The Beverly Hills City Council on June 13 voted to remove stumps and portions of stumps within 12 inches of the back of the curb on two vacant strips of land along Santa Monica Boulevard known as Parcels 12 and 13.

Stumps that are within the space will be removed. Those that are partially in the area will be “sheared” – or partially removed where necessary – to enable crews to complete curb repair and other work as part of the Santa Monica Boulevard reconstruction project, said Beverly Hills Mayor Lili Bosse.

Portions of stumps will be removed from Parcels 12 and 13 to enable the Santa Monica Boulevard reconstruction project to move forward.
(photo by Edwin Folven)

The parcels are located between Santa Monica Boulevard and Civic Center Drive. The stumps remain from trees that were cut down in 2015 by the parcels’ private owner, the Beverly Hills Land Company (BHLC).

Some of the stumps were on a 24-inch strip running along Santa Monica Boulevard that is the city’s public right of way. Dozens of other stumps are located on portions of the parcels owned by the BHLC.

Opponents of the plan called for only the stumps necessary to complete the construction to be removed, and the council agreed. There are approximately 28 stumps within the 12-inch area near the curb, Bosse said.

The tree removal in 2015 was controversial because it was done without public notice, and crews hired by the BHLC did not request or receive a permit necessary to close a lane on Santa Monica Boulevard for the removal. Some residents want the stumps preserved as evidence if a civil lawsuit is filed in the future against the BHLC.

The council indicated it did not want the issue to impede Santa Monica Boulevard reconstruction and beautification in the area. The city plans to install new landscaping and a new fence as part of the project.

“It’s a win-win for everyone where we can move forward and keep the stumps in place,” Bosse said. “We can take out the parts we need to to do construction and the landscaping so it doesn’t look like blight, and we can heal the community and some of the divisiveness that occurred.”