Board of Appeals approves removal of Italian stone pine at 22–24 Sargent Street

The San Francisco Board of Appeals voted unanimously Wednesday to allow removal of an Italian stone pine at 22–24 Sargent Street, concluding that recent utility work made the tree unsustainable at that site.

Chris Buck, urban forester with San Francisco Public Works, told the board the department initially denied the owners' request to remove the tree but reversed that position after PG&E replaced a nearby utility pole and added a transformer. "After reviewing the appellant's brief and learning of this pole replacement, urban forestry staff visited the site to reevaluate the site conditions and the condition of the tree," Buck said. "We no longer contest the proposed removal and support approving their appeal on the basis that the recent utility pole replacement by PG&E more clearly demonstrates that the tree in its site is no longer sustainable."

Appellants William (Bill) Tweedy and Rose Snell said they welcomed Public Works' change of position. Tweedy described competing plantings on the narrow sidewalk strip and said removal would improve conditions for nearby street trees he and neighbors planted in 2001 as part of Friends of the Urban Forest. Snell said the change eased safety concerns: "I feel a lot safer sleeping in my home knowing that that thing is sitting up there," she said, describing limbs leaning toward the house and potential fire concerns.

Because Public Works supported the appeal and the property owners agreed to remove the tree, the board moved to grant the appeal and to issue the public-works order revised to allow removal. The motion carried 5–0. The board asked whether the parties would waive the rehearing-request period so staff could issue the decision the next day; the appellants agreed, and the board directed staff to publish the decision promptly so the property owners could proceed.

Public Works advised that because the site is small and near a retaining wall and other utilities, it would not be a good location to plant a replacement street tree, and that owners choosing to remove the tree proactively would bear removal costs while the city would remove the stump to protect the wall. The board closed the item without further public comment.

The decision resolves Order No. 208643 and removes the requirement that the tree remain in place.