Two Coastal Redwoods and one London Plane Sycamore will be removed at 1001 N. Roxbury Drive. (photo by Tabor Brewster)

The Beverly Hills City Council on Sept. 17 approved the removal of three heritage trees on a private property at 1001 N. Roxbury Drive. The removal of two coastal redwoods and one London plane sycamore was initially approved by the Planning Commission on June 26, as the property owners, Eric Baker and Dr. Nicole Cooper Baker, plan to construct a new home on the empty lot. However, Maple Leaf Ventures, LLC filed an appeal of the decision, alleging that the Planning Commission’s findings are not supported by evidence, that the decision violates the California Environmental Quality Act and that the city did not provide legally required notice to surrounding property owners. The appellant also argued that the removal of the trees negatively impacts the surrounding area. The City Council unanimously voted to reject the appeal on Sept. 17.

Heritage trees are defined by the city as trees with a circumference of 48 inches or more, and removal requires a permit granted by the city. The two coastal redwoods on the property are 94 and 107 inches, and the London plane sycamore is 75 inches in circumference. The Planning Commission, in its decision, added a condition that the trees must be replaced with three trees each at least 25 feet tall at the time of planting with a minimum mature height of 70 feet.

“Our property is a private residential lot. An empty lot at this stage. It is no different than any other lot in Beverly Hills. And we respectfully ask that it and we, the owners, be treated just the same as any other,” Cooper Baker said. “We are simply trying to build a home for our family. A home to raise our children, to have wonderful and memorable times with their grandparents, to gather with community and loved ones. A home that we hope will remain in our family for generations.”

Benjamin Hanelin, an attorney for the Bakers, pointed out that the landscaping plan only included the removal of three of the 30 protected trees on the property while preserving the remaining 27. Additionally, the plans call for the planting of 31 additional trees.

“[The] appellant has really lost the forest for the trees,” Hanelin said. “The three trees being replaced to enhance the landscaping – a former property owner planted [them] in the ‘90s – are not climate adapted and not native to the region.”

Many residents spoke out against the appeal in public comment, stating that the property owners went through every city requirement to have the trees removed, and that the Planning Commission made the correct decision after a lengthy and thorough review. Some said that a decision by the City Council to reverse the Planning Commission’s approval would erode trust in city government.

Environmental attorney Ellis Raskin, a former chair of the Santa Monica Planning Commission currently running for Santa Monica City Council, represented the appellant. He said that Beverly Hills and the greater Los Angeles region has seen a loss of canopy cover that detrimentally affects the environment. He argued that the removal of the trees would contribute to the loss of canopy cover, and that the replacement trees may not adequately solve the problem.

“Mature trees provide things that are truly irreplaceable and can’t be met through replacement trees,” Raskin said. “They provide habitat in a way that immature replacement trees can’t provide. They provide shade cover. They provide soil retention.”

The council ultimately sided with the property owner, voting unanimously to reject the appeal.

The three heritage trees will be replaced with Western sycamore, Southern magnolia, D.D. Blanchard Magnolia and Cathedral oak trees.

“It’s always sad to cut down a mature tree, but in this case they are replacing them,” Councilman John Mirisch said. “And in this case they are replacing them with the sycamores that are native, with the southern live oak that isn’t, but it’s still a nice tree.”

“I do believe that there is a right to an appeal. But not every case needs to be appealed,” Mayor Lester Friedman said. “I just don’t think that this one needed an appeal.”

The property at 1001 N. Roxbury Drive was bought by StubHub cofounder Eric Baker for nearly $40 million in 2020. Prior to being a vacant lot, the property was home to a 1941 regency revival house designed by Carlton L. Burgess. The house was beloved by many local residents for its unique architectural style, but was demolished in 2022 despite public outcry. In 2022, the City Council voted 4-1 against granting historical status to the home, which would have prevented it from being demolished. Mirisch was the lone vote in favor of preserving the house.