Board of Appeals approves removal of two Buena Vista street trees with six-tree replacement and maintenance condition

The San Francisco Board of Appeals on Feb. 1 approved an agreed order allowing the removal of two street trees at 737 Buena Vista Avenue West, with conditions negotiated between the property owner and the Bureau of Urban Forestry.

Appellant counsel Daniel Turner and homeowner Joby Pritzker presented a mitigation plan developed with Public Works that would remove one tree judged in poor condition and one judged fair and replace them with six 48‑inch box trees — five along the owner’s frontage and one replacing a vandalized tree on the adjacent parcel — and add vine pockets where planting space was lost to an electrical vault. The plan also includes an in‑lieu fee to compensate for the lost planting site.

Chris Buck of the San Francisco Public Works Bureau of Urban Forestry told commissioners that staff’s assessment showed one tree in “poor, struggling vigor” and one in “good to fair” condition. Buck said BUFF reviewed the appellant’s extensive brief and the proposed mitigation and that larger box trees, while slower to establish, reduce vandalism and can better replace lost trunk diameter and biomass. Buck said replacement survivability depends on early irrigation and attentive watering for multiple years.

Commissioners questioned whether a three‑year property‑owner maintenance requirement was included; the parties confirmed they would accept that condition. Vice President Jose Lopez moved to adopt the agreement with the added condition that the property owner water and maintain the replacement trees for three years; the motion carried unanimously 5–0. President Rick Swig noted the parties had the option to waive rehearing; if they did, staff said the written decision would be issued the next day.

Impact and next steps: The board’s order overturns the Public Works denial contingent on the agreed mitigation. The decision requires the revised order to list the agreed conditions (six replacement 48‑inch box trees, in‑lieu fee and a three‑year maintenance/watering obligation). Staff will issue the written decision and the permit/order as soon as rehearing rights are waived or after the briefing period, and the Department of Public Works will monitor compliance with planting and maintenance conditions.