A proposed truck-and-trailer parking lot at the Emerson Lake Business Park in Lakewood drew opposition over its potential effect on a Garry oak estimated to be at least 900 years old.
The central issue in Lakewood Hearing Examiner Mark Scheibmeir’s September 2 decision was whether the parking lot could be redesigned to avoid the oak’s root zone. Scheibmeir approved 74 stalls, down from the 78 originally proposed, after finding the applicant had not shown that no practical alternative existed to a design encroaching on about 6 percent of the tree’s dripline, or roughly 340 feet. The ruling concluded that shifting the retaining wall and other site features farther south would spare the root zone, at the cost of 5 percent of the parking capacity, according to the Tacoma News Tribune.
The oak has a 60-inch-diameter trunk and is described as healthy. The News Tribune reports that it is estimated to be at least 900 years old, making its protection a focus of opposition before the ruling.
How the Site Ended Up Stripped of Trees
The site’s earlier clearing became part of the dispute. Between 2023 and 2024, Y@Z LLC removed 70 trees, including 57 of significant size, without proper authorization, according to Scheibmeir’s ruling as reported by the News Tribune. The city set a $238,728 penalty, which remained unpaid as of the September 2 ruling. Payment is required before site development permits can be issued.
Joseph Alhadeff, representing the property owner, told the News Tribune that the owner would pay the penalty when required and did not plan to appeal the decision. He said losing the six stalls would have a limited effect on the project. The parcel covers 3.8 acres.
As of the September 2 ruling, the $238,728 penalty had not been paid; the ruling makes payment a prerequisite for further development permits.
A Tacoma Development Proposal and Ancient Oaks
The dispute reflects the tension between industrial development and protecting the oak. Lakewood staff recommended approving the parking lot, finding it met the city’s requirements; truck-and-trailer parking is a permitted use under the city’s comprehensive plan and zoning code.
More than 150 letters opposing the parking proposal were submitted, according to the News Tribune. Advocates cited the oak’s stormwater and carbon-storage benefits as reasons to protect it.
The approved design avoids the site’s half-acre wetland and its buffer. It also calls for replanting about 28,000 square feet near the wetland with Oregon oaks, willows and other native vegetation, removing invasive English ivy and blackberry, and adding internal driver circulation, perimeter landscaping, fencing and wetland-buffer enhancements.
How Lakewood’s Rules Apply
In this case, truck-and-trailer parking is allowed under Lakewood’s comprehensive plan and zoning code, while the approved design avoids the wetland and its buffer. The City of Lakewood says rules effective March 1, 2023, require non-residential lots to obtain a permit to remove significant trees, including Oregon white oaks at least four inches in diameter when measured four and one-half feet above ground.
Regional Conservation Context
Washington State Department of Natural Resources says native oak woodlands once relatively common in the Puget Sound and Willamette Valley regions are now exceptionally rare. That is regional context, not a finding about the oak at this site. Lakewood Ordinance No. 775 describes Oregon white oak, also known as Garry oak, as a native tree designated by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife as priority habitat.
The hearing examiner’s order preserves the oak by requiring a smaller parking footprint. The penalty remained unpaid as of the ruling, and whether the city will enforce collection before issuing further permits remains unresolved.
