Redondo Beach, CA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

1900(d), 'Street tree requirements,' puts species, size, spacing, and planting standards for street trees under the Superintendent of Parks, who must weigh whether a proposed tree will damage sidewalks, streets, or other infrastructure, whether it serves water-conservation goals, whether it needs low maintenance and no pesticides, and whether it enhances the visual character of City streets and complements the trees already planted nearby. Appropriate choices are drawn from, though not strictly limited to, the City of Redondo Beach List of Recommended Trees and Water Conserving Plants that the Superintendent maintains.

No existing street tree can come out without City approval. The same section's plant-location rules reinforce the parkway standard: a tree must be planted at least five feet from a public sidewalk, and the Community Development Director can require a greater setback for species known to damage sidewalks or other public infrastructure over time, along with root-control barriers where necessary. In the R-1 zone, on lots with no parkway strip at all, the rule shifts to the front yard itself: when a new home is built, existing mature front-yard trees compatible with the new development must be preserved, and where none can be saved, the builder must plant a specimen tree in a 24-inch box or larger in the front yard.

Parking lots carry their own tree mandate: a new surface lot with 10 or more spaces must provide one shade tree for every six spaces, and the Planning Commission can require additional trees and landscaping for any project going through Planning Commission Design Review.