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Villa Riviera Condo Ass'n Plan To Remove This Tree Sparks Controversy; Bldg. Resident Ana Maria McGuan Organizes Rally In Opposition Wednesday



(Nov. 28, 2011. 1:10 p.m.) -- A decision by the Villa Riviera Condominium Association Board of Directors to remove a mature pine tree adjacent to the entrance to the historic building at 800 E. Ocean Blvd (at Shoreline Dr.) has infuriated building resident and LB history buff Ana Maria McGuan who is organizing a public rally on Wednesday (Nov. 30) to urge that the tree not be killed.


The rally is scheduled for November 30 starting at 5:00 p.m. "when a group will congregate in front of Villa Riviera to protest "the killing of a healthy, mature pine tree, Norfolk Island pine, 50-60 feet tall, on Thursday, December 1 ordered by the Villa Riviera Board of Directors..." The rally is planned for the corner next to the public beach stairways on public property. The tree itself is on the Villa Riviera private property and is scheduled to be removed in the first week of December.

Minutes of the Villa Riviera Condominium Association June 21, 2011 Board of Directors meeting indicate a vote of 4-1 to "remove the large pine tree located in the front southeast corner of the building" (4-1: Yes: Feder, McNiff, Brooks, Smay. No: McNease). [Ms. McGuan says Director Brooks no longer lives in the building.]

In a recent email to the (now four member) Board, Ms. McGuan wrote:

By now you may all have seen the City of Long Beach Gas & Oil Department 2012 Calendar which is distributed all through the City. On the cover, the most photographed lady in Long Beach, The Villa Riviera. And next to her, the unpretentious tiny table-top Christmas tree, planted some time after the building conversion to OYO in 1955, that grew to be 50-60 feet.

The very same healthy, mature tree that you have scheduled to destroy on Thursday, December 1. Araucaria heterophylla most commonly known as the Norfolk Island Pine tree is a perfect coastal tree, it grows well in deep sand and can withstand salt and winds. "These trees grow to a height of 50-65 meters, with straight vertical trunks and symmetrical branches, even in the face of incessant onshore winds that can contort most other species."

The controversy has gotten the attention of Ann Cantrell, who acknowledges a fond spot for all healthy trees and tells LBReport.com: "I will be attending the rally on Wednesday night, as I can see no reason to cut down a healthy tree which is perfect for this location. It looks better to me than the palm trees, which look like telephone poles on a bad hair day. I would urge the Villa's board to reconsider their decision and put this to a vote of the all the residents." [Disclosure: Ms. Cantrell frequently writes for us on related issues.]

The Condominium Association has issued its own "fact sheet" on the matter, which states in pertinent part:

The original landscaping of the Villa in 1929 did not include a Pine Tree. At some point during the last 82 years, an individual planted this tree or the tree began to grow naturally. As part of the Villa Riviera’s compliance with the Mills Act as wells as the Historical Significance of the Building, the Landscape Committee made a recommendation to the Board of Directors to have the tree removed.

The Landscape Committee is an open committee of volunteer homeowners who have a desire to make improvements to the overall landscaping and visual appeal of the Villa Riviera. The committee meets regularly and all Homeowners are encouraged to attend the meetings. In March of 2011, the committee made a recommendation to the Board to remove the tree based upon their discussions and an overall belief that the Tree did not fit with the Architecture of the Exterior.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS:

Over the years, a variety of plantings adorned the front of the Villa, none of which was of similar type or size as the large pine, which now leans in the southeast corner of the buildings.

The Landscape Committee presented to the Board of Directors, in an Open Meeting, a recommendation to remove a large pine tree located in the southeast corner of the front of the building.

As part of their goal to restore the Villas’ Landscape to reflect original design elements, the Landscape Committee secured and planted all new Original Cypress Trees along the building’s facade. Cypress Trees are an original landscape element of the Villa Riviera...

As for the tree's "suggested use and cost," the fact sheet listed the following "suggestions to defray and/or offset the cost of removal:

  • Use the opportunity to contact local businesses and organizations that have a desire to reuse the Tree for their Holiday Tree as opposed to cutting down a new tree.

    • Express an interest in donating the Tree to the City of Long Beach/ Belmont Shore as the Official Holiday Tree.

    Ms. McGuan is unimpressed with the "fact sheet," emailing LBReport.com:

    The City of Long Beach, Cultural Heritage Commission, has been clear that they cannot give approval on the removal or not of the tree because it is located in private property. The CHC is not endorsing the killing of the tree, as their fact sheet makes it sound, just that it is in private property and do not have power to stop the tree's destruction.

    The City of Long Beach policies about killing trees is very clear, NO KILLING OF ANY TREE, unless it's damaging the infrastructure. As a matter of fact, the Japanese Restaurant on Broadway near Alamitos has been begging the City for months to cut down the tree in front of their establishment because it blocks their sign and visibility. No can do. It is my opinion that the Villa Riviera Board should set a policy regarding cutting down mature trees, particularly because our Association receives benefits from our Mills Act contract with the City, by which we pay reduced property taxes, close to 50% less in some cases. We should, as an Association, endorse City policies that make sense and not go against them.

    Ms. McGuan recently conveyed displeasure to the Board in no uncertain terms:

    The [Condominium] Association does not have a policy regarding the destruction of mature trees. A decade or so ago, trees did not seem to have the importance that they do now have in an urban environment. You should look at our City's policies before destroying mature trees and establish a policy, that's what boards do. In our City, Long Beach, you cannot destroy a mature tree, it's almost sacrilegious, you would need to go in front of the Tree Commission first, not just the Cultural Heritage Commission. And only in very few cases, if the tree is interfering with infrastructure, would it be permitted to destroy a tree.

    In the City of Long Beach, preserving the life of a mature tree takes precedence over aesthetical or historic purism considerations. It would be like killing a baby. You, the board, should familiarize yourselves as to why our City has such a strong stand on protecting trees and follow suit.

    ...Get a couple of recognized, historic, landscape architects to support the non-unanimous board's wishes of killing a perfectly healthy mature tree in the City of Long Beach. Have them explain why it's in the best interest of the Association and the environment to kill that healthy tree that is perfectly suited for coastal areas and if it were barely a few feet away, in public area, would not be killed regardless of aesthetics or blocking the view of the building. Because that is how important the life of a mature tree, specially in a City, is.

    And Ms. Guan says she's investigating an additional aspect to the tree, potentially linking it to the family of Admiral Isaac Kidd (who was killed in the Dec. 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor; he was a Commander stationed on the USS Arizona, lived in Long Beach, and WLB's Admiral Kidd Park is named for him).

    In a November 27 email to the Villa Riviera Ass'n Board, Ms. Guan writes:

    The lore is not confirmed, but what is not lore is that the US Navy occupied our building in the 1940-50's and we used to be called the "Home of the Admirals". From City of Long Beach records...we know that Admiral Kidd lived in Long Beach. What we also know is that Admiral Kidd Jr, his son, served in the navy from 1941-1978. We do not know at this time if he resided at the Villa. The lore is that the family of Admiral Kidd lived in our building and they planted the table-top tree in his honor.

    The Villa Riviera is in the 2nd Council district, and in response to a May, 2011 email from Ms. McGuan, the Chief of Staff to Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal indicated that City Hall's Tree Committee [Public Works run body] wouldn't have jurisdiction in the matter since the tree is on private property.


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