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Pushback mounts against tree removal in Roswell
The city cut down dozens of trees as part of a plan to turn the Mimosa Hall property into an event space.
ROSWELL, Ga. - People in Roswell are fighting to protect a black walnut tree on the historic Mimosa Hall property.
The backstory:
The tree removal at Mimosa Hall is part of the city's Founders Park project, which is creating a new event space, ADA (Americans with Disabilities) walkways, and parking on site.
Now there's a push to protect a black walnut tree still standing on the property. An online petition has already received over a thousand signatures.
What they're saying:
The city said that the black walnut tree will be protected. It's one of three they were able to keep standing as the project developed.
"Two of them are black walnuts, one of them is the one that you're speaking of which we're able to preserve, and another is a tulip poplar, so we initially started at 38 specimen trees to be removed. We were able to walk the site and say hey we really want to do our best to preserve as many trees as we can," Steven Malone, director, Roswell Recreation Parks, Historic & Cultural Affairs Department, said.
"Really, we had identified 6 trees that we were trying to save in the process...we went back and evaluated it and figured out that 3 out of the 6 were actually invasive, so we're like, we got to remove the invasive," he added.
The city does plan to plant 12 native trees and shrubbery on site.
The city says it removed trees only where necessary, like in spots for a storm water basin and parking. They say all decisions were based on approved construction plans reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission.
While the city did note there was not a separate public comment period for each phase of the project, they say community voices did shape the design. They say it reflects input from the Roswell Recreation Commission, the Historic Preservation Commission, as well as the mayor and city council. The project is expected to be completed by summer of 2026.
What Residents are Saying:
"The land, the landscaping and the trees were to me as important as the home," Simone du Boise said.
And that's why some residents say it's tough to see so many trees cut down on the Mimosa Hall Property.
"The grounds themselves are living history. Many of these trees pre-date the Civil War," Kelly Callen said.
While the residents we spoke to are glad to hear the black walnut tree they're working to protect will still stand, they still have questions.
"I think they need to show exactly how they're going to do that," du Boise said.
They also don't feel there was enough opportunity for community input in the project's development.
"I've done projects in Roswell and as a developer we had to hold meetings with the neighborhood and then at city hall to show people what we wanted to do," du Boise said.
"That's what happens when we don't have good opportunities for public input for people who are very interested and love the history," Callen added.
You can find out more information about the construction happening at Mimosa Hall here.