Downtown Sidewalk Repairs/Street Trees Project

Project Overview
In 2021, South Urban Forestry completed an assessment of the street trees located in downtown Shelton. Their assessment recommended that the City develop a removal and replacement plan for the street trees, as root-cutting and sidewalk grinding/replacement are temporary solutions to resolve the ongoing sidewalk lifting problem at locations throughout downtown.

City Council recommended in 2022 for staff to research how the street tree replacement would impact elements of the 2016 Downtown Visioning Plan.

In 2023, Jones & Jones Architecture presented to the Council a streetscape plan that moved the street trees to on-street parking areas and widened the sidewalks downtown. Many business owners feared losing parking stalls and starting over with smaller trees. This potential project would also cost several million dollars. 

City staff recommended to the Council that sidewalk widening improvements to Railroad Avenue are completed when the waterline is replaced and the road is resurfaced. The waterline replacement is tentatively scheduled for 2030, as funding allows. 

Project Meeting
UPDATE (2/5, 2:30 p.m.): Tonight's meeting has been canceled due to weather conditions in our area. This project meeting will be rescheduled to Wednesday, February 12 from 6 - 7 p.m. at the Civic Center.

Original: Public Works will host a project meeting on Wednesday, February 5 from 6 - 7 p.m. at the Civic Center (525 West Cota Street). 
 
Street Trees
Most downtown street trees are "Cleveland Select" Pears, also known as "Chanticleer" Pears. They were planted downtown in 1995. The biggest threat to these older trees is severe limb shearing from heavy winter ice or snowstorms. Sidewalks uplifting has been a common issue in many cities across Washington.

What We're Doing
Ten of the existing Cleveland Select pear street trees are proposed to remain in place. 

The proposed replacement trees, as recommended in our 2021 arborist's report, are larger (2"-3") caliper Firestarter Tupelo's and Princeton Sentry Ginkgo's. Once mature, both trees will be will be approximately 35 feet high and 15-20 feet in width. The new tree placements are proposed to be alternatively mixed and matched, not planted in groupings.

Mature Fire Starter Tupelo (Fall)Young Princeton Sentry Ginkgo
           Mature Fire Starter Tupelo (Fall)                    Young Princeton Sentry Ginkgo

Both new tree varieties are columnar, don't produce fruit, and have minimal root growth/thrusting capabilities. A 24" high root barrier is also proposed to minimize future damage to downtown sidewalks.

Standard Sidewalk Treewell with Grate


Project Timeline
  • March 2025: Construction bidding opens
Project Budget
  • Total budget for design and construction: $410,000
    • Schedule A (shown below) tree and sidewalk replacement locations: $271,000
    • Schedule B (shown below) tree and sidewalk replacement locations: $69,000
    • Schedule C (shown below) tree and sidewalk replacement locations: $58,000

Street Tree Replacement Schedules - Map