The College Park Country Estates neighborhood was developed in the mid-to-late 1970s and does not have a homeowner’s association. Town records indicate that in 1998, the Town replaced some trees in the right-of-way (located along the neighborhood streets) and assumed maintenance of all trees in the right-of-way in the neighborhood. As a result, the Town has maintained approximately 40 trees in the right-of-way in College Park County Estates for nearly 30 years, at no cost to the residents of the neighborhood. Even though the Town has been maintaining those trees, it is not legally or contractually required to maintain those trees in perpetuity.

The Town of Gilbert Land Development Code Sec. 5.4.9 (Landscape Maintenance) places the responsibility for landscape maintenance in the right-of-way on abutting property owners. Even though the College Park County Estates neighborhood was developed prior to the adoption of this section of the Land Development Code, the neighborhood is not exempt (or grandfathered), and all property in Gilbert must abide by its terms regardless of when the property was developed.

Aside from limited locations in the Heritage District, College Park Country Estates is the sole remaining residential neighborhood for which the Town maintains landscape in the right-of-way along internal residential streets and where it has not enforced the provisions of the Land Development Code.

A neighborhood meeting was held on February 7, 2024, and a presentation was provided to inform the neighborhood that the Town would stop maintaining landscape in the neighborhood in July 2027, and discuss potential landscape maintenance options for the neighborhood.

The Town Council also held a public hearing on December 22, 2024, during which a presentation was given, and the public had an opportunity to address the Town Council.

The Town has determined that the eight Red Gum Eucalyptus trees in the College Park County Estates neighborhood must be removed due to safety concerns. However, to provide an opportunity for those trees to remain, the Town has contacted the property owners whose properties abut those trees and has provided the opportunity for them to assume maintenance of those trees. Any Red Gum Eucalyptus trees that abutting property owners have not agreed to maintain will be removed sometime after March 31, 2025. The other species of Eucalyptus located in College Park Country Estates right-of-way are not recommended for removal.

The Town will continue maintaining the remaining trees in the right-of-way in the College Park County Estates neighborhood until June 30, 2027. After that date, tree maintenance will be subject to Gilbert Land Development Code 5.4.9, which requires abutting property owners to maintain landscaping in the public right-of-way. As a courtesy, the Town will remove any tree in the right-of-way in the neighborhood if requested by an abutting property owner prior to July 1, 2027. The Town will continue to maintain the landscaping in the right-of-way along the arterial frontages of Lindsay Road and Guadalupe Road.