The City of San Jose’s Planning Department has released a draft preliminary Tree Removal Permit (PDF) for the Sycamore trees illegally removed last month, and input is being sought prior to the permit becoming official.

The document is very thorough in presenting the permit history of the property, including detailing extensive interactions with the prior property owner (The Holt Family acquired the property on December 13, 2006).

The revised Permit would require the property owners to replace each of the two ordinance-size trees with 10 trees (or 20 trees total), four of them at the corner of Willow & Camino Ricardo:

Of the 20 total required replacement trees: two 36-inch box native trees (Coastal Live Oak) will be planted on the site in the vicinity of the trees that were removed; two 36-inch box native trees (California Sycamores) will be planted adjacent to the site within the Willow Street public-right-of-way; and the remaining 16 24-inch box replacement trees will be provided in the form of a monetary contribution ($300 per tree) to the Our City Forest non-profit organization to facilitate tree planting in the surrounding community.

In an email to the WGNA eList (reproduced below), senior planner Erin Morris requests input from the community prior to the February 14 permit mitigation hearing, scheduled for 9:00 am.

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