A group of Coronado residents fighting to protect the city’s trees has filed their second lawsuit against the city in opposition of the Public Library’s Winn Room renovation because the project would remove five mature trees on the property.
The civil complaint in San Diego County Superior Court was filed by a local group named Save the Trees, whose members include former City Council candidate Christine Mott, Coronado residents Shannon Player and Mary Beth Milliken, plus the Animal Protection and Rescue League, a California nonprofit organization. Bryan Pease, attorney for the plaintiffs, serves on the Animal Protection group’s board.
“(The Winn Room) does need to be updated, it’s pretty old,” Milliken said in an interview. “But I hate it. I hate to see the trees cut down. It’s terrible.”
Coronado officials, who have not yet been served with the complaint, declined to comment on a litigation issue.
The trees in question are an Evergreen Coral, two New Zealand Christmas trees, a Canary Island Pine and a Cajeput/Melaleuca tree.
The lawsuit
The complaint cites California’s Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) which requires the city either to complete an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) before granting approval of a project or issue a declaration saying work would not significantly harm the environment.
CEQA defines the “approval” of a project as the moment a public agency commits to a definite course of action to carry out the project.
In the minutes in the agenda of the Aug. 20 City Council meeting, the staff report for the renovation calls for an environmental review after the project is defined.
“The city basically comes out and says … ‘We’re going to do it afterwards,’ which is just wrong and it’s in conflict with state law,” Mott said. “They’ve fully disclosed that they didn’t do it and they were planning on doing it later, which is now illegal.”
The suit also alleges that the project was not reviewed by the Street Tree Committee, an advisory group that works to improve and protect the urban forests in Coronado. Additionally, the suit claims the city did not obtain approvals from the Historic Resource Commission that oversees Spreckels Park – a designated historic site where the Winn Room is situated.
Mott also said the Winn Room itself is now over 50 years old, which would potentially qualify it as a historic building in Coronado.
Pease said the lawsuit will be served sometime last week and the city will then have 30 days to respond.
“The whole point of CEQA is transparency and making informed decisions,” Pease added. “They can’t commit to a project before conducting an environmental review and actually comparing alternatives.”
The Aug. 20 meeting
During the Aug. 20 meeting, there was no discussion of an environmental review except by City Manager Tina Friend who stated during her presentation, “if we can walk away with some detailed direction, then we can proceed with design and environmental review.”
The direction that was provided at the meeting was to move ahead with the option that would remove the trees.
Some council members said they favored removing the trees because their proximity to buildings and above-ground roots create safety hazards.
Mayor John Duncan, who was a council member at the time, voiced concerns about how close the trees are standing to the building. “How many times have we had a limb break off from the trees right there and crash through a window?”
Duncan and Council member Carrie Anne Downey also both said they had tripped on the roots, making it an unsafe terrain to walk on.
History of the Winn Room project
The Winn Room was constructed in 1973 and has undergone minimal changes in the last half century, according to city staff. In January 2020, it was decided that a feasibility study would be done regarding design options for the space.
According to the suit, three of the trees are approximately 51 years old and were planted as part of the construction of the Winn Room. Two of the trees, which have been aged at around 80 to 100 years old, existed before the Winn Room was built and were incorporated into the design at the time.
In August 2024, the council voted 3-2 to move forward with the largest of four expansion options that were proposed. The approved design would extend the Winn Room onto the property where the five trees are currently standing. It would just about double the existing size of the room from 1,680 square feet to 2,931 square feet and at its highest staggered point, raise the ceiling about 10 feet higher.
It would also fit about twice the amount of people in the space, increasing from 135 seats to 208 seats.
