‘They can’t be replaced’: Port Royal residents fight to save ‘landmark’ live oak trees
The possible removal of two large live oak trees at a small infill housing development in a downtown Port Royal neighborhood has prompted a petition from residents and a special meeting by the Town Council.
Kit Bruce, a member of the Town’s Design Review Board and one of the residents behind the petition, said she and others residents are urging the Town to deny the developer the permit needed to cut down the trees.
“The town benefits from the canopy and the beauty and it would just be a shame to see them taken down for a house,” Bruce said. “They can’t be replaced.”
Coastal Homes and Sunrooms (CHS) is planning to build five homes on 12th street, just off Paris Avenue. A spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
“Coming soon,” says a sign at the site, which advertises 1,400- to 1,700-square-foot homes starting in the mid-$400,000s, “pick your lot.”
Subdividing the parcel already has been approved but the Town still needs to OK the building permit which includes the tree removal.
The issue has raised legal questions.
On Wednesday evening, the Town Council was scheduled to get legal advice on its tree ordinance in a closed executive session at a special meeting.
The issue is a test for the Town’s tree ordinance, which was passed in 2018 to improve protections for trees.
“Part of the hypervigilance over trees in Port Royal is because they are such a beloved and innate part of Port Royal’s character,” said Jessie White of the Coastal Conservation League.
The Coastal Conservation League worked with the town when it was revising its tree code requirements in 2018.
Under the Town’s ordinance, the trees — which are 60 and 43 inches in diameter, respectively — are considered “landmark.” The petition says they are 200 years old, but Bruce says that’s just an estimate.
The Town’s ordinance does not outright ban cutting down landmark trees but states that “reasonable design alternatives shall be explored to preserve those trees to the extent practicable.” Petition supporters are arguing that reasonable alternatives have not been explored.
“There’s nobody on the Town Council or town staff who wants trees cut down,” Mayor Joe DeVito said.
The 2018 ordinance that the Town adopted is “strong and powerful,” DeVito said, but it’s being tested like rules and regulations often are.
“What can we do as a council?” DeVito said. “We’re looking for legal advice to either deny or not deny.”
Requests to cut down trees do not typically come before the council, DeVito said. That’s a staff decision. The petition, DeVito said, is asking council members to get involved.
“We want to preserve all trees when possible,” DeVito said, “but there are also property rights that need to be considered and we are going to work diligently to find the best solution to this problem, like all problems.”
Residents planned to address the issue at a Town Council workshop at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, prior to the executive session.
As of Wednesday morning, some 260 people had signed a petition that reads, “Act Now: Tell the Town of Port Royal to Save the Landmark Live Oaks on 12th Street!”
“The issuance of the tree removal permit by the Town of Port Royal is imminent,” the petition further states. “It is up to us to help save these grand trees. They are irreplaceable and we are their only voice.”
This story was originally published July 6, 2022 at 12:17 PM.
