Did you know that the Hartman site hosts a grove of Redwoods, right along the Burke Gilman? You sure wouldn't find out by reading the Hospital's EIS.
Unfortunately, the proposed Master Plan implies that this grove would be eliminated by the northwest corner of the 65 - 105 foot "big box" building planned for the Hartman site:
The Hartman neighbor who spoke at the EIS forum on Thursday put together a terrific slide deck showing the grove and a practical plan to save it. The deck contains full details and a great set of photos/slides (many are used in this post). The grove has:
- 6 Redwoods > 3' diameter
- 2 Redwoods > 8' diameter
Loss of open space and trees at Laurelon too: As far as trees, the EIS mentions impacts only to 1) Street trees (on parking strips) and 2) The 225 trees on the Hospital's existing campus that the Hospital would "remove, relocate, and/or replant" to accommodate Alternative 3 or6.
The EIS makes no mention of the Redwoods, or existing large trees at at Laurelon (see the Hospital's photo to the left). The EIS should clearly state the fate of these trees, the acreage of open space lost with Alternative 7 and the mitigation measures planned by the Hospital.Patients, hospital staff and neighbors will all benefit from good planning for green space.
Addendum: In case you're curious about the city's vegetation plan for the stretch of the Burke Gilman near Hartman, there's actually a web page for Management Unit 4: 36th Ave NE to 40th Ave NE. This page does not mention the redwood grove, but you'll enjoy this quote from the plan: “Pure blackberry section should be retained for picking by trail-users.”
For further info on the vegetation plan, see the Burke-Gilman Trail Vegetation Management Guidelines
EIS Comments: Remember, you are encouraged to send comments on the Draft EIS to the City DPD through July 25, 2008. Instructions are here.
