HomeMy WebLinkAbout1/27/2020 Item 3, Francis
Steve and Cathy Francis
Owners of 1594 Cucaracha Court
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
Letter to the Tree Committee
December 5, 2019
We have applied to have two trees removed from the property, the two very tall evergreen trees that sit
at the back of the lot. Arbor First, our tree removal contractor, filled out the removal application. The
reasons that they showed for tree removal are very brief and we would like to expound on that.
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We purchased this home on October 15 of this year. We hadn’t owned the house for two full weeks
before we were contacted by two of the adjoining neighbors, Adele Sigler of 1604 Royal Way and Teresa
Larson of 1616 Royal Court. Both neighbors complained about the trees being too tall, with heavy
branches, and intrusion on their properties. Both neighbors were concerned about the trees falling on
their homes.
We find the trees to be dangerously tall in an urban area and the trees lean towards our house. The
trees sit on the edge of our property and there is an abrupt three foot drop in ground elevation just next
to the tree bases. We are quite concerned about the stability of the trees and the possibility of them
falling on our house or a neighbor’s house.
Additionally the trees block almost all of the afternoon sun from the house, making the back rooms very
gloomy. The home and yard have not been well maintained over the years. There is little light in the
back yard to be able to garden and create a functional and aesthetic landscape. Further, we plan to
install solar panels on the back roof in the next few months if we are allowed to remove those two trees.
Otherwise we won’t get enough sun to make this a viable plan.
Lastly, if we can remove these two evergreen trees, we will actually be able to see the beautiful and
mature oak tree that sits on the corner of our lot. We presume that the oak tree would also appreciate
the additional light generated by the removal of the two evergreen trees.