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Commission defers approval of ‘The George’ townhouse plan after residents press to save mature oaks
Summary
After months of negotiation and new arborist reports, the commission deferred action on a 13-unit project in the Biltmore area amid disagreement over relocating six large oaks and payment of mitigation funds.
The Coral Gables City Commission on March 11 deferred a decision on a proposed 13-unit townhome project called “The George” after a lengthy public and commissioner debate about whether six on-site live oaks could be salvaged and relocated. Representatives for developer MG Developer presented revised tree-relocation and mitigation plans but commissioners said neighbors needed more time to review late-arriving materials.
Attorney Mario García Serra and project architect Maria De LaGuardia told the commission that the developer had pared the project back from what zoning allowed — the site would be three stories instead of a potential 13, and 13 units instead of 50 — and had proposed extensive landscaping, relocation of two on-site specimen trees and payment of $215,000 to the city tree mitigation fund for trees that could not be moved.
The core dispute centered on whether four of the six large oaks could be transported through city streets and transplanted elsewhere, and whether the mitigation payment should instead be directed to Biltmore Way canopy improvements. MG representatives said they had engaged a national tree-moving firm, that some routes were blocked by underground utilities and FPL lines, and that the safest, feasible approach was to relocate one oak into a nearby triangular park and move others to the public golf course or pay mitigation.
"We have worked tirelessly on that issue over the last five months," García Serra said. Architect De LaGuardia showed renderings and said the project would add about 50 new trees on the property and adopt building materials and massing that match nearby Beatrice Row and Biltmore Row.
Neighbors and preservation advocates urged the commission to delay a vote. Resident Maria Cruz called the late distribution of revised plans “insulting” and said residents had not been given sufficient time to vet the arborist reports and relocation options. Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson pressed for professional, city-led root pruning and other best practices for any trees the city would accept for relocation, and asked staff to identify appropriate receiving sites.
Commissioner Castro moved to defer to allow for more outreach and technical follow-up; the commission agreed and set a return date so staff, the developer and the neighborhood could continue talks. The developer said it will proceed with preparatory work such as root pruning that improves odds of successful relocation while the process continues.
No vote on final site plan approval was taken March 11. The commission asked the developer and staff to return with a clearer tree-relocation plan, a schedule for community meetings and any additional mitigation proposals.
