Our unique, lush landscape is a major draw when it comes to keeping University Park attractive and relevant in the market-place. Street trees are an integral part of the overall neighborhood design and were a requirement in the county approval pro-cess. Most of us were drawn to University Park because the master plan included the extensive landscape employed throughout our community.
The growth of the street trees may impact trees planted nearby and it is common to find faster growth palm trees growing into street trees. In this case, it is preferable to relocate or remove the non-street tree. Prior to turnover, the criteria that the committee followed was to maintain the street trees in their present location where possible.
Proper pruning can resolve many issues and the ALC strongly recommends using a certified arborist who knows how to properly trim the trees. Improper pruning may risk their health and can cause havoc with heavy winds. We are happy to pro-vide recommendations to any home-owners who ask for this information.
Some residents have been frustrated by the policy of asking homeowners (who want to remove their street trees) to save them by utilizing root barriers, repairing driveways and relocating water and utility lines. All are costly alternatives and often these measures work but, sometimes, it’s a matter of delaying removal. The ALC has struggled with finding a balance to this issue for a long time. It may seem that we’ve been inconsistent, but we do look at each request individually because each situation is unique, and we are bound to follow the approved criteria.
With turnover complete, we will continue to review each request, but if residents can demonstrate damage that has already occurred, if you have attempted repairs, or if the tree is planted too close to the foundation of the home or to utilities, we will be more likely to approve removal.
If you requested removal in the past and were turned down, but think you are qualified based on the updated criteria, and you still wish to remove the tree, send an application and we will be happy to review it again. Please also refer to the Architecture and Landscape Committee criteria (see link below) for more detail on this topic.