A 75-foot coast redwood known as Rosie has stood in Santa Rosa’s McDonald Historic District for decades, its roots slowly heaving up a stretch of sidewalk on 13th Street. Now her fate rests with the city’s Planning Commission, which will decide October 8 whether the tree comes down or stays standing after a neighborhood group appealed a city-approved permit to remove her.
The permit was approved in June by Santa Rosa city staffer Suzanne Hartman, who determined the tree had to be removed to properly repair and maintain the sidewalk, according to The Press Democrat. A group calling itself Friends of Rosie quickly appealed that decision, arguing that city staff had violated or selectively enforced city and state codes in granting the removal. Under Santa Rosa’s tree ordinance, the appeal automatically stays the permit, meaning Rosie cannot be cut down while the case is pending, per eCode360.
The dispute traces back to 2023, when then-homeowner Barry Williams sought neighbors’ help with the buckling sidewalk and the city later threatened to fine him over its condition, the Press Democrat reports. Friends of Rosie’s appeal alleges that city staff failed to fix the sidewalk for four years after first declaring it a public hazard and code violation. Williams and his wife eventually sold the property to new homeowners after two years of negotiating with the city, according to the same reporting.
An Arborist Consensus Against Removal
Independent arborist evaluations have repeatedly found Rosie healthy. Merlin Schlumberger concluded the tree does not have structural deficiencies that would justify emergency removal and recommended evaluating alternative sidewalk solutions first, while arborist Arcangel Martinez recommended preserving the tree through site modifications and root-protection measures, according to the Press Democrat. Radio station KSRO reported this week that both independent evaluations recommended saving the healthy redwood rather than cutting it down…