A coast redwood that neighbors in Santa Rosa's McDonald Historic Preservation District call "Rosie" will stay standing for now. On Thursday night, Oct. 8, the city's Planning Commission voted 3-2 to revoke a permit that would have let the property owners remove the tree.
How it got here
The roughly 70-foot redwood sits at the northwest corner of a lot at 721 Spring St., beside 13th Street, and its roots have lifted and cracked about 30 feet of sidewalk. Andrew and Shelby Milanez bought the Craftsman home in March 2026. The city gave them two options: remove the tree, or pay to rebuild the sidewalk around it with a curb "bulb-out." They chose removal, and because the redwood counts as a heritage tree under city rules, they needed a permit. City planning staff approved it in June.
Neighbors organized as Friends of Rosie, led by retired journalist Tom Murphy, and appealed. The group gathered about 400 petition signatures and sent the commission more than 130 letters and emails. Close to 30 people spoke during the three-hour hearing.
The arguments
Shelby Milanez told commissioners the couple values trees but inherited a public safety and infrastructure problem. She raised drainage concerns if a bulb-out were built, continued root growth, and PG&E wires touching the trunk. Murphy argued that the sidewalk, not the tree, is the problem, and said the approval relied on a flawed arborist report hired by the owners. Ethan Foote, a retired Cal Fire assistant chief who lives nearby, said the lines near the tree are low-voltage, insulated service drops and that he saw no substantial fire risk.
Commissioners Patti Cisco, Charles Carter and Aaron Pardo voted to grant the appeal. Chair Karen Weeks and Commissioner Miles Horton voted no. Vice Chair Vicki Duggan was absent, and Commissioner Terrence Sanders recused himself because he lives within 500 feet of the tree.
What happens next
The owners have 10 days to appeal the decision to the Santa Rosa City Council. In the meantime, the damaged sidewalk still has to be fixed in a way that keeps the tree in place. Murphy said Friends of Rosie want to sit down with the owners on a sidewalk design that protects the tree, and would welcome a neutral person to lead those talks. The owners did not respond to a Press Democrat question about whether they plan to appeal.