They are just being replaced, per official announcements from the River Oaks Shopping Center provided to Chron.
The same thing happened last September. Videos flooded TikTok and posts on Reddit asking what happened as multiple blocks had their trees cut down. At the time, Chron reported that they were being replaced with new palm trees according to the landscapers performing the overhaul.
The same process started again last week, but the scene of cut-down trees, leftover stumps, and dug-up dirt lining the iconic stretch of road caused another panic. There was never anything to worry about after all; the palm tree upkeep is the area’s top priority.
The project is projected to end sometime in September, with the installation of the brand-new palm trees beginning on Aug. 31, from McDuffie Street to Driscoll Street. Tree replacement will affect some parking areas on both sides of the shopping center, but local businesses aren’t really worried about it affecting business.
“It hasn’t affected us so far. If anything, it’s during key hours; parking’s always an issue,” Sur la Table general manager Ralph Guerrero told Chron. “We were without the whole parking for a whole week because they blocked out all the parking in front of the store there. But, I mean, honestly, it’s 12 parking spots.”
The bigger issue that has since passed was the actual street construction on West Gray, which Sur la Table and other businesses Chron spoke to dreaded while it was underway. The palm trees project is small potatoes next to the headaches and inconveniences road construction can cause.
“That was chaotic. But, yeah, so far, what they’re doing now hasn’t drastically affected our business,” Guerrero continued.
Guerrero told Chron that they have told several customers concerned about what’s happening with the trees that there is nothing to worry about; they are just getting replaced. The concern was shared with retail workers who were unaware that the project was just a replacement.
The universal sentiment around the trees is that no one can imagine the area without them. Workers at various stores around the strip who could not officially comment expressed that the trees are what make the area special. They make the shopping center and the surrounding blocks feel like no place else in the city, especially during the holiday season when lights are wrapped around the tropical trees, adding a festive flair to the entire area.
“I think this is definitely one of the key characteristics of this area. It’s having those palm trees there, especially during the holidays and at night, when they light up,” Guerrero said. “It’s one of the oldest little shopping centers in the country. So people are really attached to it.”