West Oakland's Tree Dilemma: Housing vs. Green

West Oakland neighbors got a shock last Saturday when red tags popped up on dozens of trees lining 5th and 7th streets near the BART station.

These tags flag about 63 trees for removal to clear space for a major housing project on 5.8 acres of BART land.

The development swaps 400 parking spots for over 760 homes including 240 affordable units plus office and retail space.

The project sailed through city approval back in 2020 but many trees, tulip trees, Chinese pistach, even some healthy ponds are in the way of new sewers, power lines and building footprints.

Developers note summer stressed, dying or barely growing due to poor soil.

Locals fell totally blindsided, counting up to 72 tags and firing up over losing mature green cover in a historically black neighborhood hit, hard by past freeway in BART builds.

Artists love Moore's Instagram video when viral with over 5,000 shares, sparking comments on bird nesting risks and community shade.

Public backlash hit hard so the city slammed the brakes on the developer's tree permit review.

Now they're prepping a revised application, an independent arborist check and a community meeting with fresh notices.

Expect trees removed in phases as construction kicks off this summer with replacements like new oaks and pines mandated by the city.

Neighbors push for saving healthy ones while cheering the housing boost, keeping eyes on the process ahead.

Stay informed with California news today, AI-powered updates. I'm Corey with The Story.