Mayor Reichert lays out plan for Second Street, including more tree canopy; Macon, GA

Mayor Reichert lays out plan for Second Street - Politics - Macon.com:
Between pitches for a new sales tax and a vote on consolidation, Mayor Robert Reichert unveiled Monday a new presentation that details his hope to establish Second Street as the downtown area’s main thoroughfare.
The idea, which The Telegraph first reported in August, recently was supplemented with graphics, facts and figures by Interface Studios, the Philadelphia-based company that prepared the College Hill Alliance master plan. Andrew Blascovich, director of external affairs in the mayor’s office, said the presentation cost $27,824, which was paid for with a grant provided by the Peyton Anderson Foundation.
In the span of about five minutes during a joint Rotary Club luncheon Monday, Reichert ran through what he said was usually a 30-minute presentation, highlighting the need to revitalize the area to generate new opportunities for retail, housing and entertainment. The presentation used illustrations of a Second Street that would be notably more pedestrian-friendly, increase the tree canopy and reduce the number of car lanes in favor of sidewalks and bicycle lanes.

To accomodate construction, trees removed, then replanted, then removed - will be replanted; East Aurora, NY

Main Street Trees Re-Replanted
by Jeremy Morlock


When many trees along East Aurora’s Main Street were cut down in June 2008 as part of the State Department of Transportation’s reconstruction project, many local residents were sad to see them go, and shocked at the bareness of the street. When contractors started planting trees along the repaved roadway this month, passersby commented that they were glad to see the plants in place. When villagers notice that some of the new trees have since been removed, they may be puzzled.

In all, 17 newly planted trees between the Olean Street and Riley Street intersections of Main Street were to be uprooted. However, they have since been replaced with other trees. The reason is that the new trees were of the wrong species and didn’t fit with the most up-to-date plans for Main Street.

Approved streetscape plan provides for additional tree canopy; Los Altos, CA

Los Altos Town Crier - Los Altos OKs San Antonio streetscape:
Phase I – from Edith Ave- nue to the south end of Plaza 3 – will extend along the frontage of Parking Plaza 3 and include decorative crosswalks at Hillview and Hawthorne avenues, Pepper and Cuesta drives and Lyell Street, according to James Walgren, assistant city manager and director of planning, building and engineering.
Although there was agreement that the project would greatly enhance downtown’s visual appeal, councilmembers raised other concerns.
“We’ll be losing more parking spaces – 13 with this project – in the downtown area,” said Councilwoman Val Carpenter, chairwoman of the Downtown Development Committee, which spearheads the revitalization.
Other elements include landscaping along Plaza 3’s green wall with stormwater runoffs, an expanded tree canopy, traffic-calming measures such as raised crosswalks and beautification at San Antonio Road intersections.

In the face of public outcry, council balks at completing remove and replace plan after removals have been completed; Pasadena, CA; 3/3/09

Council leans toward ban on removing healthy trees Pasadena Star-News - Pasadena,CA,USA
The city took preliminary steps Monday to order a suspension on tree removals, and officials could examine the possibility of changing the existing plan to replace ficus trees removed along Colorado Boulevard with ginkgo and palm trees.
Tree removal has come into focus as an issue over the last two months as the city went back and forth on the Colorado plan, which targeted for removal 35 trees in the city's Playhouse District between Los Robles Boulevard and Lake Boulevard, along with several more on side streets.

City founders' plantings now hazards and scheduled for removal; Encinitas, CA; 2/15/09

City will lose a few of its leafy landmarks San Diego Union Tribune - San Diego,CA,USA
A tree canopy that has gracefully shaded the community of Leucadia in Encinitas for more than a century will be thinned when crews cut down 11 eucalyptuses along North Coast Highway 101 that have been deemed dead or at risk of falling.
For many residents, the eucalyptus trees planted in the late 1800s by Leucadia's founders are landmarks that create much of the beach community's character.
The tree removal is scheduled to begin in late March.

Mixed bag from council gives citizens wooded preservation, mature street tree removal; Pasadena, CA; 2/12/09

Man vs. nature Pasadena Weekly - Pasadena,CA,USA
Pasadena’s trees got something of a split decision Monday from City Council members, who, in the course of a few hours, allocated $2 million toward preserving more than 20 acres of verdant, undeveloped hillside but refused to halt the controversial removal of 11 large-canopy ficus trees along East Colorado Boulevard.

Trees part of downtown riverfront solution; Baton Rouge, LA; 2/10/09

Advisers: Growth needed near river 2TheAdvocate - Baton Rouge,LA,USA
River Road should be reduced to three lanes where it is now four, allowing for some additional green space and South Boulevard could become a tree-lined artery, he said.
Doug Reed, of landscape architecture firm Reed Hildebrand, talked of creating a canopy of trees throughout downtown, but said the average lifespan of a poorly maintained urban tree is seven years.