The Vacaville Planning commission voted 5-0 to remove a tree from a property in Vacaville in a controversial public hearing on Tuesday evening.
The tree, a Valley Oak, is 35 inches in diameter and sits on a property of a single family home. It was approved for removal on July 8 but appealed on July 17 through a review called by Vacaville City Councilmember Jeanette Wylie on the grounds that staff erred in requesting removal of the tree.
“The existing oak tree is located pretty close to the center of the site,” said Albert Enault.
The background, however, notes that the tree was originally requested for removal last summer and the city denied it.
The new potential buyers submitted permits to remove the tree this year, Enault said, but the city required an arborist’s report along with a minor design review. Shortly after this, Enault said, the buyers purchased the property.
Eight criteria are considered in the removal of the tree, Enault said, which notes that the size and location of the tree are under consideration, as well as its status as a native or nonnative species. The tree is over 45 feet in height and 28 feet in width, Enault said.
The roots extend well beyond the canopy, Enault said, constituting what is known as a “drip line.” That drip line extends throughout the property, meaning any development on the property would adversely affect the tree. There are many other Valley Oak Trees in Vacaville, he said, but it is a native species.
Not other trees would be impacted by the tree’s removal, he said, and it could be replaced by six replacement trees on the property. It is not visually prominent from the public right-of-way, he noted. The city also reached out to three nearby property owners.
Enault compared Wylie’s “call for review” to being asked to show work in a math class. He noted that all five grounds for appeal cited did not.
“The grounds for appeal, they seem to be without merit and there was no real error made by the Director or staff,” Enault said.
City staff noted there was no possibility for a CEQA case here and requested that the commission deny the appeal and affirm the removal request.
