Green Party of Seattle - gpsea.org
For Immediate Release:
February 9, 2025
Contact: Alice Green - 206-769-0393 - [email protected]
Seattle City Council dishonors the dying wish of a long-time resident for an opportunistic local developer. Community members are outraged.
Seattle: On Saturday, February 8th, a group of about 50 residents and activists gathered in the University District section of Seattle. With patchy snow on the ground, people came out to save a stunning old-growth cedar tree, almost 200 years old.
The residential property near 65th was sold by the family to a developer, under the condition that the old tree not be harmed, per the will of the previous estate holder. After the developer demolished the house to make way for multi-unit construction, they prepared to take down the tree in breach of this agreement. A local Ballard Tree Service refused to take the healthy tree out against the family wishes. The family made it clear they would fight. The developer bypassed local residents and went to the Seattle City Council, who then approved the take-down.
Extinction Rebellion Seattle states, “Seattle City Council is not protecting trees.” XR Seattle cited the need for local oversight around green spaces and land use in marginalized communities because clearly the Seattle City Council's primary agenda is to make development easy. Although developers must now replace a tree for each that they remove, afterward there is no followup tree care. Seattle’s own Urban Forestry Commission calls the replacement of mature-growth trees with saplings, “flawed and in violation of Seattle Municipal Code.” Tree Action Seattle reported that low-income communities, “have the fewest trees, are losing them the fastest, and will have the fewest in the future.” Jenna, a local Green Party voter, said, “So basically City Council can just rewrite someone’s Will like that? That is messed up on so many levels.”
Planting trees is a simple low-cost action that benefits humans, animals, and the planet. We can have housing density along with green space. We live in relationship with the larger world, we don’t own it. Tree protection and housing equity are part of a larger picture of systemic equilibrium that has outgrown capitalism. Capitalism is the destructive, grasping, sadistic few holding back the growth of many. It is not sustainable. It’s time to do better. Let’s choose to evolve.