On Thursday, images of crews cutting down oak trees along Wrightsville Avenue were shared on Facebook. The next day, the city issued a stop-work order.
City Councilman Luke Waddell joined a chorus of angry tree conservationists.
"The removal of the majestic oak trees on Wrightsville Avenue is deeply disappointing and frankly, infuriating. While this project was approved prior to my time in office and although we cannot undo the loss of these beautiful mature trees, I am committed to doing all I can to ensure accountability and am seeking ways to mitigate the damage that’s been done," Waddell wrote on Facebook.
According to the city, “staff identified discrepancies between the trees removed and those shown on the original tree survey. Work has been paused while these discrepancies are reviewed and addressed.”
Several of the oaks, however, were approved to be removed as part of the Haven at Galleria plan. That included seven oak trees — two 15-inch and five 22-inch — along Wrightsville Avenue.
“These trees were located within areas required for essential infrastructure, including underground gas and sanitary sewer lines, and the alignment of a new sidewalk,” according to the city.
According to the city, the site plan was approved under an older version of Wilmington’s Land Development Code, and as a legacy project, “the enhanced protections and mitigation requirements in the current code do not apply.” The current code, the city noted, has much stronger tree protection measures, along with other updates to reflect environmental considerations.
The city noted that while the removal of mature trees is “never taken lightly,” the developer “has committed to a substantial replanting plan.”
“A total of 276 new trees will be planted, including 141 Southern Live Oaks, Darlington Oaks, Cypress, Southern Magnolia, Maples, and other native species to meet buffer, mitigation, street tree, and parking lot landscaping requirements,” the city said.
The Haven at Galleria project is currently managed by South Carolina based Johnson Development Associates, who bought the 16-acre property in 2022 from Charlotte-based developer Jeff Kentner’s State Street Companies.
Kentner also drew the scorn of tree conservationists. After buying the former Galleria mall property in 2013, his development team cut down a number of Live Oaks without appropriate permission. The city fined him $13,000, but city council later unanimously voted to drop the financial penalties in favor of a negotiated tree-planting agreement.
