In the dog-eat-dog world of retail, even Lenox Square — home to some of Atlanta's trendiest stores — says it needs an edge.

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But some Buckhead residents are criticizing the mall's plan to remove seven willow oak trees at its Peachtree Road entrance.

"I don't like to see trees removed in the city unless there's a viable replacement plan," said deLille Anthony, 45, who lives near the mall.

The trees block some motorists view of the mall's electronic billboard. In place of the trees, the mall envisions low-lying plants. The mall's beautification plans include improvements to the retaining wall and removing the dated flagpoles.

"The removal and replacement of the specific trees requested will allow an improved ... visibility for the mall entrance, the department stores and the mall's Marque [sic] sign," mall officials wrote to the city of Atlanta's Arborist Division. "The mall needs these improvements to remain competitive with the new developments happening all along Peachtree [Road]."

A city arborist denied the mall's request to remove the trees in December. The city's Tree Conservation Commission is scheduled to rule on the mall's appeal at a meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall Committee Room 2.

Anthony hopes the commission upholds the ruling. She said trees seem to be quickly disappearing in Buckhead's business district.

"There's an aesthetic quality to keeping those trees there," Anthony said.

City leaders have tried to do more to protect trees in recent years. The City Council voted last June to allow most homeowners to cut just one tree every five years. Slightly more than 5 percent of Atlanta is protected greenspace, according to the Atlanta Regional Commission. The regional average is 4.1 percent.

Mall officials say they're not the bad guys. They note in a statement sent Tuesday that their plan includes planting 13 trees in the neighborhood and nearly 80 trees on the mall property.

"This amount far exceeds the city's suggested number of trees by 3-1," the statement said.

Meanwhile, the Buckhead Community Improvement District wants to plant 20 willow oak trees at the edge of the sidewalk in front of the mall. The plan relies on the mall owners selling the Buckhead group a portion of its property to do a $40 million project that includes widening the lanes on Peachtree Road, adding more pedestrian traffic signals and bicycle lanes.

However, the two sides have been negotiating for seven months and haven't reached an agreement. Without the property, the community group can't plant any willow oaks.

"There is a chance that the parties may not agree and the project can be delayed indefinitely," said Scotty Greene, the Buckhead CID's executive director.