The Shade Tree Commission voted to approve an updated landscape plan for a new Hugh White car dealership, with the approval conditioned on the commissions recommendations to replace non-native species with native alternatives.

Dustin Todd of Archall Architects described the site as a former gravel lot that borders woods and said the updated plan responded to staff comments by removing plantings around the retention pond. Todd said a tree survey completed earlier the same day identified 205 trees six inches in diameter or greater at the back of the property that could count toward the projects tree requirements.

Commission members discussed how retained mature trees may be counted toward planting requirements. "Mature trees and trees that are already established are going to do more ecologically than trees that are freshly planted," Commissioner Gene (Shade Tree Commission) said during deliberations.

Commissioner Jean (Shade Tree Commission) recommended substituting native species for two nonnative choices on the species list and offered alternatives: "For the Zelkova, a good replacement would be a Kentucky coffee tree or an ironwood. And for the katsura, you could do an eastern redbud or a cottonwood," Jean said. The commission asked the project team to return revised species selections reflecting native alternatives.

The commission also discussed an eight-foot landscape bed required between a property and the adjacent right of way (cited in meeting as city code section 37.019) and visibility concerns common to vehicle dealerships. Architects said the lots function as vehicle display required sightlines to the street and noted existing utilities and a gas line that limited planting in certain corners of the property.

Motion to approve the plan, with recommended species substitutions and follow-up on tree-count accounting, passed by voice vote with all present commissioners saying "Aye."

Clarifying details discussed at the meeting included the tree-survey count (205 trees at six-inch caliper or larger, described as roughly 2,000 caliper inches in total), the aspirational count of retained trees, and the commissions acceptance of retained tree credits at the commissions discretion.

Next steps: the project team will submit a revised species list reflecting native alternatives; city planning staff will confirm how retained trees will be applied to code-required planting totals.