A tree removal project on Robertson Boulevard was halted in Beverly Hills. The city is in the process of conducting an EIR. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The city of Beverly Hills is conducting an environmental impact report on the removal of ficus trees on Robertson Boulevard, and the public will have an opportunity to weigh-in at multiple stages of the process.

City Attorney Laurence Wiener said the city agreed to conduct an EIR last fall. A notice that an EIR would be prepared was posted on the city’s website in late December.

An initial comment period ran from Dec. 20-Jan. 19 as part of a notice of preparation, which Wiener said is a requirement by the state and county to provide notice to any agencies, departments or entities that may be involved or have an interest in the project that an EIR is underway. On Jan. 24, the city announced it is extending the notice of preparation for another 30 days, allowing more input. Once the notice of preparation period has concluded, the city will create a draft EIR and make the findings public. Wiener said he expects it to take around two months for the draft EIR to be created.

Issues involving the trees on Robertson Boulevard began in January 2023 when the city of Beverly Hills began a sidewalk improvement project that required the removal of 48 ficus trees along the commercial corridor between Burton Way and Whitworth Drive. The $7.7 million sidewalk improvement project was approved by the city in December 2022. The tree removal was deemed necessary because roots had damaged and uplifted sidewalks in the area, causing a trip-and-fall hazard for pedestrians, according to the city.

Shortly after the project started, local residents and activists called for the city to stop cutting down the ficus trees. The city refused to halt the project, and the opponents hired an attorney who sued the city, calling for an EIR. Last June, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant sided with the opponents and issued a restraining order prohibiting the city from removing the remaining 36 trees. The city is conducting the EIR to satisfy the opponents’ request that the project be studied further before any more trees are removed, Wiener said. He added that the city did not conduct an EIR in the first place because it did not believe it was necessary to satisfy the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act.

“This is what they asked for,” Wiener said. “They said, ‘Hey, you guys should prepare an EIR.’ We don’t agree, but we’re going to prepare the EIR anyway.”

Attorney Jamie T. Hall, who is representing the opponents to the ficus tree removal, could not be reached for comment by press time. Next steps for the lawsuit remain unclear.

After the draft EIR is complete, a 45-day public comment period will open. The city will then begin creating the final EIR, which will include all of the comments and responses.

The final EIR will be sent to the City Council, which will also accept public comment before deciding whether to approve the project. Wiener expects the entire process to take approximately six months.

Members of the public wishing to stay up to date with the EIR are encouraged to email planner Masa Alkire at malkire@beverlyhills.org. The city will provide notice when different steps in the process are occurring, Wiener said. The public can also obtain information about the EIR process by visiting beverlyhills.org/departments/communitydevelopment/pendingprojects/environmentalreportsanddocuments.