Gibbons Drive Weighs Tree Roots Against Broken Sidewalks
Root damage has made stretches of sidewalk hard to use for wheelchairs and strollers, and Alameda wants resident input before deciding how many liquidambar trees stay.
By The Alameda Pulse
Alameda wants to fix sidewalks that mature liquidambar trees have cracked and lifted along Gibbons Drive, but without cutting down the whole tree canopy to do it. The city's Gibbons Sidewalks and Trees Plan caps tree removal at 20% of what's left every five years, and the Planning Board takes its first look at the plan on Oct. 12.
- Where: Gibbons Drive, Alameda
- The problem: liquidambar tree roots have lifted and cracked sidewalks, making them hard to use for wheelchairs, walkers and strollers
- What's already happened: five trees were removed in April 2026 because of their poor condition, out of 117 originally on the street
- Who's deciding: Alameda's Public Works Department, with review from the Planning Board and City Council
- What's next: the Planning Board meets Oct. 12, the Commission on Persons with Disabilities meets Oct. 14, and the City Council votes in December
Why are the sidewalks on Gibbons Drive a problem?
The liquidambars planted along Gibbons Drive decades ago have grown roots big enough to buckle the concrete above them. That's created uneven, sometimes steep, transitions in the sidewalk that are tough on anyone using a wheelchair, walker or stroller, and it's why the city started looking for a fix.
Is the city cutting down all the trees?
No. Of the 112 liquidambars still standing on Gibbons Drive, a tree assessment found 88 in good condition and 24 in fair condition. Instead of pulling them all, the city's plan looks at each spot separately. Options on the table include meandering the sidewalk around roots, grinding down bumpy transitions, adding curb bulb-outs for root space, or carefully pruning roots before removing a tree. When a tree does come out, the plan caps removals at 20% of the remaining liquidambars every five years, so any change happens gradually instead of all at once.
What happens to the trees that do come out?
Every liquidambar the city removes gets replaced. Residents already helped pick the replacement lineup through a community vote: six to eight deciduous tree species chosen partly for fall color, taller mature height and value to wildlife. The five liquidambars removed in April 2026 were the first to go under this effort.
What happens next for Gibbons Drive?
The plan heads to the Planning Board on Oct. 12 and to the Commission on Persons with Disabilities on Oct. 14, both public meetings where residents can weigh in. The City Council is scheduled to make the final call in December. Residents don't have to wait for a meeting to have a say either: the city's online Gibbons Plan Comments form is open right now for feedback on the sidewalk and tree options.
It's a small stretch of sidewalk in the grand scheme of Alameda's streets, but it's the kind of decision that shapes whether a walk down Gibbons Drive works for everyone in the neighborhood. Read more Alameda community news as the plan moves forward.
