A group of St. Paul neighbors is suing the city after learning mature trees will be cut down for a construction project.

The city is starting Phase 1 of a street improvement project that will require cutting down trees to get the job done. The website says the tree removal process will start on Monday, March 24.

“In the summer, in the spring, they’re [trees] just beautiful. It’s like walking down a tunnel,” Rita Amendola, a St. Paul resident, said.

Decades-old trees steal the spotlight in her St. Paul neighborhood, but soon the landscape on Parkview Avenue will look different.

“It would be horrible. It’d be one big blue sky and boxes,” Amendola said.

The goal is to add sidewalks, curbs and fix underground water mains and sewers, among other things.

One of the first steps in phase one is tree removal. The red “X” on a tree means its days are numbered.

The city website said they’d be removed for at least one of the following reasons: They’re too close to the curb, construction could damage the trees or the tree is in poor health.

The plan says the city will plant new trees when construction wraps up.

“We understand maybe losing a few trees because they’re going to be putting new pipes and things on the ground. We understand that, but every single one?” Amendola said.

A group of neighbors filed a lawsuit against the city of St. Paul, alleging the city has not proved there is “no feasible and prudent alternative” to cutting down trees, which they believe is against state law.

The court documents refer to Minnesota Statute 116B.01, which says, “each person is entitled by right to the protection, preservation, and enhancement of air, water, land, and other natural resources located within the state.”

“We lost 14 trees on our block to a storm last summer, and you cannot replace old trees,” said Dan Newton, a St. Paul resident. “You can plant new ones, but you can’t plant a tree that shades a house at the time. You’re waiting 30 to 40 years.”

Newton lives on Ivy Avenue, where most trees lining the block are marked with a red “X.”

“I’m sick to my stomach and very sad,” Newton said. “What I would like is for them to give us more time so that they could, instead of taking down the trees first, because they might be damaged by the pipe replacement, look at the pipes first and see if they can put the pipe somewhere different.”

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS reached out to the city of St. Paul for an interview, but they declined to comment.

The lawsuit against the city can be viewed below.