Chopped trees anger Vancouver West Side resident

A West Side man is upset the city allowed a homeowner to clear-cut her multi-million dollar property on Belmont Avenue above Spanish Banks. He worries a precedent may be set for other homes in the area.

“Now they have a breathtaking view, while for everyone else at the beach we get to look at their house,” said John Mitchell.

Looking up at the property from the parking lot of Spanish Banks on Northwest Marine Drive Monday afternoon, the clearing where a swath of 36 trees was cut created an obvious break in the once solid forest canopy.

The property is registered to Manjy Sidoo, who with her husband David Sidoo, took over the now defunct Lumiere and Feenie’s restaurants from celebrity chef Rob Feenie in 2007. According to B.C. Online, the property at 4773 Belmont is estimated to be worth over $9 million.

The home on the property is still under construction. The Courier was unable to contact the Sidoos before press deadline, but Mitchell said his concerns are with the city, not the homeowners.

The avid cyclist said he travels around the West Point Grey neighbourhood often by bike and is dismayed by the rapid growth of the Belmont neighbourhood. He noted the property to the west of the Sidoo’s has no home on it, but the trees are still intact-for now. “But if I owned that property I’d be happy because this sets a precedent,” said Mitchell.

He added the trees have also been legally cleared from another nearby property where construction has yet to begin.

“They don’t even know how the trees will affect the home, but the easiest way to solve the problem is to hack them all down and I guess the city’s OK with that,” said Mitchell. “It’s just some employee at a desk at city hall giving permission, but if you don’t go out to the property you don’t know the effect this will have.”

Mitchell fears the removal of these trees is just the tip of the iceberg.

“Pretty soon that hill above Spanish Banks is going to look like White Rock,” said Mitchell.

Barb Floden, a media spokesperson for the city, confirmed the trees were removed with a permit approved in October 2010. She added a geotechnical report recommended their removal due to slope stability concerns and another 107 trees will be planted in their place.

Coincidently, a story published in the Vancouver Sun Tuesday reported that at $16.8 million, the neighbouring property at 4791 Belmont is the most expensive sold in the city so far this year.