Peninsula will keep one ficus

June Casagrande

The ficus tree in front of Balboa Inn will stay, the one in front

of the pharmacy will be removed, all the stumps will be taken out and

the city will move ahead with its plans to renovate the village, it

was announced Thursday.

“We’re pleased that we can now move forward with the Balboa

Village pedestrian plan,” said Councilman Tod Ridgeway, whose

district includes the Balboa Peninsula.

The city reached a settlement with the Balboa Arbor Society late

Tuesday that includes concessions for both sides. Though it lost its

original campaign to preserve all the ficus trees and it compromised

on its request to preserve the last two, the arbor society won from

officials a promise that the city will review its tree policy and

consider drafting a tree ordinance, Assistant City Atty. Robin

Clauson said.

The ordinance could give added strength to groups that hope to

preserve city trees deemed by some to warrant removal, as was the

case in Balboa Village.

For the arbor society, the gained strength and validity came at a

price -- 23 trees, said Jan Vandersloot, vice president of the group.

“I think we all think half the loaf is better than no loaf,” he

said. “At least now we’ve established a legal backbone and legal

presence. It shows that people will stand up for the trees.”

Vandersloot said the group, which has the option to find a home

for the other tree still standing in front of the pharmacy, plans to

ensure that other trees throughout the city don’t suffer the same

fate.

“We are going to try to build our membership,” he said. “We are

going to remain involved because our mission is to protect the trees

in Newport Beach, not just Balboa.”

The arbor society will also focus on helping the city craft a tree

ordinance, Vandersloot said.

“We’re very happy the city will consider a tree ordinance ...

rather than just a tree policy,” he said. “For a city to call itself

Tree City USA, it should have a tree ordinance. It probably would not

have happened without the Balboa Arbor Society.”

Newport Beach was thrust into the national spotlight this fall

after a long-running battle over the trees came to an abrupt end amid

the buzz of chainsaws.

City officials and some members of the business community deemed

that the trees, albeit beautiful, had to come down because they

caused severe damage to sewer lines and sidewalks. Tree supporters

had begged the city to find ways to spare the trees, suggesting that

root pruning might solve the problem.

The debate continued even after the City Council had voted to

remove the trees.

Tree supporters who woke to chainsaws buzzing at 7 a.m. Sept. 18

were broadcast on national television screaming in shock. An

emergency court action stopped the chainsaws after 23 of the 25 trees

had been removed.

Work on the city’s multimillion-dollar Balboa Village renovation

had hung in the balance as negotiators on both sides had tried to

work out a deal. The settlement agreement signed Tuesday likely will

bring the matter of the Main Street ficus to a close. Under the

agreement, the city also must pay the arbor society $56,000 in

attorney fees.

City officials plan to remove the stumps next week and hope to

have part of the renovation project done by summer.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

[email protected].