Temporary Reprieve Given Pepper Trees Threatened by Development

The fate of four mature pepper trees in Northridge remained uncertain Wednesday after a public hearing of the Board of Public Works.

Doug Birmingham, who is spearheading a fight to keep the trees, may have found another ally: property owner Bob Van Dyke, who plans a condominium development on the corner of Halsted Street and Zelzah Avenue.

Van Dyke, building superintendent with Korda Homes, said he will delay plans to remove the trees as long as he can, even though construction is due to begin soon.

Within a week, Van Dyke plans to meet with Birmingham and an arborist to assess the health of the trees and determine whether they could be saved by altering the blueprint for the project.

The board tentatively postponed its decision until Jan. 26 to allow the parties time to work out a compromise.

“We’re all for working with the community because trees are a good thing and mature trees benefit a project,” Van Dyke said.

“We’re not looking to remove the trees or to widen the streets. Those conditions were placed on the project by the city,” he said.

Van Dyke hoped two of the largest pepper trees, which he estimated to be 75 years old, could be spared.

Removing them would cost more than leaving them alone, he said.

Birmingham, 32, who gathered nearly 200 signatures on a petition to save the trees, said he thinks that he, Van Dyke and the city can work out a compromise.

“It seems more hopeful at this point because here is another person [Van Dyke] who is in favor of keeping the trees, and that’s additional support,” Birmingham said. At the meeting, he challenged board members to personally cut down the trees, saying it was “cowardice” for them to hire someone else to do the work if they can’t bring themselves to do it.