August 2026 Letter to Gibbons Drive Residents

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August 20, 2026

Dear Residents and Property Owners,

Gibbons Drive is one of Alameda’s distinctive tree-lined corridors, with a mature canopy of Liquidambar trees that has helped define the neighborhood's character for generations. The City recognizes the importance of preserving this character while also meeting its responsibility to provide safe and accessible sidewalks, drainage, and other public infrastructure. Since July 2025, the City has been working with the community to develop a thoughtful, long-term approach that balances these priorities.    

As part of this effort, the City hired consulting arborist HortScience to conduct a comprehensive inventory and assessment of the Liquidambars and associated sidewalk and curb conditions. Over the past year, the City has shared assessment findings and planning updates through mailed letters to residents, emailed updates, door-to-door outreach, and six public meetings. This letter summarizes the proposed approach, next steps, and additional opportunities for community input. 

The assessment identified five Liquidambars in poor condition, which were removed in April 2026, consistent with the City’s standard Urban Forest Program tree removal policy. In its assessment, HortScience stated, “Most individual sweetgums [Liquidambars] were mature in development. According to arboricultural best management practices, this corresponds with having lived roughly 40 – 80% of their natural lifespan.” Of the 112 Liquidambars that remain, 88 were rated in good condition, 24 in fair condition; none were rated in excellent condition. The full assessment, including the condition rating for each tree, is available at AlamedaCA.gov/Gibbons.

At the most recent community meetings, held in person on July 28 and virtually on July 29, the City focused on two items:

1. City's Proposed Approach for Draft Plan: After exploring a range of approaches with the community and considering community input, the preservation of Liquidambar trees, the gradual evolution of the tree canopy and corridor character, safe and accessible sidewalks, and functioning drainage facilities, staff is recommending what we have been calling a “location-by-location” approach.

   Because all remaining Liquidambars are currently in good or fair health, the City would prioritize locations based on the severity of existing impacts on sidewalks, curbs, and drainage facilities.  At each location, staff would evaluate the condition of the individual tree and its roots, the surrounding infrastructure, accessibility requirements, and available alternatives before determining the appropriate solution. Creative solutions such as sidewalk meandering, sidewalk shaving to address uplifts, curb bulb-outs to provide additional space, and careful root pruning would be explored wherever feasible.

   The goal is to preserve healthy, mature trees wherever a practical and sustainable solution exists. Where infrastructure or accessibility needs cannot reasonably be addressed while retaining the tree, removal may be necessary. In those cases, the City would follow its standard tree removal process, including preparing an arborist report documenting the conditions at the location, the alternatives considered, and the rationale for the recommended removal.

   As an additional safeguard against rapid changes to the existing canopy, staff initially proposed limiting removal to no more than 25% of the original count of Liquidambars in any five-year period.  Some community members expressed concern and perceived conflict with the City’s intent to preserve Liquidambars and the percent removal.

   In response to that feedback, and to more clearly reflect the City’s intent to preserve as many healthy Liquidambars as reasonably possible, while also making necessary infrastructure repairs, staff revised the proposal to be no more than 20% of the remaining Liquidambars.  Importantly, this percentage is a cap, not a target. The location-by-location approach does not assume that 20% of the remaining trees will be removed in each five-year period. Each location would be evaluated individually, and removal would be considered only when necessary to address infrastructure or accessibility needs and when reasonable alternatives cannot provide a practical and sustainable solution. This limit provides an additional safeguard against the rapid loss of the existing canopy while allowing the City to make necessary infrastructure repairs and gradually transition the corridor.

2. Tree Species Replanting Palette: Even with the emphasis on preservation, the Gibbons Drive’s tree canopy will naturally evolve over time, as individual trees decline, are damaged by severe storms, or, in some cases, cannot be retained while necessary infrastructure repairs are completed. Planning now for how trees will eventually be replaced gives the community an opportunity to help shape the corridor's future character.

During the May public meetings and June door-to-door outreach, community members expressed a strong preference for deciduous trees with fall color, along with characteristics such as taller mature height, roots better suited to a residential setting, relatively quick growth, and benefits to wildlife. Based on this community input and other considerations appropriate for Gibbons Drive, the City developed the tree species list included on the enclosed ballot.

Community members are invited to vote for six tree species to create a short list of trees from which future replacements on Gibbons Drive may be selected. Rather than relying on a single replacement species, the City is proposing a diverse palette consistent with urban forestry best practices. Greater species diversity helps create a more resilient urban forest by reducing the potential for widespread tree loss from invasive pests, diseases, and other threats.

If a Liquidambar on Gibbons Drive must be removed because it cannot reasonably be preserved while completing necessary infrastructure repairs or is removed in the future due to declining health, storm damage, or other conditions, a tree from the final palette would be planted at a suitable location to help renew the Gibbons canopy over time.

A paper ballot and a table describing the tree species are enclosed with this letter [enclosures are linked below this digital version]. You can also vote online for the tree species replanting palette and view the presentation from the July meetings for additional information about each species.

The City is still in the planning process. The proposed approach described above will be included in a draft plan for further public review and comment before a final plan is presented to the City Council for consideration. Below are visuals of the project timeline that shows progress thus far, as well as the next steps.

Where Are We Headed Next?

The City welcomes continued community feedback as the draft plan is developed. To stay informed and participate, you are invited to:

• Subscribe to the Gibbons email newsletter at AlamedaCA.gov/Subscribe
• Subscribe for webpage updates and read all information at AlamedaCA.gov/Gibbons
• Vote for the Tree Replanting Palette at AlamedaCA.gov/Gibbons or on the enclosed ballot
• Contact Erin Smith, Public Works Director, at ESmith@AlamedaCA.gov or (510) 747-7900

Thank you for your continued engagement with this important planning process.

Erin Smith
Public Works Director
City of Alameda