Tree count will increase after DeCastro Street upgrade — RDA

The Recovery & Development Agency (RDA) has promised that DeCastro Street will have more trees and greenery after its planned upgrade, as the agency continues to face backlash over the proposed removal of the corridor’s mature trees. RDA Project Planning Manager Jeremy Hodge said approximately 17 trees currently line the street, but the redevelopment will see 20 new trees planted, along with shrubs and smaller trees. “We will be replacing these trees with more trees than you’re seeing here now,” Hodge said during a recent interview about the controversial project. He sought to reassure residents that the shade currently provided by the mature trees will not disappear permanently.

According to Hodge, the replacement trees are expected to arrive at heights of 11 feet or taller, allowing them to provide shade relatively quickly. The RDA said the species selected will also be better suited to the conditions along DeCastro Street, including the saline environment, while having less aggressive root systems. The existing trees have become a major sticking point in the project, with residents questioning why they cannot be preserved as part of the redevelopment. The RDA previously said their roots have damaged sidewalks and created accessibility and safety concerns. Hodge maintained that removing the trees was not a decision taken lightly. “We did not just get up one day and decide these trees cannot remain,”…