By Bryan Nelson

Back in the late 1980s, the Piedmont Lakes Neighborhood was coming to life. The original plans called for laurel oaks to be planted between the road and the sidewalk, which was only 7 feet wide.  

Because oak trees have an extensive root system, it was only a matter of time before the roots pushed up the sidewalk and/or the road, creating a trip-and-fall hazard.  

These trees planted in the right-of-way are ending their natural life span, with many dying and many more that are unhealthy.  

Rather than just removing the trees one at a time and repairing the affected sidewalk, the city decided to remove all the diseased or dying trees in the neighborhood. We have just completed Phases 1 and 2 of 4 to repair the sidewalks, aprons and ADA ramps at the same time.  

In total, we have replaced 1.342 miles of sidewalks, 2,049 lineal feet of curb, 17 aprons and 22 ADA ramps. The city’s tree bank money, which is funded by developers who remove large native trees, has enough money in the fund to offer all the residents who lost oak trees a Dutch elm replacement. These Dutch elms do not grow as large as oaks and won’t pop the sidewalks.  

Unfortunately, only 28 homeowners in the entire neighborhood have requested replacement trees. We are making another push to have more trees planted in the easement to give the neighborhood a more welcoming tree canopy that will attract more families.   

We have sidewalk replacement in the budget this year and hope to complete Piedmont Lakes next year. This has been a two-year project that our streets team has been heavily invested in to make sure that Piedmont Lakes is a neighborhood that everyone can be proud of.  

As we recognize our errors from the past, we have updated our tree planting criteria to make sure that, if oak trees are included in the landscape design, we have enough space for these oaks to survive for decades, if not centuries.