The City of Santa Barbara is planning to fell 33 trees on the Westside in an effort to improve pedestrian and bike pathways. The proposal will be presented to the City’s Parks & Recreation Commission on Wednesday. The project will include several new constructions in addition to the removal of the trees.
Highlights
- Santa Barbara City plans to remove 33 trees on the Westside to make way for improved sidewalks and bike lanes.
- 40 new locations have been identified for future tree plantings along the impacted corridors.
- The project includes new lighting, curb extensions, and protected bike paths near local schools.
40 Potential Spots Identified for New Plantations
The trees proposed for removal include oak, jacaranda, and eucalyptus. Out of the 33 trees identified for removal, 30 are located within the city’s public right-of-way.
As per a staff report cited by Noozhawk, the city is requesting approval from property owners for the rest of the trees. Moreover, about 40 new locations have been identified as potential spots for the new street trees.
The project will also include sidewalk infill on Manitou Road, Pedregosa Street, Valerio Street, Arrellaga Street, Calle Real and Euclid Avenue. Additional crosswalk and safety enhancements will consist of curb extensions, new lighting along San Andres Street and Modoc Road, as well as rapid flashing beacons, according to the meeting agenda.
The undertaking will also consist of the construction of protected bike paths along Modoc Road and near La Cumbre Junior High School. This path will be connecting to the Las Positas / Modoc Multiuse Path as well as the neighborhood on Gillespie and San Pascual streets.
In June, edhat previously reported the city held two public opinion meetings on its transportation management plans for the Westside and Lower West Neighborhoods.
The transportation management plan is a long-term effort to ensure improved traffic flow, bike infrastructure, pedestrian safety, and access to public transportation in two of the city’s key residential neighborhoods.
More about the project can be viewed here.
[Ed Note: This article has been updated to include proper credit to additional sources for reporting.]
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Do we really need more curbs extended and more concrete. This Parks and Wreck director has had many cherished trees on the chopping block. If it wasn’t for a small group of concerned citizens who appealed to City Council and won , the lovely landmark canopy of Stone Pines on Anapamu would be gone, and replaced with oaks. Just last month the ficus trees on Milpas met their end. Why not put in permeable sidewalks like the ones on the 700 block of Quarintina near SB Junior High. These allow the Stone Pines there to thrive and allow pedestrians a safe place to walk. Both can co- exist. Wish the current director valued landmark trees and all trees. With climate change shouldn’t the birthplace of the environmental movement be stewards of trees rather than pulling out the chain saws so we can have curbs extended. This is an over reach by Parks and Wreck and goes against long standing aesthetics.
I don’t get it. Santa Barbara is known for its splendid, magnificent old-growth trees. What is with this vendetta against trees? We had to fight tooth and nail to keep the Canary Island Date palms on Modoc. Even then, look at how many trees were removed along Modoc, from Via Senda to Hollister — so many trees! And prior to that, those lovely old Jacarandas at Mission, near Modoc. Then the 50+ year-old Ficus trees + Metrosideros excelsa (New Zealand Christmas tree) + Lophostemon confertus (Brisbane Box tree) have been destroyed on Milpas St. All of this done, so much wildlife habitat decimated and there goes any benefit to our air quality which these trees were contributing.
Now trees on the Westside are under attack? As a longtime bike-rider and frequent pedestrian, I feel infinite shame and regret witnessing the chopping down of living things which once provided us with beauty, comfort and enjoyment. All of this mass extermination of trees is being done in the name of bicyclist and pedestrian safety? Nonsensical. Idiotic.
Please stop this desecration of our urban forests.
The acceleration of the removal of so many trees for bike “paths” from this once-famed “tree city” may be due to the hiring of a bicycle activist and BiciCentro founder, as well as the former executive director of Leading From Within into transportation and parking. It would be somewhat more acceptable if the bizarre changes on Alisos Street, for instance, resulted in a lot of bikers, but that’s not happening.
“may be” is doing a lot of work in that slander of Ed France.
Serious bicyclists should be able to manage riding over some bumps in the road due to tree roots, don’t we think? Trees are good.
Well . . . I sent a copy of my comment to Mayor Rowse and the City Council members — for all the good it will do. For the life of me, I don’t understand how and why Santa Barbarans are tolerating this mass destruction of trees. You would think bicyclists and pedestrians (and homeowners!) would fight to keep trees —- if only to maintain the shade provided by tree canopies and to protect trees which scrub the air of pollutants.
The issue is not Parks and Recreation but the public works bicycle crew who will pursue any oopportunity to build a fantasy bicycle infrastructure that would make us all healthier, wiser, more beautiful and younger. (Note: this comment is meant as sarcasm.)
Pure fabrication.
The City loves the immature, angry bikers more than its mature trees. Odd.
What about mature, happy bikers, BASIC? Does the City love them too, or just the angry ones you are fantasizing about?
Hahaha that was a good one🤣
Most of the immaturity and anger here gets manifested by you.
and the cost of said project is…….?
Who cares? Do you people really think they send taxpayers a bill and your taxes then go up for each project? This is getting absurd. You pay taxes, a certain amount, and then they use some of that money THAT YOU HAVE NO CHOICE IN PAYING to do certain things.
Removing trees is not going to affect your tax bill. If you want to complain about infrastructure on one thread and then complain about upgrading our streets to make them safe on another, then you need to accept that you’re only here for one reason: to complain about everything ever done by anyone.
Maybe focus more on things like how Trump just screwed your kids over (and mine) and took money AWAY from infrastructure capabilities like this.
Oh yeah, and the Epstein files.
Plenty to complain about and it’s not tree removal.
Yes, plenty to complain about but let’s stay in the lane. This conversation is not about Trump/Eptstein/Israel/Musk/Texas floods/El Savadorian jails/Putin/coffee prices or such. The conversation a legitimate concern about use of resources in ways that do not seem appropriate to many. If you think they are correct say so but stop the “what about” crap.
ANON – you must’ve missed 00PS’ comment as well as my response.
He/she made no assertion either way about whether they supported the tree trimming or not but rather injected the sole and ubiquitous “bUt mY tAX dOlLaRs” complaint we see some here repeat on every topic under the sun. I was pretty clear in my response that I don’t mind the City spending money on things like this.
It’s only “what abouts” if you don’t read critically.
“The conversation a legitimate concern about use of resources”
Pure fabrication … that is NOT what most people here are discussing.
OMG, they just won’t stop. Already destroyed the oldest Jacarandas on Mission Street to build a bike way to nowhere. Apparently these bicycle cultists have an unlimited budget of public money and no adult supervision. I have watched for years as they build these concrete diversions that are too arcane to even understand. The use of the Modoc/Mission dual bicycle/pedestrian lane by bicycles is essentially non existent. Try and understand the purpose and efficacy of the configuration of Cota and Santa Barbara Steets (and other parts of Cota as well). And who knows why they tortured Gillespie Street so much that the public buses have significant problems just making the turn onto Mission. Other concrete abutments built as part of this have been removed as they did so much damage to tires. And Oscar simply ignores them. He is elected to represent this neighborhood AND to be a steward to assure reasonable use of public funds. Not happening.
Correction. Meant Sola and Santa Barbara Street, not Cota.
“Apparently these bicycle cultists have an unlimited budget of public money and no adult supervision.”
Apparently you’re grossly intellectually dishonest and just pull such claims out of your posterior.
Just make sure the group that installed the island on Las Positas (Isn’t still working with the city) where a couple people have been killed. They spent hundreds of thousands of dollars(or even more )? of taxpayers money and then realized it wasn’t gonna work and took it out. I don’t recall seeing any articles about the big mess/ waste of money /real poor planning
Do you just put a bunch of characters in a shoebox, shake it onto the floor, and type what you see?
To all of the Nattering Nabobs of Negativism; full information on this proposed project exists if you’d take the time to find it. But fear not, try the link below & see where the trees are located as well as pics of them & before & after pics of the areas that will improved for pedestrian as well as bike safety.
https://santabarbaraca.gov/sites/default/files/filesync/Advisory_Groups/Parks_and_Recreation_Commission/Current/03_Staff_Reports/2025-07-23_July%2023%202025%20Item%2002-Atch%201-%20Westside%20and%20Lower%20Westside.pdf
This “information” is just propaganda. Are you so naive that you can’t see when you are being used or do you like being used. The commentators here have “information” that questions this project and casts doubt on the efficacy of the program in general. That should be part of the consideration, not dismissed as without authority and conclusionary statements about “improved…safety.”
Everything you disagree with or don’t approve of is “just propaganda”. Far more accurate is that your comment is just propaganda.
“The Committee recommends (3/0) that the Commission approve the project as presented
with the condition that sixty-six trees be replaced as part of the total project as well as tree
establishment for two years.”
“Approximately 40 locations have been identified for potential new street trees, pending
further site evaluation to ensure no utility or sightline conflicts.”
“The Project team will work with the City’s Arborist and City’s Street Tree Advisory
Committee for the recommended replacement tree(s) within the Project corridor.”
Oh what a retort. I’m rubber and you’re glue….”
Well, that made no sense at all.
The cutting down of the trees is all about safety. We can replant trees, but we cannot replace lives that potentially will be lost due to falling trees. Look at how fortunate we were when all of those Italian Stone Pine trees on Anapamu came crashing down unexpectedly. We should all support safety and saving lives.
Enough with the bike lanes and cutting down trees. I never see anyone in these bike lanes. Millions of dollars for a handful of weekend warriors. Each bike trip is $20,000
It’s remarkable how casually some people will lie.
A pretty casual observation one may note.
“protected bike paths near local schools”
Apparently a lot of people here hate children.
You are such a troll. No one here hates children. The propaganda that is put out by these folks is craven. I live near several of these schools. The student bike riders are almost non-existent and the existing roads they would use are already fitted for bike lanes or very lightly traveled. Do you ever actually evaluate things that are said “on your side”?
ANON – you must live by a pre-school. Every elementary to secondary school I pass in the mornings and afternoons has TONS of student bike riders on their way to/from school.
To say student bike riders are “almost non-existent” is either wildly ignorant or just a lie. Which is it?
If you don’t like what they are doing vote in different people.
We’re trying, but all the ultra-libs vote anti-trees apparently!
More a case of cons freaking when they hear bicycle or pedestrian.
BEESKNEES: The Italian Stone Pines on Anapamu suffered from neglect, not being pruned as needed and over pruned by Edison and damage done to some of the roots. Certainly safety comes first and there is a point where a diseased tree may need to be cut. But they can be replaced with other Stone Pines and keep “landmark” the canopy healthy. We need healthy trees and we need to take care of them not hacking into the roots like Edison did .
And yet again, the endless tantrums of bicyclists win over the environment, and the rest of us who have to live in it. More concrete, fewer trees and green things, more heat, worse air quality.
What has happened to Santa Barbara? Oh right…one loud special interest is calling all the shots…and the environment and the rest of us pay for it.
Try reading the article before launching into a screed.