UPDATE: San Benito County bans tree removal after residents fight to protect them

UPDATE 4/8/2015: Some controversy over bulldozed trees is coming to an end in Hollister.

On Tuesday, San Benito County supervisors approved a ban, making it illegal to cut down of trees at the Ridgemark Golf and Country Club.

Last fall, the county ordered a moratorium after residents became upset when the managing company bulldozed several trees.

PREVIOUS STORY: Bullying and failing to work with homeowners — that’s what some residents in Hollister are claiming, as a developer starts tearing down some nearby trees. On Friday, the developer said the trees are a liability, blaming the drought for ones that have died.

Now Ridgemark Homes Association said it’s suing the company managing Ridgemark Golf and Country Club. That’s because the association said the developer hasn’t been willing to work with nearly 700 homeowners, on plans for a new development.

“It’s an absolute disaster what they’ve done here, it basically looks like a tornado came through and I live in Oklahoma,” said resident Patty Speirs.

Bulldozers have torn down some trees despite residents fighting to keep them up. Homeowners said they’re worried property values and local wildlife are being put in jeopardy. Golf course superintendent Eric Boyd said the company is just trying to maintain the property.

“Some of them are so close to the property lines that are 30 to 40 feet tall and we were looking at removing those trees that may be potential hazards,” Boyd said.

The company managing the course, JMK Investments issued this statement:

“Our water allocation from San Benito County Water District was cut by 50% this year due to the historic drought we are currently experiencing in California. Fortunately, we were able to restructure the former 36 hole courses to one 18 hole championship course and save the most challenging and scenic holes. In recent months, Ridgemark Boardmember Mel Tungate sent us several emails informing us that he felt some of the trees on our property were becoming hazardous and posed potential risks to adjacent homeowners and Ridgemark residents now that they were no longer being watered. We are being pro-active in removing trees that may become liabilities now and in the future in an effort to increase safety in the Ridgemark community.”

– Alex Kehriotis, President, Ridgemark Golf & Country Club

“Obviously we’ve had some outcry from the homeowners and we’ve stopped our work until we’re on the same page,” Boyd said.

JMK said half the course is closed because of the drought and is actively pursuing a new residential development on that open land. Residents said they don’t want more homes, voicing concerns over the potential for more traffic.

“The end of Ridgemark way of life. That’s the way all of us see it,” said resident Jerry Hawkins.

Now the HOA said it’s suing to protect the roads it manages because it’s not been included in the development process. The association said the developer has until next week to file a response to the lawsuit. We attempted to get more information on the proposed development, but haven’t been given any details by JMK.