Center Gets a New Oak Tree in Time for Lighting Ceremony

A ceremony to light up a large oak tree in the Menifee Town Center site with Christmas lights will take place as scheduled on Dec. 5 -- but with a different oak tree than the original one.

Workers from Valley Crest Landscape Companies in Calabasas today trucked in and transplanted a 100-year-old California Live Oak tree in a large planter at the center of the Menifee Town Center "roundabout" -- a traffic circle similar to the one at the entrance to the parking lot of Countryside Marketplace.

Designed to be a signature landmark of downtown Menifee, the oak tree will stand at the center of what eventually will be a 172-acre complex of retail stores, park space, restaurants, a theater complex and bowling alley at the southwest corner of Newport Road and Haun Road. The city's annual Christmas tree lighting -- previously held at a large tree outside City Hall -- will take place this year at the oak tree as part of a holiday season kickoff celebration.

The original plan was to decorate the 80-year-old, 27-foot oak tree that was transplanted at that location last December. But that tree was removed earlier this week because it was dying, said a spokesman for the developer of the property.

According to Nicholas Biro, director of land development for Regent Properties, the death of the original oak tree was the combination of a poorly constructed irrigation system and the natural shock associated with transplanting.

"It's unfortunate and heartbreaking," Biro said about the first oak tree planted there. "It became very brittle and just died there on the site as we were preparing the location."

Regent paid $40,000 to have the first oak tree transplanted from an area in the Santa Barbara area where Valley Crest acquires trees to be sold for relocation. The city did not bear any of the cost because Menifee Town Center is a private project, said City Manager Rob Johnson. And Biro said the original tree was insured, so he was able to pick out an even better replacement tree.

Biro said the tree now standing on site is approximately 30 feet high with a 30-foot umbrella span. That leaves plenty of room for workers to decorate it for lights in time for the Dec. 5 ceremony.

That night, Town Center Drive will be open to traffic heading south from Newport Road for the first time. The celebration will include the tree lighting, arrival of Santa, musical entertainment and dozens of food and craft vendors. Following that event, the lighted tree will be open to the public for visits and photos through the end of December.

Represents of Regent Properties and the City of Menifee celebrated the arrival of the original oak tree in December 2013.