Rockwall City Council approved an alternative tree mitigation settlement and the site plan for a planned Rayburn Electric soccer complex on July 21, with the council attaching a condition that staff coordinate multiple transplant days so community groups can relocate eastern red cedar trees.

Rayburn’s site plan covers a portion of the Rayburn corporate campus and includes athletic fields and parking. Because the property includes extensive stands of eastern red cedar, staff and the applicant described the tree mitigation obligation under the Unified Development Code and asked the council to approve a settlement that uses sampled areas for mitigation estimates and waives mitigation for certain eastern red cedars.

Planning staff said the applicant’s sampling estimated a mitigation obligation equal to about 2,252 caliper inches (approximately 563 canopy trees); under the code the developer would be required to replant 80% of those inches on site and could pay out 20%, which staff said could translate to about 1,801 caliper inches to plant and roughly $45,000 in an off‑site payment if space were available. Staff and the applicant told council the proposed athletics fields make it infeasible to replant the full mitigation requirement on site.

Frank Palma of R‑Delta Engineers, speaking for Rayburn, described the project and its community purpose: “Rayburn proposed we’re gonna construct, maintain, and operate this facility for use by Rockwall youth, soccer, schools, and local organizations,” he said, and noted Rayburn will fund construction and subsidize operations. Councilmembers and staff discussed alternatives for preserving trees while allowing the athletic fields.

Council approved the settlement with an explicit commitment from the applicant to host transplant events. The mayor moved to approve the site plan and settlement and asked staff to work with the applicant to schedule at least three transplant days, giving the public chances to relocate trees; Councilmember Thomas seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Council and staff said the transplant days will be coordinated and advertised; transplanted trees that meet the UDC standards will be eligible for mitigation credit under the city’s code. Staff will return the executed agreement and a landscape plan as part of final site‑plan permitting.