Board approves plans for new residential building that saves large tree in neighborhood named for all the trees

The Zoning Board of Appeal today approved plans for a six-unit residential building at 72 Hyde Park Ave. in Forest Hills that preserves a large, 150-year-old oak tree on the site.

Neighbors organized to save the tree last year after developer Vladimir Sirotin proposed tearing down the tree to make room for his three-story building, which will replace a two-family house he had earlier razed there. At the time, Sirotin said construction work would likely kill the tree, anyway, so better to chop it down safely.

But the plans the board approved today show a 3 1/2-story building, which will let Sirotin preserve the six units he wanted, while chopping off enough of the building's proposed rear that the tree can be protected during construction, which the residents wanted.

"I am really happy we are going to preserve the tree," Wenham Street resident Faith Girdler said, adding the new residents of 72 Hyde Park Ave. will enjoy the same benefits of the tree as neighbors, including summertime shade and cleaner air. Plus, the tree will anchor the hillside behind the new building, keeping it from collapsing onto it.

The board voted to approve the new plans unanimously, with a proviso that BPDA planners take a look at how the tree's roots will be protected during construciton. Sirotin has hired an arborist to supervise the work as well.