Westwood homeowners root to save trees

Friday, November 6, 1998

Westwood homeowners root to save trees

RENOVATION: Village residents would like

construction company to leave trees alone

By Mason Stockstill

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

While most in Westwood Village agree that the renovation of the
Monty’s building on Glendon is a good idea, one glitch is holding
up the process: trees.

Two ficus trees, to be exact. The construction company
performing the renovation has tagged a number of ficus trees on
Tiverton Avenue for removal to make way for the construction
project.

While some of the trees were slated to be boxed and re-planted
later, two of them were set to be cut down completely, upsetting
some area homeowners and business leaders.

"It is a pity to remove old, mature trees if they can be worked
around," said Kam Hekmat, president of the Westwood Village
Business Improvement District.

According to Bill Christopher, consultant to Arden Realty (the
owner of the building), the removal of the trees is necessary for
the staging of construction equipment to be used during the
renovation.

"Those trees are located where we have to erect our tower crane
in order to fix up the building," Christopher said.

According to UCLA Campus Architect Charles "Duke" Oakley,
construction projects on campus often require the removal of
trees.

"We save them whenever we can," he said. "When trees can be
moved, we move them around campus."

Numerous homeowners in Westwood have complained about the trees’
imminent removal to the Los Angeles Street-Tree Division, a city
agency that handles street and tree issues.

"We really like what Arden is doing to beautify the building,"
said Laura Lake, co-president of the Holmby Hills-Westwood Village
Homeowners Association. "(But) who’s going to speak for the
trees?"

Westwood’s Design Review Board took the homeowners’ complaints
into consideration, and it decided to hold a second public hearing
so concerns could be aired and a resolution could hopefully be
reached.

In addition, many businesses and homeowners expressed their
belief that Arden tried to get around public concern by applying
for the initial permits to remove the trees.

"The permit to change landscaping has been bifurcated," Hekmat
said. "There is one permit to remove and store trees on Glendon and
another to cut down trees on Tiverton."

Ten Chinese Flame trees have already been removed from Glendon.
The trees have been boxed and will be held until construction is
complete, at which point they will be replanted at the site.

"(Christopher) got an over-the-counter permit to remove two
trees and was going to go back to get another permit for more trees
later," Lake said.

Despite these concerns, it appears a solution may have already
been reached. According to a number of sources, Arden has agreed to
a deal that somewhat resolved the homeowners’ complaints.

"What we are proposing to do is to take the three trees nearest
Glendon, on Tiverton, and move them across the street to the
opposite side of Tiverton," Christopher said.

According to Lake, the homeowners and businesses who objected to
the removal of the trees are satisfied with the deal ­ except
for one remaining provision

"What we want is for (Arden) to be responsible for the
maintenance and upkeep of the trees" after they’ve been relocated,
Lake said.

Arden, however, said the city is responsible for those trees’
upkeep after the project is complete.

Regardless of this final hurdle, residents are confident that
the situation will be worked out and the trees will survive.

"We will find people who want to accept these trees," Lake
said.DAVID HILL

A ficus tree awaits its premature death at the hands of the
company that is renovating the bar Monty’s.

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