Removal Of Old Tree On Elden Street Surprises Herndon Community

HERNDON, VA — The removal of a large tree as part of the Center Street and Elden Street Improvements Project Tuesday caught many town residents by surprise.

The tree's sudden removal caused such a furor that Town Manager Bill Ashton took a few moments during Tuesday night's Town Council meeting to address the situation.

"I know that there was a lot of surprise to see the tree at the corner of Elden and Center be taken down as part of this larger road improvement project," he said.

Ashton then referenced the Oct. 27, 2015 Town Council public hearing, in which both the agenda and minutes provided more details about the project.

"The existing intersection is unsignalized," he said. "It has left turn lanes that block through traffic on Elden Street. We have some sight-distance issues there with vegetation. The tree was part of the sight-distance issue. We have opposed left turning lanes that create a situation where vehicles get kind of unsure as to what to do. They may pass. They may not pass. I'm sure many of you have traveled through there. It can be dangerous at times."

The situation is growing even more dangerous as the surrounding area becomes more dense, which leads to more traffic at the intersection, according to Ashton. Also, both county and school bus routes pass through the intersection on a regular basis.

As part of the project already underway, the town will be installing signals at the intersection, conducting streetscape improvements, and adding brick sidewalks and gutters in the area to improve bicycle and pedestrian accessibility.

"These will be ADA-compliant," Ashton said, of the latter additions. "They'll be wider and easier to maneuver. It'll be better pedestrian flow through there with crosswalks."

Along with storm drain improvements, the project will address the vehicle sight-line problem and add signals to intersections in the immediate area.

"This wasn't a quick decision to do this," Ashton said. "This all began back on May 9, 2015 when the Town Council at the time was presented with design options on how to correct those deficiencies in that intersection."

On July 15, 2015, the Town Council held a public hearing in which 12 people attended. Eight of those in attendance selected the design plan that is currently being implemented at the intersection in question.

At the time, there was some discussion about saving the tree, but there were concerns about whether digging around the roots would damage it.

Taking all of the public feedback, the council ended up voting in October 2015 for a design option that included removing the tree.

"That's the option we went about designing," Ashton said. "That's the option we went about engineering. That's the option that is being implemented today."

Ashton acknowledged that it was sad to lose a tree that had been in the area for such a long time that people had grown to enjoy.

"But, I think, ultimately it was the council's decision at the time that the safety conditions at that intersection were such that we had to make some changes to better process the flow of traffic, to better protect the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists, and to better serve our mass transit system that uses that intersection regularly," he said.

During the public comment portion of Tuesday's meeting, Herndon resident Nicole Wickenheiser mentioned how everyone was wondering with the removal of the old tree on Elden Street whether Herndon could still be considered a "tree city."

"I don't know if we're a tree city any more," she said. "I think that being a tree city there used to be plaques and maybe there's an idea that there's a lot of trees getting lost in the community, but they're not being replenished."

Wickenheiser suggested that when an old tree was cut down that it be replaced with aging trees in a good space. She also called on the council to come up with 21st century rather than 20th century solutions to its urban planning.

"When we're thinking about urban development, it should always be with a look to the future," she said. "As all urban spaces are just trying desperately to have green space, the proper space, there are ideas around the world that are working. We can make them work here too if we just think a little bit more outside our box."