Board approves reduced mitigation for 1302 Tenth Avenue tree removal; homeowner to plant one dogwood

The City of Conway Community Appearance Board approved a homeowner’s request to reduce the tree-mitigation requirement tied to the approved removal of a large, damaged live oak at 1302 Tenth Avenue, allowing the owner to plant one dogwood (minimum 4-inch caliper at time of planting) on the lot instead of the full calculated replacement requirement.

Katie Dennis, planning staff, explained that the board previously authorized removal of the large live oak because the tree was in poor condition. At the earlier meeting staff had described the mitigation calculation for a tree of this size as the equivalent of eight 4-inch-caliper replacement trees. Dennis said staff and the homeowner concluded the lot could not reasonably accommodate eight replacement trees at planting size and at maturity.

Dennis told the board that city staff had checked nursery availability and pricing: the mitigation formula in the current ordinance uses a per-tree cost basis that staff cited in the meeting as $850 per replacement tree (not including installation). Using that figure, eight replacement trees would have equated to roughly $6,400 in mitigation costs before installation; staff said a 4-inch caliper tree is costly and not widely available at much lower prices.

The homeowner requested formal reduction of the mitigation requirement and offered to plant one 4-inch-caliper dogwood on the property. Board members discussed precedents and the ordinance’s allowance to consider requests on a case-by-case basis; Dennis noted the ordinance explicitly gives the board discretion and that approving a reduced mitigation in this case would not necessarily set an immutable precedent. Board member Wanda and others said the property’s physical limitations and existing mature trees supported the homeowner’s request.

A motion to approve the homeowner’s request — permitting planting of a single 4-inch caliper dogwood on the property and foregoing the additional replacement trees or the full mitigation fee — passed by voice vote. The board instructed staff to confirm the planted tree’s caliper at time of planting and to collect no additional mitigation fee for the additional replacement trees in this case.

Staff also reminded the board that the city’s tree-preservation ordinance is under review and that proposed changes will be presented to City Council on April 7; staff introduced Bradley Todd, a new landscaping and zoning inspector who will assist with arborist and landscape inspections.