Street trees (those located in the planting strips between the sidewalk and the curb) are required by both City of West Linn ordinance and by the CC&Rs of each phase of Barrington Heights. Originally, certain varieties of large shade trees were planted. For some phases of Barrington Heights, the specific variety is specified by the CC&Rs. In the planning process, the City approved the varieties used.
Over time, it has become clear that our planting strips were too narrow for the variety of trees chosen in many areas, resulting in damage to the sidewalks and some of the curbs. This has been a problem in many parts of West Linn and in many cities across the country. The City came up with a proposed list of new tree varieties a few years ago, but final action was not taken due to the cost implications.
Street Tree List Approved by City of West Linn
After considerable “encouragement” by the Board and the Landscape Committee, the City of West Linn has released a new list of street trees for use in Barrington Heights, as the beginning of their efforts to do this throughout the City. As you recall, the City (and many other cities across the country) has found that the original street tree plan called for tree varieties that were often too large for our narrow planting strips. As a result, an audit of the neighborhood by the City and the Board in May 2010 found 101 locations within Barrington Heights were the sidewalks were cracked or displaced, usually due to street trees. To reduce this issue in the future, the City came up with a new list of trees (one for each street) that are smaller than those on the original list, and are to be used in the future. Here is the list:
- Barrington Dr. — Kousa Dogwood
- Riverknoll Way — Paperbark Maple
- Riverknoll Ct. — Styrax Japonicus
- Beacon Hill Dr. (south of Lorinda) — Amur Maple
- Beacon Hill Dr. (north of Lorinda) — Redmond Linden
- S and N Hampton Ct. — Cleveland Select Pear
- Fairhaven Dr. (west of Tanner Creek) — Redmond Linden
- Fairhaven Dr. (east of Tanner Creek) — Styrax Japonicus
- Wellington Dr. — Redbud
- Edgewood Ct. — Redbud
- Wellington Ct. — Styrax Japonicus
- Imperial Dr. — Paperbark Maple
- Manchester Ct. — Paperbark Maple
- Radcliffe Ct. — Kousa Dogwood
Homeowners who plan to plant or replace street trees should contact Mike Perkins, City Arborist [(503) 723-2554] for approval and to verify the variety. The City can also supply the tree and do the planting for $175 for most varieties. Note: This new list does not require anyone to remove existing trees. It merely specifies what varieties are to be planted in the future.