RICHMOND, Va. — Residents in Richmond's Rosedale neighborhood are concerned about the safety of city-owned trees after one fell on a house Tuesday.
While no one was injured in the incident, neighbors fear it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt or killed.
"We really have a love-hate relationship with our trees,” said Grady Hart, who lives on Wilmington Avenue right across the street from where the tree fell onto a house.
The street on Richmond's Northside resembles the entrance to a country estate with its gorgeous tree canopy, but news of an impending storm sends neighbors' hearts racing when they look up into the willow oaks.
"Unfortunately, it's something that's in the back of our minds at all times,” Hart said.
In the back of neighbors' minds is the unsettling thought that one of these trees could come crashing into their home.
“If, instead of it being that tree, it was this tree, it would have fallen right on my bed," said Hart, while pointing to a tree right in front of his house.
Hart said when he first bought his home 6 years ago, a tree fell on the house next door.
Just a few blocks over, another tree fell on July 1.
Hart said the placement and shape of the trees are a big problem.
"The city over time has really been taking off limbs, and Dominion, on the street side, and at the same time leaving them on the side that hangs over the houses," Hart said. "When you add to that on the street side, there is no room for the root systems to grow out, and so any time we see one of these trees fall, you will notice the roots on the street side are almost non-existent."
"It feels like every time a storm comes through, the city has just decided to play Russian roulette with our safety," Hart said.
There lies the central issue for Hart and his neighbors — these trees belong to the city.
"Owner property is on this side, everything from the sidewalk over is city property," Hart explained. "We are not allowed to take them down, we are not allowed to take limbs down."
"Most of these houses were built in the 1950s; these were probably planted about the same time," Hart said.
Hart said he and other neighbors contact the city frequently about the problematic trees with little success.
Several reports on the city's 311 site show neighbors reporting fears about trees in the area, including dead limbs.
"Unfortunately, what we keep getting told is that they don't have the finances for it. Now I'm realistic, I know that these 70-plus-year-old trees are not cheap to take down, they're not cheap even to evaluate, but we need the city to start taking this seriously before someone is injured or killed," Hart said.
CBS 6 reached out to the city for a response to the neighbors' concerns. Melissa Hipolit is scheduled to interview the director of Richmond's Public Works on Monday.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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