Tree travesty

Community still stewing over oak, sycamore removal at Westlake Plaza

By Anna Bitong and Kyle Jorrey

AFTERMATHTrees that once graced the parking lot of Westlake Plaza and provided shade for patrons have been cut down, some for health reasons, others to make way for a planned $25-million renovation of the center at Agoura Road and Westlake Boulevard. The tree in the picture above left will be preserved. Above, logs from fallen trees wait for processing at the shopping center on April 11. At right, a homemade protest sign that states Unfortunately $ (money) talks, nature walks was draped over a monument sign at the corner of Village Glen and Agoura Road on Monday. Amid fallout over the controversial removal of about 200 trees at Westlake Plaza, the plaza owner has agreed to save up to four landmark sycamore trees scheduled to be chopped down as part of a $25-million renovation at the shopping center.

City Councilmember Claudia Bill-de la Pea and Community Development Director John Prescott, independently of each other, both asked Patrick Conway, vice president and regional officer for plaza owner Regency Centers, to consider saving the landmark trees.

Photos by RICHARD GILLARD/Acorn Newspapers Bill-de la Pea emailed Conway with the request Monday.

He emailed me back and said that yes, they will be saving three, if not four, landmark sycamore trees, she said.

Nine protected sycamore trees had been slated for removal. One sycamore deemed to be unhealthy had already been cut down.

Even with the compromise, the councilwoman, who calls the Westlake area home, said Regency has a long way to go to make up for its lack of public outreach before starting work April 7.

Regency notified plaza tenants but not members of the community at-large or even the City Council itself.

This is a plaza where I shop almost on a daily basis, Bill-de la Pea said. Im just heartbroken over how this whole process was approached and how the council was not informed about all these trees being taken out, and how Regency did not reach out to the community . . . to let them know what was coming. They have a great project planned, but they certainly bungled the introduction to this renovation.

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Tree travesty