Mariner great Olerud hits home run in battle over trees
»Play Video
CLYDE HILL, Wash. -- Dozens of people packed Clyde Hill City Hall on Wednesday to fight for two trees, and the man they were fighting happens to be a former Seattle Mariner great.
John Olerud, the former Mariners first baseman, wants his neighbor to chop down a spruce and a Chinese pine to improve his own view and up the value of his $4 million home.
The neighbor trimmed one tree, but doesn't want to part with either of them.
The decision was put before the Clyde Hill City Council, but not before both sides had their say.
"They are not exempt from the view ordinance," Olerud said of the trees. "We have also established that these trees unreasonably obstruct our view, and we respectfully submit our complaint."
In the end, the council sided with Olerud and ordered the trees to come down, saying they had some infestation issues and clearly blocked Olerud's view.
Olerud will pay for the removal and will replace them with shorter trees.
John Olerud, the former Mariners first baseman, wants his neighbor to chop down a spruce and a Chinese pine to improve his own view and up the value of his $4 million home.
The neighbor trimmed one tree, but doesn't want to part with either of them.
The decision was put before the Clyde Hill City Council, but not before both sides had their say.
"They are not exempt from the view ordinance," Olerud said of the trees. "We have also established that these trees unreasonably obstruct our view, and we respectfully submit our complaint."
In the end, the council sided with Olerud and ordered the trees to come down, saying they had some infestation issues and clearly blocked Olerud's view.
Olerud will pay for the removal and will replace them with shorter trees.
Somebody should burn his home down. What an idiot. Just the nature of entitlement of the rich in this country. The needs of the few out weigh the needs of the many.
What a jerk Olerud is. He's probably never at home. What an entitled idiot.
Here's his view... http://nosonicsarena.com/wp/?p=1488
Â
No we can expect 'all' trees to be eradicated in Clyde Hill for everyone's viewing pleasure. - life of the rich and entitled. Where do I sign up?
What a smug looking jerk....has that *I'm entitled* look on his face. If the trees were there BEFORE he built his house then he has no right to demand that his neighbor cut them down. He built his house knowing exactly what his view would be. Shame on you for being a lousy neighbor
Of course the tree was there when he bought the property across the street. Â Isn't building his mansion on close to an acre enough to establish his presence? Â This neighbor he's forcing to cut this prized tree was once a very good friend. Â Guess this is what happens when you put the value of a view before the value of a friendship. Â Sorry, John dropped off the good guy list for sure. Â Not my kind of neighbor.
I grew up in Clyde Hill and am not surprised at all to see the town council side with Olerud. They have a history of siding with developers and big money - there are hardly any tall trees left in the place. I used to really admire John Olerud, but not so much anymore.Â
Wow, take a look at the scene late in the video showing how much of the "view" is blocked.  Basically, the Seattle downtown area is obscured by the tree, the rest of Seattle is pretty well visible.  Obviously the city's siding with the person with the larger tax bill and ability to make a more public stink.
I'm curious if he bought the home or built the home when the trees were already there?
Â
What a clown move. I don't care about the "view" ordinance - it speaks of entitlement issues that people have, and evidently this very ordinary ex-baseball player has.
 @commonhuskyfan:Â
The Bakers (the neighbors) have lived in their home for decades, and the trees have been there for decades, LONG before the ordinance hit the books (late 1990's) and long before Pompous John bult his McMansion.
I have a fruit tree that my neighbor prunes every year if he wants the view of Mt Rainier. I plan on moving rest of the trees in same path.
Olerud has a (gigantic) clear-cut manicured lawn with only small ornamental trees in their "view" direction towards Seattle. Obviously they still had too many trees between them and the 1 mile away waterfront and so they're forcing his old buddy to cut down their trees too. Meanwhile, google maps indicates that there's still more trees behind the ones Olerud wants removed. I think this is how the Seattle version of Hatfields/McCoys begins.
I used to like him. Or I thought I did. That all just came to a screeching halt!
Its hard to have respect for sports figures who all they want is money and fame. Shame on you Mr Olerud, I would hope that you would be a classier guy than this.
Who cares about a couple trees!! So what if they get chopped down. There are plenty of trees and people who buy homes with views are paying a premium for those views. I'm sure those two trees weren't blocking the neighbors views at all who were against them being chopped down. He's replacing the trees so no harm done. People need to relax about these things and realize that there are fair compromises for everything. Â
 @parkinator:Â
Actually it IS a big deal - you can't simply run to a store and buy an identical tree (same size & age). Trees DO matter - Olerud KNEW those trees were there before he even bought his property, before he even built his house. If he was concerned about the trees, why build his house in such a fashion as to "lose" part of his view?
these trees unreasonably obstruct our view..... cry me a river! I'm certain those trees were there when you purchased your house. I know for a fact that I can pay an Arborist some $$ and they will label any tree I want as diseased. I'm thinking the average person would have been denied. Celebrity has its perks.  Unreasonable! LMAO! Just shy of mental anguish eh John?
What a jerk.
 @KOMO_Sapiens yup, but one with the law on his side.
Non-story if it wasn't Olerud. And the trees would be staying if it wasn't Olerud. Surprise, surprise, life is not played on an even field.
 @MVDad Not true. This story, and stories like it, will always be a story.  What an ass hat. Â
I consider myself to be an environmentalist but in this case I have to side with Olerud. He bought his home in a neighborhood with a view ordinance. He has the right to ask his neighbor to remove any trees that block his view. That's just playing by the rules. The neighbor with the trees shouldn't have purchased a home in a neighborhood with a view ordinance if he wants to have complete control over his landscaping. Also, the trees are not native to the Northwest (not as important).
 @scobert:Â
The Bakers (the neighbor) lived in HIS home for decades before the view ordinance was ever passed & put on the books - and the trees ALSO predate the ordinance.
Â
I sure hope that the Bkaers have some avenue to appeal this - it is simply wrong.
@LocalLady @scobert: I didn't realize that the Bakers residence predates the view ordinance. In that case, the trees should have been grandfathered in and protected. Unfortunately, it all depends on how the ordinance was written as to how the ruling must be made.
@SCobert - Olerud is only asking for compliance with existing laws. I don't like trees being chopped down for mere esthetics (and view is nothing more than an asthetic), but if the law is in your favor, so be it.
"I'm a multimillionaire and I always get what I want!!!"
Former Seattle Mariner "Great?" Olerud was a good first baseman, but I don't think the tag "great" really fits. That should be reserved for Griffey, Martinez, and Ichiro.
I guess AL batting champion doesn't constitute some form of greatness. Go figure...
@Firegod - i take it that you really didn't pay much attention to his play then. Too bad. For a Mariner's first baseman, he's one of the very best we've ever had.
Not. Alvin Davis, Ken Phelps, etc.
@KOMO_Sapiens Don't foregt David Segui and Paul Sorrento!!!!!! Some real studs......
LOL.... Ken Phelps - good one
If he lives in a home owner association, its legal. But if this state had a castle law no one could come on your property without being shot, if you had the property posted. Let them come cut my trees!!!
What a bunch of BS, sell your house and move if you don't like the view.
Ordinances trump people's opinions unfortunately...
 @throbbinhood:Â
But shouldn't the fact that Pompous Joh built his house KNOWING full well that those trees were there & what the view was have any bearing at all? I would think that if you are going to swink $4 million into building a house, you would at least check out the veiw BEFORE laying the foundation - not waiting until well after the fact to try to "fix" it because you did it wrong.
Firstly...has he crawled out of some cryo-chamber? I haven't seen his face in eleven years and it's EXACTLY how I'd remembered it. Secondly, I hate to see any trees go especially when the 'council' tacks on garbage like 'they had some infestation issues.' What, ants? Have you ever seen a tree without an infestation of some sort of invertebrate? I feel like that's where they naturally reside and thus, the equivalent of calling a building infested when it's deemed to be full of people. Anyway, $4 million will beat two trees every day and in his shoes, living his lifestyle, I'd probably sacrifice a bit o' nature for a better view.Â