The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off at Burrard Skytrain Station today, but just a block away, five cherry blossom trees are in danger of being cut down to make space for a new retail building.
A development application for a new two-storey retail building at 1040 West Georgia Street has been submitted to the City of Vancouver.
Project coordinator Vaughan Kopy says they are in the process of reviewing the application.
“We have been receiving numerous calls and emails, but we have not taken it to decision yet, which is coming up around the end of the month, where we will consider those comments from the neighbouring community,” says Kopy. “If it is approved, then I believe all those trees would probably be gone.”
Kopy says he has been taking a lot of phone calls with people overwhelmingly wanting to keep the trees and the plaza.
“They want to have this plaza space as a place to hang out. They do not want the trees to go,” he says.
The city has asked for an arborist’s report on the state of the trees.
The report will also establish how the trees would react to being moved.
“We are looking at ways to save those trees if it did come down to the site being developed,” says Kopy.
Festival’s Executive Director Linda Poole told Global News they cherish every one of their flowering trees.
“I feel we are so very lucky to have these ornamental cherries beautifying our urban nature and there are not that many downtown,” says Poole. “It takes many years to grow such a grove so it is very sad to think our green city wishes to destroy such beauty.”
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