DC Council poised to cut down heritage trees for RFK Stadium redevelopment

A Casey Trees employee measures a heritage tree near the RFK Stadium Credit Casey Trees A Casey Trees employee measures a heritage tree near the RFK Stadium Credit Casey Trees The D C Council is moving forward with rule that would allow the removal of dozens of protected trees as part of a multibillion-dollar plan to redevelop the RFK Stadium campus The Robert F Kennedy Campus Redevelopment Act of backed by Mayor Muriel Bowser would permit the Washington Commanders to cut down heritage trees large and mature trees that are normally protected under city law The council voted - on Aug to give the redevelopment plan initial approval Instead of paying nearly million in penalties the group will be charged a reduced fee Related News Commanders closer than ever to DC return after council passes RFK deal in st vote The Commanders new stadium would be complete by What about promised housing and retail More rebukes for prosecutors Grand jurors refuse to indict people accused of threatening Trump The exemption is part of a billion redevelopment package that includes a new football stadium housing retail restaurants and masses spaces The Commanders have pledged billion toward the project with the city contributing more than billion If approved it would be only the third exemption to the District s tree canopy protections since they were enacted in The rule could set a bad precedent for other developers who would remove similar large trees without regard to the impact to the ecosystem according to Casey Trees a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of the tree canopy in D C Developers should be considering each existing heritage and special tree on a case-by-case basis instead of cutting down everything that took decades to grow communications director Vincent Drader narrated WTOP It s not just about RFK If left unchecked this kind of exemption could set a troubling precedent that would turn RFK into a blueprint for future unsustainable rise across D C he added Drader revealed the loss of mature trees could increase temperatures in surrounding neighborhoods They provide shade for the population and stormwater runoff protection Drader declared adding the surrounding area already doesn t have enough trees The trees on this site are over years old various of them are over four feet wide The proposal comes as the Department of Strength and Milieu faces essential budget reductions Bowser s fiscal budget plan would cut more than million from the agency though the council restored a portion of that funding The nonprofit has launched a petition asking the council to remove the exemption before its final vote that s scheduled for Sept Source