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Residents press commission on tree removals as staff outlines new tree-survey rules
Summary
A Bastrop resident described recent clear‑cutting in Tahitian Village while staff explained changes to the city's tree ordinance, including a lower protected-trunk-size threshold and a new tree-survey requirement for permits; commissioners and staff discussed enforcement and timing.
At a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, a resident and staff clashed over recent tree removals and how a revised city tree ordinance will be enforced.
Resident Ron Whipple, who said he lives on the edge of Tahitian Village, told the commission he had observed “clear cutting of about 6, 7 lots just wiped out every tree on the place.” He said deed restrictions in Tahitian Village prohibit clear cutting and require surveys, and he planned to raise the issue with the subdivision’s property‑owners association.
City staff explained the city is in the process of updating its tree ordinance and said the changes include a requirement for a tree survey for future building permits, including infill lots, and a reduction in the protected-trunk-size threshold from 13 inches to 10 inches. Staff said the new survey requirement will require applicants to identify protected trees at the building-permit stage; trees below the protected threshold are not regulated under the tree ordinance.
Staff also described a recent on-site staff inspection in which inspectors determined many removed trees were below the protection threshold at the time the work occurred; staff emphasized that private deed restrictions and homeowner‑association covenants are separate instruments and that the city does not enforce private covenants. “They’re deed restrictions which take precedence over zoning,” a resident countered, adding he intended to pursue the HOA process.
Commissioners asked when enforcement of the revised ordinance would begin. Staff said the ordinance had moved to city council for consideration (it had been tabled once and subsequently had a first reading) and that enforcement would start after council completes the adoption process. Staff said the city will need to conduct outreach and education about the permitting and survey process.
Commissioners asked staff to investigate several recent tree removals in public-facing locations, including a row of trees removed in front of the First National Bank on Highway 71; staff said code enforcement would follow up and report back.
The item was presented as discussion only; the commission did not take formal action to approve or deny permits during the meeting.
