Public Comment for Peterson Avenue Development

Commissioners, please take this tree related information into consideration.

Assessor's imagery from 2014

The size of the existing pine at the base of the property isn't accurately represented. It is much larger and will continue to grow.

The diagrams of the Coast Live Oak replacements are undersized and placed too close together. The diagrams currently show a 24' canopy spread. Coast Live Oaks will grow to between 30-70' diameters and these being on a south-facing hill will receive enough sun to favor significant growth.

The Palo Verde (Parkinsonia florida) tree is being overused in our landscapes, specifically in front yards. They are considered small-medium sized patio trees. They only offer a small amount of shade and will never offer anything but the smallest bit of respite to walkers in the summer heat. Due to their short height they will not grow above the structure so they will eventually need to be pruned heavily on the structure side leaving a misshapen canopy for all to see. Furthermore, the plan shows them planted 10' apart which will cause them to grow into one another and lead to constant issues and an undesirable growth pattern.

Please send this landscape plan to the NREC if possible. Otherwise, please ask the applicant to update the landscape plan to reflect the actual diameters of the species' mature canopies.

We do not have street trees in this area of the Monterey Hills. We rely on private property planting to provide shade for our streets. Please ask the applicant to place significant shade trees on the street. A Coast Live Oak placed as per the diagram would provide shade not only to walkers on the street but also to the part of the structure that does not have solar panels.

Additionally, a smaller oak, such as an Engelmann Oak (Pasadena Oak) could fit nicely in the opposite corner, again avoiding solar panels and providing shade to walkers on the street.

Lastly, native shrubs like Toyon and Sugar Bush should be considered for scenarios like this where what the applicant is looking for is more of a privacy hedge. Placing several of these long-lived native shrubs in between two Oak cornerpieces would be a beautiful, natural front yard landscape for walkers and wildlife while being aesthetically superior in every way.

As a final note I'd like to point out that the NREC is currently reviewing our tree code and I believe it is a fair representation of the current discussions to say that the actual number of tree replacements can be too high and that species selection and placement on the property are vastly more important criteria.

Thank you,
Angelo Gladding
1856 Hanscom Drive