Planning board recommends tree-mitigation changes with arborist flexibility for small lots

Aug. 26, 2025 — The Huntersville Planning Board voted to recommend approval of a zoning text amendment that tightens tree-mitigation requirements and adds a limited arborist-based flexibility for small-lot development. Staff, filling in for Brad Priest, told the board the proposed amendment to Article 7.4 would keep existing maximum mitigation caps (30% for residential, 50% for commercial), raise heritage-tree mitigation from 100% to 200% of caliper, clarify tree-preservation language across the ordinance and allow developments under two acres to seek an arborist-signed preservation plan that permits controlled encroachment into a tree's drip line when the arborist certifies the…