JOHNS CREEK — Neighbors in Johns Creek are once again vowing to save a beloved tree from demolition.
They’ve already stopped the 100-year-old Water Oak from becoming a Shake Shack, but now, the fight is back on.
Channel 2′s Matt Johnson was on State Bridge Road, where developers say the tree needs to go.
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The property owners have already lost a bid to develop a Shake Shack, and now they want the tree gone outright. They see a safety hazard, other see natural beauty that shouldn’t be messed with.
“This is a beautiful tree worth fighting for,” neighbor Michael Gerike said. “To have another location of fast food or whatever may be, we don’t need it.”
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Now the 70-foot tree in the Publix shopping center on State Bridge Road in Johns Creek could be on the chopping block again.
“They’re putting profit above people,” Gerike said. “When we come together as citizens of a community, we can make a difference.”
The property owner and a developer have applied to remove the tree yet again in a 153-page filing. They argue the tree is declining and is a safety hazard that could hurt people if limbs were to fall
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Pictures in their document show signs of decay and dead limbs.
Neighbors told the city council in July that those reasons aren’t good enough.
“We need to save it and enjoy it for its entire natural and full lifecycle,” one resident said.
The city council voted in July to shoot down the Shake Shack plan. The zoning board denied a request to remove the tree.
An appeals meeting is set for November, where the board will make the final decision on the tree’s future. Neighbors said they’ll be ready to fight again.
“It’s grand. It’s worth saving,” Gerike said.
That meeting is set for Nov. 21, the same week as Thanksgiving. Organizers said the timing will be tough, but they plan to get people again to city hall to try to save the tree.
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