Como residents object to tree loss

Como Lake neighbors continue to be unhappy about the loss of mature trees, saying they didn’t have a say in the $10 million Wheelock-Grotto area street reconstruction project. The St. Paul City Council May 7 approved project assessments of more than $1.66 million for the work, following a public hearing in April.

The vote capped weeks of debate over the lost trees, which included a failed legal attempt to save 13 mature trees near the lake. Some trees lost were 70 to 100 years old.

Public works staff spoke to the tree removal process, what guided their decisions, and tree removal practices at the hearing. One key issue is that St. Paul has a policy to install sidewalks on blocks where none have existed previously.

 Several Como neighbors spoke at the public hearing. Others sent written testimony. A consistent theme was that not only did tree removal affect their neighborhood aesthetic and property values, they also face high assessments to help pay for street work.

Another objection raised is that trees throughout the project area were marked for removal, less than a year after a storm that resulted in the loss of many more mature trees throughout the neighborhood.

Parkview resident Jeff Clark said the proposed assessment for his family’s home is $12,112.80. “I really must object if the improvement value of the project to me as a homeowner proves to be less than this assessment amount,” he said. Clark added that tree loss can lower a property’s value by 10 to 25 percent and asked that the value loss be considered when final assessments are done.

Adam Thompson and Maria Vratsanos said they believe residents shouldn’t have to pay a special assessment, contending that the street project won’t increase their property values. “(Loss of trees) has drastically affected the feeling of the street and we’re confident it will negatively affect the value of our property.”

The council held off voting on the projects in April because Ward Five Council member Haw Jeong Kim was absent. She was back May 7, and the street projects passed 7-0. Although the vote was on several St. Paul Streets projects, the Wheelock-Grotto work has generated the most controversy.

Parkview Avenue residents Rita Amendola, Jeff Clark, Mary Jane Sommerville and Aric Wilber filed a civil lawsuit against the city earlier this year.

They argued that public works staff told them over and over that efforts would be made to preserve mature trees, using information from talks and written correspondence from the city. That could be done possibly by having a winding sidewalk. 

In March, public works indicated that the sidewalk would be installed on the south side of the street. The idea of a winding or meandering sidewalk wasn’t mentioned. Thirteen of 20 trees on the block were marked with red Xes for removal.

The four neighbors filed suit in March, citing the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act. That postponed the tree removal until April. A Ramsey County District Court judge ruled in the city’s favor March 31. The city had countered in its legal arguments that project delays could further add to the Wheelock-Grotto costs. Another point made was that trees cut down would be replaced.

But neighbors said planting saplings is no replacement for large trees.

An injunction request and appeal were too late to save the trees.

Wheelock-Grotto is a St. Paul Streets project, and 2025 will be the first year for the project. It will continue into 2026. The project area is roughly bounded by East Como Boulevard, Arlington Avenue, Dale Street and Maryland Avenue. Work includes pavement replacement, new curbs and gutter, replacement of underground utilities, street lighting and sidewalk replacement. It is part of a long citywide residential street reconstruction process that began decades ago.

 

This isn’t the first time residents have been upset about the city’s proposed plans to remove trees. Save Our Streets has been pushing the city for years to reconsider removing and damaging what they say is 900 trees along Summit Ave. On Feb. 27, 2025, Council President Rebecca Noecker moved for a six month layover of the tree preservation ordinance which received unanimous support from the council. Ordinance 25-4, Tree Preservation for City Sponsored Projects, will be held over for a vote until Aug. 27, 2025.

In 2022, more than 150 large trees lining Cleveland Avenue were cut down to widen the county road to add both in-street bike lanes and an off-street multi-use path over resident protests.