tree committee

By Carol Rosen
Editor

A recent decision by Alm-aden’s California Ridge homeowners’ board to get permits from the city allowing removal of 22 trees was rescinded Tuesday night.

Instead, the homeowners’ association will be putting together a committee to determine what to do with the trees. The three- to five-member committee must get feedback from the units and neighbors affected by the trees, determine possible alternatives and figure out alternative trees to plant in their place.

The situation began last January, when the community’s landscape arborist listed the 22 trees that might have to be removed. Originally planted by the developer, there are hundreds of trees in the area, many of them too big for the landscape with some overgrowing and causing problems with driveways and utilities, said Time Johnson, property manager and owner of the Community Management Services.

The development has 156 homes, and the board is concerned that the trees, which have broken pipes, utility boxes and created driveway problems, might affect the housing structures, said Johnson. So, the board in May requested permits from the city to remove these 22 trees and was set to go before the planning board Wednesday night to discuss it.

However, many in the community were upset. They said they had not been contacted and wanted to voice their objections to the plan. At least 20 homeowners attended a meeting Tuesday night to voice those objections. In the meantime, the city denied the permit for 22 trees, allowing only eight to be removed.

“We weren’t planning on removing all 22 trees,” said Johnson. “We asked for that many because the permits are expensive and when [the permits are] in place would allow us two years to address when or if they should be removed.”

He said the aging development needs a long-term solution to overcome the problems, which is why the board decided to set up a committee. Currently, Johnson is writing up a charter determining the committee’s scope; make up, length of time for determination, how members will be selected and possible actions. “Any procedures for future removal will require feedback from the units affected,” he added.

Stephanie Holmes, the Dis-trict 10 representative at Tues-day night’s meeting, said the homeowners that came to protest the procedures appeared to be happy with the outcome.

Johnson said he expects the committee to be formed within the next 60 days.