We, the undersigned, through this petition, are calling for immediate relocation of the pine trees on the properties of Brookfield Drive in Centreville, Maryland.
The pine trees are posing a threat to the health of the residents of Brookfield Drive and relocating these trees which are on homeowners' private property is a must.
Some background information on these trees are as follows. The town made a deal with the developer that he had to replace a certain number of trees in North Brook and the Town decided to place them in a buffer zone on the properties of Brookfield drive. The buffer zone is from the Homeowners' property line to 15 feet inside said property and then extends from the Homeowners' property line back 10 feet into the field. Instead of the trees being planted in the buffer zone that extends outside the Homeowners' property line, they decided the trees would be planted 8 feet into the Homeowners' property. The town claims that they will maintain these trees and cut them back once they overextend the buffer zone.
The reason for me, Sarah Berlin of 531 Brookfield Drive to start this petition is that I would like to have the trees relocated because my 22 month old son is highly allergic to them. There have been extensive medical tests and several hospital stays due to these allergies. The pediatrician tells me that if we don't get rid of the trees his medical condition will get progressively worse. So we contacted the HOA, and they have been extremely supportive. Unfortunately they don't have any say in what anyone does with the trees because the town owns them. When I got in contact with Bob McGrory, the Town Manager, his appalling response was to move or put a fence up. As a family who aggressively searched out properties in Centreville, MD because of its great reputation as a family area, moving would not be an option to us. Using more of our private property to put up a fence is out of the question. So I wrote letters to the Town Council and was put on the agenda for the Planning Commission. I pleaded my case to the Planning Commission who was very sympathetic to my family and our needs. However all they can do is give a recommendation to the Town Council. The recommendation was to replace the trees with something else, but they also want a resolution that replacing the trees may not give us. Which is, what happens if he is allergic to those trees? I was optimistic after the Planning Commission meeting that a resolution everyone could live with would come about. Now, I have an email from the Town Clerk stating that the Town Councils main concern is not my sons health, but that doing anything with these trees will be setting a precedent.
Needless to say this has been a very stressful time for my family. I'm not asking anyone to take down every tree in Centreville because of my son's allergies. I am asking the town to move the trees off of my property so my son does not come in direct contact with them and can live as normal life as possible. I also know there are other neighbors that are having the same allergies to these trees, not to mention poison ivy and pests.
As stated above, these trees are posing a health problem for the Brookfield Drive residents and relocation of these pine trees off of private property are essential to the well being of the residents of Brookfield Drive.