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Planning commission recommends tougher tree-protection penalties, sends package to council
Summary
After months of public complaints about the Pearl River clearing, Bastrop’s Planning & Zoning Commission recommended higher per-inch fines, daily penalties and a possible criminal penalty be forwarded to city council for consideration; staff said enforcement changes and front‑loading the tree survey process aim to prevent repeat incidents.
The Bastrop Planning & Zoning Commission on a recommendation vote asked city staff to send amended tree-protection rules to city council that would raise the per‑inch penalty for cutting protected trees and impose daily penalties until replacement trees are planted.
The action follows public testimony about the Pearl River development, where commissioners and residents said contractors cleared large protected trees over a single weekend. Commissioners and speakers told the commission they wanted stronger tools to deter so‑called “bad‑actor” developers.
Staff explained the proposed approach at the hearing: lower the protected‑tree threshold to 10 inches (aligning…
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