Zoning hearing officer approves minor subdivision and removal of two significant trees in Los Trancos Woods

The San Mateo County Zoning Hearing Officer on Feb. 5 approved a minor subdivision and a significant tree removal permit for a 69,191-square-foot parcel at 245 Bonita Road in the unincorporated Los Trancos Woods area.

Planner Luis Topete presented staff analysis recommending approval of county file PLN2021-00232, describing a subdivision that would create Parcel 1 (25,117 square feet) and Parcel 2 (38,703 square feet), the demolition of existing buildings, individual on-site wastewater systems for each new parcel and continued water service by the California Water Service Company. Luis told the hearing the project lies within a single-family residential district and meets minimum parcel and building-area standards.

The application proposes removal of two trees classified at the time of application as significant: a 26-inch black oak and a multi-stem yucca with two 10-inch trunks. Under the rules in force when the application was accepted, each removed significant tree requires replacement with one 15-gallon tree; Topete said that under the county’s newer protected-tree rules those replacement requirements would be doubled. He also described geologic hazards on the site, including a state-designated fault-rupture and earthquake-induced landslide zones, and said the county geotechnical section recommended conditional approval contingent on peer-reviewed geotechnical mitigations.

An applicant representative said the unusual narrow section of Parcel 1 was intentionally drawn to maximize flatter building areas while keeping both parcels above the 20,000-square-foot minimum and ensuring a 75-by-75-foot buildable area on each lot. Neighbor Jacob Aberbach called in during public comment to express support, saying the applicants had been "so professional, so cordial" and that they "would be an asset to our community."

Before issuing the decision, the hearing officer reminded the applicants that the county’s tree-removal regulations have been updated since the application’s 2021 submittal and encouraged them to consult the county’s tree-management guidance when planning removals and replacements. The hearing officer then approved the minor subdivision and significant tree removal permit, adopting the findings and conditions in Attachment A. He said anyone wishing to appeal the decision may do so by Feb. 20, 2026, by submitting the required fee of $1,962.

The approval is conditioned on the findings and mitigation measures in the staff report, including peer-reviewed geotechnical investigations and tree replacement requirements; the county’s updated protected-tree rules will govern any future tree removals not covered by this decision. No vote tally was recorded for this administrative decision by the hearing officer.