Oakland Park residents halt tree cutting with court injunction
Neighbors urged work crews to stop cutting down trees in a neighborhood north of Oakland Park Boulevard and east of downtown, armed with a court order to halt the work.
"By the time, we think they were served to stop the work. This is what's left of it," said Jaquilin McNichols, president of the Coalition of Oakland Park Affected Homeowners, while pointing to a tree missing many of its branches.
Homeowners say they were not informed
Deputies were called to the area as a coalition of 140 homeowners secured an injunction to stop construction on their side streets. The City of Oakland Park plans to install sidewalks and swales, but residents say they were kept out of the loop.
"We have had zero communication describing what the scope is. Which side is getting a sidewalk, which side is getting a swale? What's happening? What's the dateline? When is this going to happen? When are trees being taken down?" McNichols said.
Concerns about historic neighborhood layout
Madeline Wisdatycki, also part of the coalition, said the neighborhood's age makes uniform construction difficult.
"It isn't a master plan community. You know. Houses have been being built here since the early 1900s, and so there's different offsets. And so each property needs that lot‑by‑lot assessment," she said.
Parking loss and tree removal at issue
Residents say they could have explained how swales and sidewalks would create hardships, including the loss of parking for many homes and rentals.
"That's going to be a swale, which during the summertime, will be tough. It's going to be sod, and you're not going to be able to get on and off it. So you know, all of the parking this entire area will be useless for these rentals," Wisdatycki said.
A judge's order found that "the city failed to provide adequate notice to affected property owners regarding construction on the side streets" and that "those mature trees, planted and maintained by homeowners for decades, cannot be replaced once removed."
"It's unfair to all of these people, and it's even more unfair when they won't listen," McNichols said.
City declines to comment amid lawsuit
The city declined to comment, saying in an email that "given the pending lawsuit, city personnel have been advised by the city attorney not to comment on the project."
The injunction remains in place for two weeks.