SEATTLE — A permit has been issued to cut down a massive redwood in Seattle’s Madison Park neighborhood that neighbors have been lobbying to save ever since a plan to remove it was first submitted to the city.
The tree slated to be cleared is one of six redwoods growing on a lot at 700 McGilvra Blvd E. The grove is estimated to be at least a century old and is nestled in among an expansive understory of other trees on a sloping hillside surrounded by expansive homes and mansions.
The enormous trees tower above a network of underground streams and help anchor down the steep slope where they are rooted. The city has designated the property as an Environmentally Critical Area (ECA).
David Shearer, who owns the property, applied for and received a permit to remove one of the redwoods as early as Monday. Several other smaller trees will also be cleared from the site.
The owner plans to build a retaining wall in that space ahead of constructing a new home for himself and his wife.
Another look at the property where a proposed tree removal has caused an uproar among neighbors. (Photo: KOMO News)
Among the advocates fighting to save this tree is actor Tom Skerritt and his wife, Julie Tokashiki Skerritt.
The Skerritts and other neighbors said there are ways another home can be built at the site while still leaving the existing trees intact.
An existing home is already on the upper portion of the 17,000 square foot lot. The owner has subdivided the property and will leave the current home in place and eventually build on the lower portion.
No design plans for that proposed home have yet been submitted to the city.
Skerritt, whose husband has starred in films such as Alien, Top Gun, and Steel Magnolias, joined neighbors to push for all the trees in the grove to be left intact and for any housing plan to build around them.
Neighbors also provided videos showing eagles that visit this property and roost in the redwoods’ upper branches.
Shearer spoke to KOMO News by phone to clarify some information about his project. He said the property currently has a 92% tree canopy cover, which far exceeds many of the surrounding lots, and he values the preservation of trees as well.
He said he spent 18 months working with a team of experts, including two arborists as well as structural engineers. They determined the sloped lot would benefit from the addition of retention walls due to prior grading that had been done before he purchased the property.
Modifications have also been made to try to retain as many trees as possible, Shearer said.
His original design plans had the potential to impact as many as four of the six redwoods, but he moved the wall farther away so that ultimately only one of them would have to be cleared to build the central retaining wall.
Shearer said he has followed all city codes and thinks it is reasonable to have two homes on a 17,000 square foot lot, while still leaving most of the redwood grove and many of the other trees in place.
Given that the parcel is a designated ECA, however, neighbors are concerned that the slopes could be compromised if a lot of the existing vegetation is removed.
There were just some changes to Seattle’s tree canopy ordinances last year when city councilmembers voted in a series of amendments to the Comprehensive Plan, a blueprint for growth over the coming decades.
KOMO News has reached out to the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) to see if the removal of this redwood would still be allowed under the revised ordinances.