If you have noticed that Yorkville is looking a little bleaker this winter, don’t blame the cold weather blues.

Last month, about 30 trees were removed from the Village of Yorkville Park. Located near the corner of Bellair Street and Cumberland Street, just metres away from “The Rock,” the trees made up most of the natural greenery in the park, and their removal has left the park looking barren.

Caitlin Lawrence, a store clerk at nearby art store the Guild Shop, said it’s not the first time the trees have been removed.

“The trees are supposed to look uniform, so when a few trees get sick, they take them all down and start again,” she says.

The trees, which have been sawed down to stump size, will not be replaced for a few months yet. Ward 27 councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam said that the trees were removed due to drainage issues. Because of the underground parking lot beneath the trees, water started to pool under the soil, and the roots became oversaturated. If the trees had not been cut down, it’s likely they would not have lasted in good health, said Wong-Tam. City of Toronto staff decided to remove the trees before the ground was too frozen.

This is not the first time the underground parking lot near Bellair and Cumberland has been accused of negatively affecting the aesthetics of Yorkville Park. In 1950, locals were outraged when a row of Victorian houses were demolished to make way for the parking lot, and the neighbourhood continued to fight for a park to be built until the city agreed to have the parking lot moved underground in 1973. Due to construction of the lot, however, the park was not completed until 1993, long after the majority of Yorkville’s tree-hugging population had moved on.

Although Yorkville may look a bit sparse, Wong-Tam said that the trees will likely be replanted in the spring. She hopes that the city will replace the soil beds so water is able to drain and the trees can grow and thrive.