The Hyattsville City Council has approved a plan which will see new crepe myrtle trees planted along Hamilton Street to replace trees cut down by the county public works department. Now, the Prince George’s County Department of Public Works will work with Hyattsville to replace trees the department
The department removed the trees in front of the Queens Chapel Town Center last December after businesses there voiced concerns that the trees were blocking the view of their signs and reducing patronage of their stores.
The department did not inform the city of its plans for removing the trees, claiming it was informed that the town center and the city were both in favor of the removal. City officials say they never spoke with the town center on this issue.
The removal of the trees, which were planted in the late 1990s by volunteers and funded by a state grant, upset many business and residents in the area. The Department of Public Works has already announced plans to replace the trees and recently met with the city to discuss them.
The replacement trees will be crepe myrtles, which grow to a maximum height of about 20 feet. The department said it will take no more than a week to plant all the trees. It will also trim and maintain the trees in order to prevent them from blocking business signs. It is now awaiting the approval of the council to go forward with the planting.
