Menlo Park: Heritage oaks blocking parking Menlo Park: Heritage oaks blocking parking (March 30, 2005)

By Rebecca Wallace

Almanac Staff Writer

Oaks may be the symbol of Menlo Park, but two of them are standing in the way of another commodity beloved in the city: more parking.

To complete a planned renovation to Plaza 5, which is bounded by Evelyn and Crane streets and Santa Cruz and Menlo avenues, two tan oaks and two Modesto ashes will need to go, according to city staff.

While the ashes are in poor condition, the oaks are in good health but have roots that have lifted up the pavement, supervising engineer Yaw Owusu wrote in a staff report describing the project's preliminary design. "Any attempt to repair the pavement will harm their root system," he added.

So the City Council voted March 22 to create a final design and go out for construction bids -- but also to find out how much it would cost to include moving the two oak trees.

Staff members have estimated the cost at about $25,000 per tree.

The possibility of relocating the trees wasn't enough for Councilwoman Kelly Fergusson, who dissented, saying she didn't want to move or remove the heritage trees, which stand 35 and 40 feet.

Under the plan, the potholed parking lot would get 13 new parking spaces, for a total of 163. Parking stalls would be changed from slanted to perpendicular to traffic.

The project, for which the council has allocated $675,000, also includes planting 20 new trees and adding new lighting and benches. The council also agreed March 22 to find out how much it could cost to add water fountains.

Although she went along with the vote, Mayor Mickie Winkler wrinkled her nose at adding fountains. "I see people letting their dogs use and lick them. That's put an end to water fountains for me," she said.

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