Old oak removal at development site sparks concern

Last year, the city moved forward with plans to remove about seven heritage trees on the site and planned to preserve four, including a valley oak tree on South Claremont Street, which has a 56-inch diameter. The plan came after the City Council denied an appeal from San Mateo resident Michelle Maccarra, who claimed the removal is in violation of the city’s tree preservation policies and General Plan.

"I'm deeply saddened and frankly alarmed by the removal of this heritage tree,” Macarra said, adding that “with so many new projects coming into San Mateo, this feels like a turning point. If we don't protect what makes this city unique, we risk losing far more than a single tree."

Just last month, the city notified residents that the developer, The Martin Group, now plans to remove the valley oak tree, reigniting frustrations among some community members, including Maccarra and Susan Rowinski.

“The issue is that this 100-year-plus tree went from safe to unsafe in about 13 months,” Rowinski said. “I want root cause analysis to ask, how did we get here and how do we prevent this from happening again?”

According to a preliminary arborist report presented at a council meeting in 2024, the oak tree was in moderate condition, though the report noted some decay. A more recent report from September stated that the tree “had poor structure with lean, asymmetric form, and decay,” with several decay cavities and that it “exhibits significant structural instability caused by extensive trunk decay and canopy imbalance, creating a direct hazard to the public right-of-way.”

Rowinski acknowledged the potential cavities and changes to the tree’s health but said she hoped the city could still find a way to keep the tree for educational purposes and wants to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

“Maybe it won’t be as beautiful, but it could be a historical and educational focal point,” she said.

Community Development Director Zach Dahl said that while the city and developer hoped to preserve the tree, especially in response to community concern, health and structural issues can be quickly exacerbated during construction or abrupt change in environment.

“The goal was to try to preserve it. It’s always been a challenge, but we came up with a plan that could give it a chance,” Dahl said. “They are impacted by their surroundings, and with all the activities, even with all the sensitivities and protections, there was going to be an effect on it. You do your ongoing monitoring, and you track it in real time, but you also have to see how the tree responds.”

The preliminary arborist report made in 2022, stated that “preserved trees will experience a physical environment different from that pre-development,” and should thus be continuously monitored.

Stephen Siri, co-managing principal at The Martin Group, added that the decision to remove the tree was ultimately a public safety decision.

“The proposed tree removal was carefully considered with the city due to the recent report identifying serious safety concerns and [Pacific Gas and Electric] power line under grounding work,” Siri said in a statement. “We will continue working closely with the city of San Mateo and comply with all code requirements.”