Tree Alert...Again

Just when you thought it was safe to walk amongst our giant eucalyptus trees because they have been deemed historic, we get news in the Daily Journal of another threat to some of them

Some Burlingame and Hillsborough residents are concerned with the prospect of tree removal along El Camino Real and Floribunda Avenue to rebuild an intersection that is said to be unsafe.

I had heard about this a couple months ago from a resident on the B'game side of the intersection who was very upset.  I drive through that intersection all the time and the comment about not much room to replace any of the trees that might get cut rings true to me.

As the city manager notes and we have seen further north on El Camino

Burlingame City Manager Lisa Goldman said trees do come down occasionally if they are diseased and that the state owns El Camino Real and, thus, the trees along it.

But those get replaced with new eucs or elms--a bit of a natural refresh which is healthy for the grove--and for us.  I recall someone telling me early in my activist days that "the surest way to fill B'game City Hall seats is to threaten the trees on El Camino".  We'll see.  At least CalTrans had the good sense to protect them during the last project on that block.

Comments

[Up the Camino]

The trees are only historic until they're not.

[Holyroller]

That intersection is Oak Grove&ECR.

[Holyroller]

I do not believe the New City of Burlingame Manager is aware of what a "touch stone" trees are in Burlingame.

[Joe]

Indeed that is Oak Grove and El Camino which is a full 75' or so from Floribunda. I do not yet have a photo of every intersection in the city in my files.

[jennifer]

Actually, this posted photo is appropriate for this article, as well. The insertion of a 5th lane (turn channel) in the north- and southbound directions requires about 15 feet more width than they have now (one lane + addition of a 5 ft. sidewalk on the Hillsborough side). The lanes have to be tapered back for several hundred feet in both directions to accomplish this; that is why many of these properties and trees have been surveyed over the past several months, including those up to Oak Grove and in the other direction towards Bellevue. The project they are scoping for is a major infrastructure project, not just a single turn lane isolated to a short area.

[jennifer]

A public meeting on the El Camino trees (dubbed by Caltrans as 'Safety Improvement Project') will take place this coming Tuesday Pm at from 6:30-8:30 in the Lane Room of the Public Library. Having seen the first iterations of the 5-lane highway plan 2-3 years ago, where so many of the trees would have to come out, it is very important for Burlingame residents to let Caltrans know that we value our unique, tree-lined, character-defining highway. There will be no room for replacement trees, either. Quite bleak.