DI townhome residents sad to see trees cut down

For Daniel Island residents Bobby and Gigi Manutes, it wasn’t the best way to start the day. One morning last month, Bobby was reading the newspaper when a knock sounded on the door. A gentleman alerted him that crews had arrived to remove a row of young live oak trees in the alley behind his Pierce Street townhome.

“I went back there and there were two huge tow trucks with two crews of men with chainsaws in hand,” said Bobby. “They had already cut down some on the street.”

According to the couple, they were then alerted by a board member for Heritage Townhomes, their homeowners’ association, that the removals had been approved at a recent board meeting. Both Bobby and Gigi stated they were unaware of the board’s decision.

“I should have gone out there and laid down,” added Gigi, an avid gardener and lover of all things horticultural. “...We were just appalled.”

“It was horrible,” added Bobby, who said he and Gigi would often sit under the trees to enjoy their morning coffee or a late afternoon sunset. “Like losing a friend.”

The HOA did send out an email that week, noted Bobby, explaining that the trees were coming down.

“We apologize for the lack of prior notice,” wrote Regina Condy, senior association manager, in the notice. “The Board was waiting for the company to schedule a date to send notice to owners. Unfortunately, the company notified the board yesterday. After much consideration, the Board of Directors decided to remove these trees to avoid any future root damage and repair costs to repair driveways and home foundations.”

The letter went on to say that the HOA board had received approval for removal of the trees from the proper authorities, a statement later confirmed for The Daniel Island News by Jane Baker, vice president of community services for the Daniel Island Property Owners Association. All tree removals must be approved by the Daniel Island Architectural Review Board, regardless of size, said Baker. Those greater than 24 inches in diameter must also receive approval from the City of Charleston (according to Bobby, the trees behind their home were about 12 to 15 inches in diameter).

“The trees in question were approved to be removed by the ARB but the HOA must replace with crepe myrtles,” explained Baker. “The root system of the oak trees was buckling the concrete driveways. The lack of communication is unfortunate as the HOA for the Pierce Park townhomes should have notified all adjacent owners but they were not compelled to by the ARB approval. The trees were not of a size that required City of Charleston approval and while the POA/ARB hates to have any trees removed, we did require a mitigation plan that requires a different species of tree to be planted.”

According to Carol Evans Mitchell, president of the Heritage Townhomes HOA, the decision to remove the trees was actually made last year, after it was discovered that the roots were causing driveways to lift and undermine the foundations of the garages.

“If they weren’t removed they would cause further damage and expense to the association and homeowners,” stated Mitchell. “The ARB approved the removal and the decision was announced at the board’s annual meeting in February. The work was delayed until May because of the contractor’s workload so it may have surprised some of the homeowners when it happened.”

The Manutes’ disagree the roots were problematic and said they have not yet noticed any damage to their own property.

“They’re not threatening the foundation of our house,” said Bobby. “They are just close to my garage. My driveway has not heaved up and my foundation has not shown any encroachment of the roots…They jumped the gun, I think.”

The board intends to replace the live oaks with something which will not cause the same problem, added Mitchell.