Streetscape clear-cut plan has some concerned; Pasadena, CA; 1/22/09

Pruning the future Pasadena Weekly - Pasadena,CA,USA
A vote last week by Pasadena City Council members could allow cutting and replanting in Pasadena’s Playhouse District area to begin next month — sealing the fate of many full-canopy trees, including the sprawling ficus that towers near Vroman’s Bookstore and another one in front of Nouri’s Rugs, near El Molino Avenue.
For all of the aesthetic beauty and shade that such trees provide, fast-growing ficus root systems have wrought havoc on sidewalks and underground plumbing, and the less-impressive carrotwoods drop seedpods that are difficult to clean up, said Pasadena Playhouse District Association Executive Director Erlinda Romo.
She explained that plans to remove 35 existing trees from Colorado Boulevard and replace them with 17 ginko trees and 60 skinny Mexican fan palms have been in the works for more than a decade, part of a 1996 streetscape plan that also involves repairing damaged sidewalks and installing decorative benches and new trash cans. Due to sidewalk damage, a few trees have been removed by business owners at their own expense.