Palms on Palm Avenue to remain, for now

Although some business owners on North Palm Avenue wanted the palm trees in front of their shops to go, a group of citizens spoke out to save them, claiming the trees have historical value.

For now, the trees will remain.

The citizen appeals swayed Sarasota city commissioners, who voted Monday to put a two-year-old plan to redesign the streetscape on hold.

A North Palm Avenue streetscape improvement project, approved in May 2012, included plans to replace a 26-tree palm grove with a smaller mixture of palms and flowering trees. The Downtown Improvement District, which conceived the project, sought to improve the walkability of the area and mirror the landscaping on the other side of the street.

Businesses adjacent to the palm grove said the current landscaping contributes to a host of issues. Most notably, they said, the sidewalk floods even during light rains. City staff said the flooding issues are caused because the palm grove sits on a higher grade than the sidewalk.

The project has been put on hold since October 2013 because the city did not want to interfere with new or planned developments in the area. Recently, the city has received complaints about the project from citizens who believe the palm trees — some of which date back to the 1920s — have a historical value and should be preserved.

On Monday, the commission unanimously voted to delay the project for three months so staff can look into the feasibility of preserving some or all of the trees while also addressing the flooding.

Before the vote, commissioners cited the historic value of the trees and the possibility that the streetscape would change again if adjacent properties were redeveloped in the near future.

Jono Miller, an environmental activist leading the charge to protect the palms, said the trees lend a unique character to the city. He acknowledged the flooding issues should be addressed but said the trees shouldn’t be sacrificed in the process.

Miller, along with a dozen other citizens speaking in defense of the trees at Monday’s meeting, argued the project should be redesigned with maintenance of the palm trees as a primary goal. Several speakers pointed to the city’s Downtown Green Space policy, which states that “all reasonable efforts should be made to retain and protect existing trees in the public space right of way” when converting green space to hardscape areas.

“If one or more of the trees need to be moved, that’s OK with me,” Miller said. “I just think we should be starting from a position of trying to protect the trees.”

Charles Rawls is the owner of The Man Hairstyling, a barbershop that sits behind the palm grove. He supported the project, arguing the area was in need of improvements. In addition to the flooding issues, Rawls said the ground on which the trees sit is uneven, and the city doesn’t maintain the area.

“The last time the city trimmed them, which is over three years ago, rats came out by the dozen,” Rawls said.

Supporters of the project argued the city had already granted ample time for objections. The North Palm Avenue Streetscape Plans have been included as an agenda item for more than 20 public meetings of groups such as the Downtown Improvement District, the City Commission and the Development Review Committee.

At Tuesday’s Downtown Improvement District meeting, board member Mark Kauffman reiterated his support for the plan, lamenting the time lost to planning and designing the project.

“I think it’s a shame that this board and so many other people spent so many hours for so long, and somebody comes in at the last minute and shoots it,” Kauffman said.

Kauffman objected to the idea that the presence of palm trees was integral to Palm Avenue — an idea that several speakers and commissioners cited Monday.

“I tried to count the number of orange trees on Orange Avenue, lemon trees on Lemon Avenue,” Kauffman said. “There are no hills on Hillview Street, no mounds on Mound Street. I couldn’t find any coconuts (on Cocoanut Avenue) — I couldn’t find any of those things.”