Description

The tree plantings along the median of the Norton Street Parkway are inappropriate. The branches and leaves grow low to the ground, which causes visibility issues for drivers, particularly at the intersection of Moreland Road where there are no stops signs for vehicles traveling on Norton. The existing plantings require periodic trimming to increase visibility.

Unlike the plantings on the median, the planter strips on the sidewalks on Norton and many of the streets in Beaver Hills, including Ellsworth Avenue and Colony Road, are planted with oak trees. Removing the existing plantings on the Norton Street Parkway and replacing them with oak trees may 1) help improve sight-lines and visibility for drivers along the roadway, 2) provide shade for pedestrians and houses, 3) improve the spatial, aesthetic, and experiential quality of the street, 4) decrease stormwater runoff by increasing infiltration, 5) reduce long term maintenance costs such as the regular trimming required by the existing plantings, and 6) raise the value of residential properties along the street.

Is this a job best carried out by the Friends of Beaver Ponds Park, the Urban Resources Initiative, concerned neighbors and residents of the street, the City's Parks Department, Traffic and Engineering Departments?