You might be thinking about Christmas trees.
They’re pretty. They’re fragrant. And they’re planted with one purpose only: to be cut.
One “06880” reader is thinking about many other species: those that are disappearing from residential properties at a rapid rate, all over town.
The reader says: “When I first moved to town 6 years ago and began walking about, I discovered Ferry Lane East. It’s a quiet, charming street with towering trees and houses hidden in the forest.
“Year by year, ‘luxury’ developers take one lot after another. The first thing they do is clear-cut the 100+ year-old trees, before building the maximum size box allowed by zoning.
“Of the 18 lots on Ferry Lane East, 7 have been ‘developed’ in this manner.
24 East Ferry Lane
“It’s going on everywhere in Westport, of course. But — leaving aside the absurd carbon impact of 8,000-square foot houses replacing 2,000-square foot ones — there is no effort to integrate at least some of the mature trees in the new development.”
The reader asked Dick Stein about this. Dick is a long-serving member of the Westport Tree Board, a professional landscape expert, and the driving force behind the identification and attempted protection of Westport’s “Notable Trees.”
The reader says: “Dick’s explanation was that developers are worried about buyers suing them if a beautiful, mature tree dies within the first couple years of a sale. this happens frequently, since the soil around the trees gets compacted during construction. The developer fails to remedy it before they leave. and the trees can die off simply from that.
“Also, trees can get in the way and slow down construction. It’s cheaper and safer to just clear cut as step number one. So that’s what they do.”
Here is #4 East Ferry Lane. Trees that were removed are circled:
Here is the lot today:
The reader notes: “I’m not sure what, if anything, can be done to encourage developers to stop clear cutting, and attempt to integrate mature trees.
“I know everyone is aware of the situation. This is just a reminder of the speed with which it is happening. I’ve been here only 6 years, and as a complete newcomer I can see the ongoing impact.”
(“06880” has covered Westport tree issues regularly. We’ll continue to do so. But we need reader support. Please click here to help. Thank you!)
UGLY!!!! Don’t forget that developers try to produce what potential customers want. The people moving to Westport now want big ostentatious houses that can be seen. they want expansive or open grounds on what is left of the lot. Big mature trees are messy and require care.
By the way, my family lived in the old (it was over 100 years old THEN) house on that lot in the summer of 1957. It came with a cat, the owner did not tell us that the cat was pregnant. Fond memories, and we kept a kitten as a souvenir.
What is needed is an ordinance that requires a tree cutting permit for trees of a specified size or type except on emergencies. In some municipalities an environmental assessment is required as part of the permitting process. A good source of information on the subject is the Connecticut Tree Protection Association.
great thoughts
Cutting down trees alters the water table (as the tree’s root system consumes the ground water) and therefore impacts the uncut trees in the immediate area, this is true.
What I believe to be untrue is a legitimate concern by developers about a law suit for the death of a mature tree within the first year of construction. (builders are required to guarantee their product for one year after purchase)
Most builders I know prefer to clear cut the site because it is easier to move equipment and materials around on a flat, clear site.
In reality, (although I am not an attorney) I am hard pressed to believe a developer could be sued successfully, should a 150 year old tree reach its natural life expectancy.
the law suit is nonsense. I work in construction and I see new homes built with short cuts The builders are not building to bring high quality long lasting structures. The builders are monetizing the quickest opportunity to sell at the highest price. Capitalism has its bad affects
The developers need to be educated. Can the town hold a conference and invite someone like Aspetuck Land Trust to speak on the importance of keeping mature trees? Some brainstorming is needed for incentives. BTW another house on Ferry Lane E is soon to be razed and mature trees have been cut down. Don’t sue but educate!
Require replacement of mature trees with an equivalent number of new trees of a given size and/or mandate a reduction in lot coverage/square footage penalty for removal of mature, healthy trees. These aren’t just penalties for bad building practices; they’re important to remediate the loss of water absorption/increased runoff from the combination of increased lot coverage and loss of trees.
In general, we should be doing everything we can to discourage spec building. For whatever reason, most of the spec builders operating in Westport build homes that are poorly designed, overbuilt, and visibly cheap. Think STIR, minus a letter. If you go to Darien, New Canaan, and Greenwich, you would rarely see the type of black-plastic-windowed crap that has proliferated here. I don’t think it’s fair to blame this on the tastes of new residents – they are just buying what the builders build, and the builders build for the lowest common denominator. When people build houses for themselves, they tend (1) not to overbuild, since they are not doing it primarily as an investment, (2) to choose longer-lasting, higher-quality, more classic materials, since they’ll be maintaining and/or replacing them, and (3) use a skilled architect, since they value the input of a professional (unlike spec builders who think they can design a house and get an architect to stamp it later).
Oh, and we need actual protections for all structures more than 85 years old. Right now, unless you’re in one of the few, small historic districts, there are no legal protections for historic structures other than imposing a 180-day waiting period for demolitions.
This is an interesting topic. Thank you Dan for posting. My father was a local builder developer in the area. When he was doing the Imperial Landings project in the early 80’s, I asked him how many trees are you going to cut down?
“As little as possible.” I asked Why? He said he didn’t believe in it, nor did his partners or architect.
The choice is in the hands of the developer and property owner. I do think each project is different, and economics today plays a huge role. Maximization of coverage has never been greater in this town.
Joe and Larry, I’m sure you have both seen it all in your careers as land use and building. I’m sure your clients have always steered the ship, with guidance. In the end, economics I’m sure has always been the driving force with each client and project.
The horse I think left the barn 15 years ago, as all we have seen is bigger homes, less trees, and inflated cost of dirt.
To your point Rich, there is some not so great construction out there. The buyer has so much money, and competing with pool of other buyers, they are not looking under the hood. The bigger concern is after the winning the bidding war, is the pool and pickle ball court. A wonderful problem to have.
As you all know, there is tremendous financial risk with every new development, be it a single home, or sub-division. There is never a warning when the housing market goes flat. It just happens. Can one really impose a tree ordinance? Someone is bound to sue. No P and Z would dare try and reduce “coverage” as everyone who owns property would be up in arms.
I have no answers, but I will be curious as to how Westport will look 20 years from now. The raised ranch starter homes, and 1950’s ranch homes have been basically wiped out. The 1960’s and 1970’s Colonials are now the knockdown of choice.
Perhaps is 20 years, new trees planted today will be mature, and some of these big homes converted into mini senior living units and affordable mixed use homes…one never knows
Hi Jimmy – I actually think the horse left the barn when I95 was routed East through Westport rather than North along Route 7. My Dad was one of the local developers from the 50’s – building what we called Hockanum Woods – now Joann Circle, Berndale Drive, Colony Road and more. The houses they built then are today’s teardowns.
I miss the trees too – and so much else.
I would love the town to identify and label all the Champion Trees here. When I bought my house in 2000, by the time I closed the deal in June I discovered one of the very large trees on the property was very dead. So I cut it down. Never thought of suing.
I am still working my way around the remaining roots of that darn thing in what is now a rose garden. I have other large trees, including one huge evergreen that is now decorated for the holidays. I enjoy gardening the small area I call my woodland, discovered all manner of shade living understory plants.
As a gardener, I could argue that a shady property puts limits on your ability to grow things that require sun.
Then again, we have a very sunny community garden here. In Westport. Well… we have one now. Not so sure about the future.
Save the trees. Save the garden.
For folks who have trees on their property, it is prudent to have expert tree care throughout the year. A thorough ongoing plan can detect all sorts of problems and the expert tree care should involve annual pruning as needed when the trees are dormant. Preventive care can help avoid potential problems. Bartlett Tree has been caring for my trees since the 1990s. Find a licensed, skilled, knowledgeable, reliable arborist. Consider it a form of insurance.
Indeed, trees need to be trimmed on a regular basis to remain healthy. Folks here do not do that and why we had so many power outages under CT Lighting & Power years back. The tree huggers yelled afoul when the trees along Longshore entrance were taken down and now? They have been replanted and look super. My street is a 1962 development (with only two tear downs) and we have monstrous trees which need to come down before they crumble under the winter tundra causing serious damage to person/property. Bravo Zulu.