HomeMy WebLinkAbout8/24/2020 cc - Nevins (1350 Alder removal of neighbor's tree)
Wilbanks, Megan
From:Marcia Nevins <
To:Advisory Bodies
Subject:Tree Removal
Dear City of San Luis Obispo Tree Committee,
We live at 1350 Alder St., San Luis Obispo, next door to Walter and Lisa Ajanel. We bought our home
in 2002 and hadn’t paid much attention to the next door landscaping until the past few years when we
realized how huge the palm tree, close to our driveway, had become and how close it is to our house.
The original owner of the Ajanel’s house planted the tree in violation of the HOA’s CC&Rs, and my
husband and I have become very concerned about its size, weight, and close proximity to our house.
When the wind blows, fronds fall and often land on the roof of our house. These fronds stay on the
roof until my husband (76 yrs.) climbs a ladder to remove them; sometimes, these fronds fall and hit
visitors’ cars parked in our driveway. The debris from the tree also clogs our extremely high rain
gutter that faces the Ajanel house.
In the past, the rains here have softened the ground so much that, if the palm had been at its current
height and weight, we would have been concerned about it falling on our house. Now, with the effects
of drought and the fire danger the county is experiencing, our big concern is about fire. We have
found that during the Santa Ana winds, there is a wind tunnel effect between our house and the
Ajanel house, and both families have lost several patio umbrellas because of it. If a frond caught fire,
the palm tree would burn like a Roman Candle, and the burning fronds would either land on our roof
or fly around to the back of our house and possibly down to the house below us. Thinking of the fires
currently burning in California, this is a nightmare scenario.
We understand that homeowners need to maintain their property, but since we have lived here, the
Ajanels are the first owners of that house who have ever been concerned about the tree. We know
how terribly expensive it is to have to have palms trimmed; it is prohibitive, especially at the size and
height this tree has become. We have also had rats, one in our attic, that we believe could have been
living up in the fronds, and this is difficult to ignore.
We are asking you to please consider the extreme danger this tree could pose to the Ajanel family
and ours, and to grant a waiver on the City’s tree removal policy.
Sincerely,
Marcia and William Nevins
1350 Alder St.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805) 783-1545
1