After negotiations, BART and appellants narrow Market Street tree removals and agree on green‑roof pilot

The Board of Appeals heard consolidated appeals of a Public Works order approving BART’s removal of street trees along Market Street to allow construction of canopy structures and asked parties to work toward a documented settlement. Appellants and BART reported a collaborative, site‑by‑site review that reduced planned removals and introduced mitigation commitments.

Appellant Joshua Klipp summarized the parties’ work: BART reduced the number of trees proposed for removal after joint field walks and agreed to work with Nature in the City on ‘‘living roofs’’ for select canopy structures; BART also committed $25,000 in seed capital for a pilot ‘‘Pop‑Out Tree Basin’’ program that would allow temporary above‑grade basins to grow trees that could later be relocated for permanent planting (Joshua Klipp, SEG 3140–3174).

Public Works’ Bureau of Urban Forestry confirmed the revised plan and mapping: of the trees in the initial public‑works listing, five had already been removed by crews; of the remainder, the joint approach identified 15 trees that can be saved and 11 that would still need removal for construction access (Chris Buck, Bureau of Urban Forestry, SEG 4115–4169). Public Works said individual excavation/permit worksheets will be issued by address and can include special conditions memorializing mitigation and maintenance commitments.

Nature in the City described the living‑roof concept for canopy tops as drought‑tolerant plantings designed for stormwater benefits and biodiversity — a pilot intended to demonstrate habitat, heat‑island mitigation and public‑realm improvements along Market Street (Amber Hasselbring, SEG 3680–3696). BART pledged to collaborate with community benefit districts to support tree maintenance and replacement plantings and to share design and construction specifications to reduce impacts on retained trees (Carl Holmes / BART, SEG 3626–3650).

The Board asked the parties to submit a detailed, enforceable package (revised tree list, permit conditions and language the Board could adopt). Commissioner Anne Lazarus moved to grant the appeal and revise the Public Works order to adopt Urban Forestry’s updated list of trees to be removed; the motion passed with the Board adopting the revised removal list and encouraging implementation of the mitigation package (motion carried, SEG 4590–4616).

What’s next: Parties agreed to memorialize the settlement in written permit conditions and to circulate the exact tree‑by‑tree list and mitigation language to the Board for the official record. The Bureau of Urban Forestry said the department can add permit‑level special conditions to ensure public‑works permits reflect the agreement.

Speakers quoted in this article appear in the hearing record: Joshua Klipp (appellant), Carl Holmes (BART), Chris Buck (Bureau of Urban Forestry), Amber Hasselbring (Nature in the City).