Associated Press
SHORELINE — A group of neighbors are fighting to save the trees that line their street, despite a city plan to chop them down to make room for sidewalks.
KOMO-TV reports the trees stretch along Dayton Avenue North where the state Department of Transportation is remodeling one of its regional headquarters. When WSDOT applied to retrofit the building, officials with the city of Shoreline asked that they also fix the street out front.
Part of that request includes building sidewalks, but 130 trees stand in the way. They’ve been there for decades.
“This is a big deal for the people who live here,” said Melody Fosmore, a neighbor who learned about the plan and quickly formed a group called Save the Shoreline Trees.
The renovation is so extensive that it triggered a provision in Shoreline’s city code requiring on-site and right-of-way improvements, to help maintain the city’s transportation infrastructure. Shoreline then asked WSDOT to widen the street and install sidewalks.
However, that work requires cutting down more than 130 trees — out of about 380 — that line the surrounding streets.
“With all the talk around climate change, it feels like it’s the last thing we want to do — is take down more trees than we absolutely need to,” said Barbara Brandt, another member of Save the Shoreline Trees.
A Shoreline spokesperson said the city is still reviewing the project.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
