Corinth council approves tree-preservation waiver for 52-townhome Kairos development

The Corinth City Council voted to approve case AC25-0001, granting an alternative compliance tree-preservation request for a proposed 52-unit townhome development by Kairos Real Estate at the northeast corner of North Current Street and Shady Shores Road.

City planning staff presented the site plan and mitigation analysis during the council meeting. Melissa Daley, city planning staff, said the site is about 2.16 acres, was recently rezoned to MXC and contains eight existing trees totaling 204 caliper inches. She said the code-required mitigation for the project totaled 348 caliper inches, which translated to $52,200 in mitigation fees.

The nut graf: the council approved an alternative compliance request that reduces or waives the immediate fee payment in exchange for a modified plan the staff described as increasing on-site tree planting and streetscape improvements that staff judged would meet urban-canopy goals over time.

Daley told the council that five protected trees in the public right of way—together about 121 caliper inches—are not on the development parcel and could not be preserved while meeting the city's sidewalk standard. "Our standards require a sidewalk, of course, and street trees and that streetscape, and they're just, unfortunately, sitting most of them ... right on the property line," Daley said.

Under the approved plan, the developer agreed to plant 49 shade trees within the development and add enhanced landscaping along North Current Street; staff estimated that work at about $46,000. The developer also agreed to dedicate the corner of the property to the city to preserve the possibility of a future roundabout at Shady Shores and North Current; Daley said a county-led roundabout design has not yet begun.

Daley described several design changes made during staff‑developer coordination to increase treeable spaces, including narrowing driveways, reducing some parking, and adjusting driveway curvature to preserve maneuvering room for emergency vehicles while creating room for landscaping.

A councilmember moved to approve case AC25-0001 as presented; another councilmember seconded. The council voted and the motion passed. The final vote tally was not recorded in the public transcript.

The action is procedural and site-specific: it changes how the mitigation requirement will be met for this development rather than changing the city's tree-preservation ordinance. Staff recommended approval based on the revised site plan and the additional plantings and dedication. The planned roundabout remains subject to county design and funding decisions.