Thursday, October 1, 2026
Jubilee neighborhood homeowners are divided over a City of Lacey sidewalk repair project that includes removing more than a hundred mature trees from the area.
Residents urged the Lacey City Council during a July 7 meeting to preserve the trees, submitting a 263-signature petition calling on the city to adopt alternatives to widespread tree removal.
Separately, the neighborhood’s homeowners association (HOA) board told The JOLT it supports the city’s preferred repair plan after a survey found 90.7 percent of responding households favored a larger tree-removal option.
Council members heard only from residents seeking to preserve the trees during public comment and took no vote, instead requesting a briefing on the project's history and technical analysis before considering next steps.
The city had already opened contractor bidding in late June, with bids due on July 9.
The petition and the HOA's position highlighted differing views on balancing sidewalk safety with tree preservation.
Margaret Green, a Jubilee resident who said she does not represent the HOA, delivered the petition to city staff during public comment. She said the Jubilee Community Association (JCA) board accepted the city's proposal after being denied additional time to educate residents and gather community input.
"We understand they were rushed into the decision, despite requesting additional time, which would have allowed more time for community education and engagement," Green said. "Even now, some residents don't know what is planned."
The petition describes the proposed tree removal as a threat to Jubilee's urban forest and asks the city to adopt "more sustainable and proven methods of repair."
Jubilee resident John Green said the city has overlooked an alternative repair method that he said would preserve mature trees.
He told council members the city already lifts damaged sidewalk panels, prunes the roots causing the damage and replaces the panels, but does not install root barriers, which are intended to prevent roots from lifting the concrete again.
"This method is permanent and cheaper than removing mature trees and planting new saplings for that," he said.
Green said the city has repaired about 75 sidewalk locations in Jubilee over the past five years using that method without removing a tree.
He also showed photographs from a previous city tree replacement project in Lacey, where saplings later died, and questioned whether new trees in Jubilee would survive without adequate watering.
Jubilee resident Dot Clayton said some trees should remain, while others may need to be removed to address safety concerns.
"I think there are lesser ways to deal with the trees, in terms of not cutting all of them down," Clayton said. "I think there are some that need to be cut down, but I think that the safety of the residents is primary."
Clayton said the JCA board had only two days to evaluate the city's proposal after receiving its estimated $1 million project offer, noting the timeline limited opportunities for broader community input. She said Jubilee is a 55-and-older community where many residents rely on the sidewalks every day.
No one spoke in favor of the city's full removal plan during public comment at the July 7 meeting.
The JCA board said its decision followed weeks of outreach that included a community survey and a town hall meeting.
Board President Barry Rose told The JOLT that the JCA surveyed 1,124 households in early June, asking residents to choose between two alternatives presented by the city: removing about 130 problem trees or limiting removals to only the most severe locations.
Rose said 514 households responded, and 90.7 percent selected the larger tree removal option. He said about 100 residents attended a June 10 town hall before the board unanimously voted to support the city's proposal. Rose later notified the city that "the City of Lacey has the support of the Jubilee Community for this project."
Rose said the board's approval does not extend to every aspect of the project. The board's motion states the city retains responsibility for project design, construction methods, funding, timing, replanting, restoration and future maintenance, and the association does not independently approve each tree removal decision.
He said the board may still recommend changes that could preserve additional trees as the process moves forward.
Rose said the board was also aware of liability concerns related to a previous sidewalk injury lawsuit, though he did not have settlement details.
A May 21 letter from the city to the JCA board and obtained by The JOLT, states lifting sidewalk panels and pruning roots “provide only short-term relief” because roots continue growing and can create future hazards.
The letter states the city evaluated alternative repair methods, but concluded they either fail to address the underlying problem, provide only temporary repairs, cost significantly more or are not feasible because of right-of-way constraints.
City officials gave The JOLT the same explanation in June after questions emerged about the project’s planned tree removals, saying temporary repairs do not address the underlying cause of the sidewalk damage because tree roots continue to grow.
The letter also states root pruning can damage trees enough to require removal.
Hyer told The JOLT the sidewalk damage stems from tree species planted more than two decades ago, before root barriers became standard.
“The city right-of-way extends from the center of the street to the back edge of the sidewalk, so it is all city property,” Hyer said. “But at least in Jubilee, maintenance of the trees is the responsibility of the homeowner or the HOA.”
Hyer said he supports the city’s proposal despite the anticipated tree loss, noting about 10 percent of Jubilee’s approximately 1,500 street trees are affected and previous root-pruning repairs have not prevented the same sidewalks from lifting again.
During the July 7 meeting, Mayor Andy Ryder asked City Manager Rick Walk whether the city council could receive a fuller review of the project before taking action.
Walk said staff could provide a briefing at a July 14 work session or the July 21 council meeting to cover the project’s history and engineering analysis behind the preferred repair method.
“This project has been around for several years. There’s been a lot of analysis and review of the best methods to address the circumstances, in line with our policy related to sidewalk repair and replacement,” Walk said.
Funding for the project comes from Lacey’s voter-approved Transportation Benefit District sales tax.
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Honestyandrealityguy
Removing trees can be viewed as temporary. Frequently, other trees are planted near where the old ones were. And, if some where in the way of a foundation or other, then those trees should just be removed. Property owners have rights.
Monday, July 13 Report this
AFrench
I used to live out in Meridian Campus. I remember crying when the developers of Jubilee mowed down 300+ acres to build Jubilee. There is an irony here that is not lost on me.
Monday, July 13 Report this
johngreen
This tree removal comes at a horrible time. Our summers are becoming hotter and drier even climate sceptics have to agree with that, the records prove it. Temperatures under the shade of trees is 10-12 degrees cooler than no shade. Lacey water department is encouraging residents to conserve water as a Lacey staff person recently said during a talk at our community. The city is concerned about a 15 percent loss in tree canopy in the city, this one project will reduce Jubilee tree canopy by 10 percent., The replacement saplings will need to be watered for 3 years per the city memorandum on the project. Not only using thousands of gallons of water needlessly, but at great expense to taxpayers. The present trees need no additional watering. There are methods of sidewalk repair(that the city currently uses) that don't require tree removal. Sidewalk repair is a maintenance issue similar to street repair and should occur annually with an appropriate budget. Compare the street expenditures of 10 million dollars to sidewalk repair of less than one million dollars. Trees never stop growing including the roots so maintenance is an ongoing process. It is not a one and done proposition.
A horrible time to cut 130 mature trees.
Tuesday, July 14 Report this
Snevets
@AFrench
Tuesday, July 14 Report this
ejpoleii
As a homeowner in an HOA and former board member, I am quite familiar with the problem of trees and sidewalks. Putting trees in the verge between sidewalks and roads is the dumbest thing to do. The space is totally inappropriate which can be seen just by walking in a forest. This is another great example of people advocating (forcing) policies that appeal to a popular movement without applying any common sense. Trees grow. They grow a lot. They grow really BIG!
Tuesday, July 14 Report this
ClimateTeam
The City of Lacey signed on to the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan to lower green house gas emissions. One of the best ways to do this is to maintain mature trees which capture CO2. Instead the City approached Jubilee about this tree REMOVAL and will replace them with little twigs that do nothing to stop GHG emissions and won't for years. The City should honor it's commitment to the TCMP and follow the lead of citizens who want to keep the trees, instead of mowing them down.
Tuesday, July 14 Report this
johngreen
It is not uncommon for people to have 20/20 hindsight. These trees were planted 20 years ago and within city of Lacey guidelines at the time. Today they are healthy, mature trees providing much needed shade from our increasingly hot summers and enhancing property values in the community. Lacey and other communities have repaired sidewalks without removing the trees. The difference is that Lacey does not install root barriers at the time of repair. Trees are a dynamic species and continue to grow with age as well as their roots. Sidewalk repair just like street repair is a continuous process called maintenance and will never be permanent. Put it in the budget and be done with it. The city budgets millions of dollars in street repair but less than a million for sidewalks.
Sunday, July 19 Report this