Title
Gibbons Drive Sidewalks and Trees Plan – Public Hearing to Consider a Resolution Recommending City Council Adoption of the Gibbons Drive Sidewalks and Trees Plan. CEQA Determination: The proposed action is categorically exempt from environmental review pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15301 (Existing Facilities) and Section 15308 (Actions by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of the Environment)
Body
To: Honorable President and Members of the Planning Board
From: Abby Thorne-Lyman, Acting Director of Planning Building and Transportation
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The draft Gibbons Drive Sidewalks and Trees Plan (Plan) is a community-informed plan that establishes a decision-making framework to address pedestrian safety, accessibility, and infrastructure needs on Gibbons Drive while preserving mature Liquidambar styraciflua (Liquidambar) trees wherever feasible (Exhibit 1). The draft Plan also includes a Gibbons Drive specific tree-planting palette to guide replanting as the existing tree canopy changes over time.
Gibbons Drive presents a challenging combination of mature trees, constrained growing space, deteriorated sidewalks and other infrastructure, and strong community interest in preserving the existing canopy. The Plan recommends a location-by-location approach under which the City would prioritize locations based on the severity of sidewalk, accessibility, and infrastructure conditions; evaluate the tree and site conditions at each location; and consider feasible tree-preservation measures before determining whether removal of an individual tree is necessary. The recommended approach also limits the maximum number of Liquidambar trees that may be removed during five-year increments and provides for replacement planting when removal occurs.
Staff recommend that the Planning Board conduct a public hearing and adopt the draft resolution provided as Exhibit 2, recommending that the City Council adopt the Gibbons D...
Click here for full text