Google's plans for new Mountain View building include removal of 100 "heritage" trees
Updated 2:02 pm, Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Google has a vision for a sparkling new, glass-filled building in Mountain View, but that project will mean the removal of prized California trees.
The latest set of plans for the site - known as Charleston East - includes a proposal to cut down 160 trees to create space for a 595,000-square-foot complex. One hundred of those are identified as "heritage" due to their size and type, according to a city breakdown of the project. Some of the trees are redwoods.
Catherine Martineau, executive director of the Palo Alto nonprofit Canopy, said any time a tree is cut down, it's a loss to the environment, but she added that these trees aren't worth a fight.
"I think it's important to say, 'Yes, we're going to lose something and it'll take time for new trees to mature," said Martineau, whose nonprofit aims to educate the community on the importance of urban trees. "But redwoods are definitely not a species of tree that belong in that area. They require a lot of water."
She added that a lot of the redwoods in this area are stressed — if not dead — and thinks this is either because they haven't been receiving enough water in the drought years or they're being fed high-salinity recycled water.
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The project plan reports that an arborist found 23 percent of the trees at the site in declining health or dead.
The Charleston East site, which neighbors the Googleplex at 2000 North Shoreline Blvd., currently consists of an open field surrounded by bands of trees. Google's plan is to cut down some of those trees in phases, build the new two-level building and surround it with bike and walking paths, community spaces and landscaping using native trees and plants. The plans include corridors of oaks mixed with manzanita, sage, coffeeberry and native grasses to benefit birds and insects. A savannah grassland will provide a habitat for burrowing owls and willow and cottonwood thickets will support migratory birds. Googlers will be invited to pull fruit from an orchard.
Senior Mountain View City planner Stephanie Williams told NBC Bay Areathat the replacement landscaping "far exceeds" the trees Google is cutting down.
"The landscaping they're proposing looks thoughtful and mimics native habitat and uses native plants," Martineau concurred.
But while experts agree that Google is presenting an environmentally friendly plan, a few locals have shared their frustration in the past around the city giving companies permission to cut down heritage trees.
"Do not allow City Council to green-light all applications to cut down heritage trees for every construction project put before them," one survey-taker wrote in a 2014 questionnaire regarding Mountain View's "Master Tree Plan." I have been to council meetings. In one of the meetings, City Council approved the removal of 16 Heritage Trees over the course of one evening."
"Do not permit land developers and companies like Google to circumvent the heritage tree ordinances," wrote another.
Matrineau recognizes this loss but thinks the long-term benefits will be worth it. "There is an immediate loss," she said. "It would be insulting to those who want to retain the trees to not say that. But the landscape will be better in the long run."
Google originally submitted an application to the City of Mountain View for the Charleston East project in May 2015 and an updated version of the plans last month. The City of Mountain View will invite the public to comment on the latest plans in a study session on March 29.
