Elmhurst Home Project Costs Neighbor

ELMHURST, IL – An excavation in an Elmhurst neighborhood is said to be costing a neighbor.

At this week's City Council meeting, resident Monica Cook, who lives in the 300 block of South Kenilworth Avenue, said her neighbor's excavation project extended to her lot line.

Her mature elm tree is on the other side of that line.

A couple of weeks ago, Cook said the city notified her she had 30 days to remove the tree. She said she has enlisted a contractor to do the work, which is expected to cost $8,000.

At one point, she said her family had the tree treated for Dutch elm disease.

"I don't want to portray this tree as the beacon for health, but we thought we had many more years with this tree," Cook told Patch in a later interview. "The tree precipitously declined after the excavation."

An excavation in an Elmhurst resident's yard is said to have imperiled the elm tree on the other side of the lot line. (Courtesy of Monica Cook)

The city maintained the tree had Dutch elm disease, requiring removal under Elmhurst's code, city spokeswoman Jana Krausfeldt said in an email to Patch.

In an email to Patch, Cook said her family proactively treated the tree for Dutch elm disease, but it didn't test positive until May, with the excavation taking place in October 2022.

Under the city code, Cook said, a resident has the right to excavate to the lot line, regardless of zoning setbacks. She also said the city has no setback for basements, with the next-door house's basement extending some feet beyond the house.

In her statement to the council, Cook said her concerns were neither "subjective nor a matter of taste." Rather, she said the code's lack of protection could harm other residents.

Under existing rules, the city's tree ordinance protects trees in the parkways, which are the city's easements along streets.

"While I was pleased to discover that parkway trees were abundantly protected, there was nothing to defend trees on personal property," Cook said. "This has provided a clear incentive for new builders to clear-cut their lots and excavate with impunity."

The removal of trees not only has an impact on a neighborhood's beauty, but also when it comes to water management, Cook said.

Cook suggested a "tree tax" for the removal of trees above a specified diameter.