Sequoyah Country Club plans to cut 175 redwoods. Some neighbors are opposed

When Ana Vizzo moved into her East Oakland house 5 years in the past, the pandemic had simply began, and the world was chaotic, however the view from her yard was serene. 

A zig-zag of tall redwood timber rising a couple of hundred toes from her property was completely framed by her lounge window. From their yard deck, Vizzo and her husband might watch hawks perch within the branches and squirrels zip across the tree trunks. The view of the redwoods rapidly turned one of many issues they beloved most about their home.

So when Vizzo obtained a letter on July 7 from the town of Oakland informing her that the timber had been going to be minimize down, she was alarmed.

The letter, from the Public Works Division’s Tree Part, defined that Sequoyah Nation Membership, which owns and manages the golf course the place the timber are rising, had utilized for a allow to take away 175 redwood timber. Vizzo’s household and their neighbors, together with about 200 different property homeowners, had been being supplied an opportunity by the town to present enter earlier than a call was made about whether or not to grant the membership a allow to take away the timber.

“What they’re doing is unsuitable,” stated Vizzo in a latest interview.

Vizzo and different neighbors imagine the timber must be preserved. She has pointed to the town’s Protected Tree Ordinance, which requires preserving sure sorts of timber as a result of they “have important psychological and tangible advantages for each residents and guests to the town,” and since “timber contribute to the financial system of the town by sustaining property values,” amongst many different causes.

Below metropolis legislation, protected timber in Oakland embrace all timber with a nine-inch or better diameter trunk at an individual’s chest stage. The exceptions are eucalyptus and Monterey Pine due to they pose a hearth hazard. Oakland permits protected timber to be minimize down, however solely with a allow, and permits have to satisfy stringent necessities.

Over the previous few weeks, Vizzo has gotten dozens of her neighbors to signal a petition opposing the tree removals and launched an internet petition that’s drawn lots of extra signatures, some from folks exterior of Oakland. She’s additionally mobilized neighbors to attend a group assembly on the membership.

However representatives for Sequoyah Nation Membership say the tree removals are half of a bigger landscaping plan, a sweeping renovation of their golf course that can make it extra environmentally pleasant, require much less water, and represent an enormous enchancment to the 18-hole attraction.

Whereas they’re planning to chop down 175 redwoods, the nation membership’s president, Jason Hom, and common supervisor, Katie Corridor, informed Oaklandside the membership plans to plant lots of of native oak and laurel timber as replacements for the redwoods they take away. 

They have already got a tree nursery on website the place they’re rising saplings. Whereas it is going to create a unique panorama, the membership says the oaks will eat much less water and assist wildlife. “We’re preserving simply as many redwoods,” added Corridor, about a few of the timber they don’t plan on chopping down.

The membership additionally factors out that the redwoods had been all planted by membership employees between 1915 and the Eighties. Some at the moment are mature, towering conifers. Others are smaller. Earlier than it was a golf course with redwood-lined fairways, the world was a barren cattle ranch, the unique oak woodlands chopped down by early settlers.

However the redwood timber are beloved by neighbors like Vizzo, and now it’s became a battle between them and the membership — and the Metropolis Council might quickly must become involved.

Plans for a brand new golf course collide with some neighbors’ sense of house

Vizzo doesn’t play golf however stated she has nothing in opposition to the game. “I truly like having them as a neighbor,” she stated concerning the membership, which occupies 142 acres within the hills surrounded on all sides by properties in Oakland’s Sequoyah neighborhood, which was named after the membership. Many who stay across the golf course benefit from the quiet ambiance and the views it creates.

However Vizzo requested to go to the nation membership after studying concerning the tree-cutting plan. She met with employees, together with Corridor, who drove her across the course. 

“Each redwood has a crimson tag on it,” Vizzo stated, referring to the tags she noticed that marked timber slated for elimination.

The nation membership employed an authorized arborist to conduct a tree inventory of its grounds final yr. In keeping with the arborists’ report, 393 timber had been recognized and evaluated. They embrace: 

• 345 coast redwoods
• 37 stay oaks
• six cedars
• 4 Monterey cypress and one western sycamore. 
• There are additionally 142 blue gum eucalyptus, 31 Monterey pine timber, and 6 different forms of cedar on the nation membership property deliberate for elimination, however they’re not protected underneath Oakland legislation as a consequence of their non-native standing and the hearth hazards they pose.

The arborist categorised most of the redwoods as being in “poor” or “poor-fair” well being, and famous that six are lifeless.

Vizzo has contested this. In an e-mail to metropolis employees, she requested, “how most of the timber have been categorised as ‘diseased,’ ‘unhealthy,’ or in any other case ‘sick’,” as this could be a justification underneath the town’s guidelines for chopping down protected timber.

“To my information not one of the timber are diseased or ‘sick’. Nevertheless a number of are in poor situation and affected by drought stress, and some are lifeless,” Oakland Arboricultural Inspector Isaac Harvey, who’s reviewing the membership’s plans, replied in an e-mail.

Frank Flores, a growth supervisor with Signature Growth Group, which is working with the nation membership on its renovations and allowing, stated the redwoods don’t do properly on the dry hilltop space the place the golf course is situated. The membership plans to tear up its present grass and replant a brand new selection that consumes 40% much less water, and this may additional stress the redwoods, he stated.

The larger image for the membership is that its irrigation system is previous and failing and must be fully changed, Hom stated. Leaks occur typically and end in massive losses of water.

A 2022 report written by the US Golf Affiliation for the membership discovered that its irrigation system is “properly previous its helpful life,” and the report really helpful a full renovation. “Those who determine to piecemeal the renovation finally remorse that call,” the authors suggested based mostly on experiences with different programs.

“For those who redo the irrigation, you might have a chance to redo the structure,” stated Hom.

The membership’s management stated they really feel it’s essential to revamp their course, making it extra interesting to a brand new era of golfers who will turn into dues-paying members. Meaning widening the fairways, transferring earth, and different main modifications — all of which require taking down a few of the timber, they stated.

“We’re making it extra interesting to gamers of all talent ranges and ages,” stated Corridor. The course will likely be extra walkable and cater to folks and households who don’t need to spend all day on the inexperienced, whereas additionally being an attraction for extremely expert golfers who need to play 18 holes.

The membership has additionally taken massive steps lately to turn into a extra “family-friendly” venue, fixing up its pool and holding occasions like drive-in film nights within the parking zone. They made it by way of the COVID shutdowns, persevering with to pay their 75 workers, however there have been monetary struggles previously.

“The membership has been round 110 years,” stated Corridor. “None of us are desirous about being a part of the era that permits this to fail. We need to permit this to survive us.”

However the place the nation membership sees a chance to revitalize itself, some see a risk to stunning environmental assets.

On Reddit, a post by Vizzo generated an outpouring of opposition to the tree removals.

“Simply make sure that they alter the title to Stump Nation Membership,” one particular person snarkily wrote.

“They need to have engaged neighbors earlier,” stated Vizzo, including that she seems like the town was on the brink of “rubber stamp” the tree removals earlier than she obtained concerned. From her yard, she will be able to see crimson tags on virtually the entire dozen or so timber simply down the hillside from her house.

In a letter to the town official answerable for reviewing the tree elimination purposes, Catherine Pool, one other resident who lives within the neighborhood, wrote that she believes the membership’s utility for a tree-cutting allow lacked essential info and that “no group engagement has been executed by the applicant to clarify why this elimination allow is critical.”

Pool stated the membership by no means held a gathering with group members to particularly go over the tree elimination plan, justifying why every proposed minimize was essential.

“They designed a golf course with none concern for what number of timber they need to take away,” she stated.

Membership leaders say they’ve executed plenty of outreach to neighbors and adopted the town’s course of. In Could, they put collectively a tree safety plan associated to development, and notices concerning the tree elimination permits went out to all of the neighbors in June, stated Flores. The membership additionally held two earlier conferences with the group to speak concerning the renovations and reply questions.

“We’ve tried to be good stewards with our neighbors,” stated Hom. “We knew entering into we must do outreach.” However Hom stated the membership solely began to nail down particulars about what number of timber would must be eliminated in Could.

In her letter to the town, Pool additionally questioned the findings of the membership’s arborist, who described redwoods and cedars as non-native, noting that they’re native to the East Bay hills. 

And he or she raised questions concerning the membership’s plan to make use of reclaimed wastewater.

Membership leaders say that sooner or later sooner or later, they need to set up infrastructure able to utilizing wastewater to irrigate the golf course grounds, and that the redevelopment they’re planning will embrace some steps towards this water-wise objective, together with putting in “purple pipes” that signify water isn’t potable.

However Pool wrote that she believes the East Bay Municipal Utility District, which handles wastewater for the area, isn’t planning to make this water out there to hills areas till no less than 2050.

Flores and Corridor stated oak timber tolerate wastewater higher, thus their want to take away the redwoods and plant oaks.

Pool stated this shouldn’t be considered as a purpose to chop down the redwoods as a result of there gained’t be wastewater used after the renovation.

“Pool isn’t knowledgeable,” stated Corridor, who added that the membership is trying into utilizing wastewater, which might embrace different sources than EBMUD, and the reconstruction of the irrigation system is the fitting time to plan forward for this.

An earlier try at compromise fell by way of

A couple of days after studying concerning the tree elimination plan, Vizzo wrote a number of emails to Corridor expressing opposition and asking that a few of the timber be spared. After consulting with the membership’s golf architect, arborists, and others, Corridor responded with a proposal. The nation membership could be prepared to protect 4 of the timber slated for elimination beneath Vizzo’s house. “This adjustment to our plan nonetheless carries appreciable value to the membership, however we imagine this method balances the considerations of your vistas with the membership’s long-term wants,” a letter from the membership defined.

The deal would have been “contingent on there being no objections filed,” which means Vizzo nor anybody else might contest different components of the plan.

“They’re asking me to promote out the group,” stated Vizzo, who rejected the supply.

Corridor and Hom stated it was a good-faith supply to aim a compromise with the one one that has been most outspoken. They acknowledged that they requested Vizzo to be discreet and to not inform different neighbors about any deal they could attain to maintain timber close to her house, and that it will be contingent on nobody else interesting the challenge.

“We tried to come back to the desk,” stated Corridor. “She stated ‘all or nothing.’” Corridor stated it value the membership further money and time to see if it might revise its plan to protect some timber.

“Their allow must be denied as a result of the timber are wholesome and their destruction may very well be averted by ‘affordable redesign’,” stated Vizzo in an interview on Tuesday, citing a bit of the town’s Protected Tree Ordinance.

On Tuesday afternoon, the membership held a 3rd group assembly the place it pitched neighbors once more on the challenge and took questions. The brand new irrigation system, panorama modifications, tree removals, and new roads won’t solely make the membership extra financially sustainable for the long run, the modifications may even enhance fireplace security within the space, they stated. The alternative oaks will likely be extra suited to the surroundings and have decrease water use.

District 7 Councilmember Ken Houston, who represents the world, attended the assembly. He stated he has been speaking to residents and the membership and informed The Oaklandside he understands the considerations on either side and needs to assist owners and the membership attain some form of compromise.

If an enchantment is filed by Vizzo or anybody else to object to the tree elimination permits, the difficulty might go earlier than the Metropolis Council, which might render a remaining resolution.

“If I see they’re not bending, one facet or one other, I’ll stroll away, and it’ll come to council, and council will determine,” stated Houston in an interview. “But it surely shouldn’t go there as a result of somebody’s gonna lose.”