Staff seeks conditional approval to preserve specimen trees on six Rivergreen Estates lots

Drew Pearson presented conditions for six residential lots owned by Rivergreen Estates LLC on Amelia Island and asked the Development Review Committee on Sept. 23 to endorse amending the committee’s recommendation from approval to conditional approval to preserve specimen and protected trees.

The proposed conditions would require implementation of tree-protection construction methods described in the applicant’s submittal, installation of tree-preservation barricades before construction begins, an on-site preconstruction inspection with the county arborist and adherence to the design measures intended to minimize root impacts.

Pearson said the six existing RS-2-zoned lots would be developed with single-family houses and that staff and the Amelia Island Tree Commission had drafted near-identical conditions for each request. “So what you’re really being asked to do today is to amend your recommendation of approval to a recommendation of conditional approval based on the conditions,” Pearson said.

Planning staff had no additional comments. Kayla Pierce of Development Services said the preconstruction meeting should include a tree-barrier inspection and that the recommendations conform to code requirements. “As part of that preconstruction meeting, we would need to have an inspection done for a tree barricade inspection as part of that, for anything that’s being preserved,” Pierce said.

Details by lot in the staff summary:

- 2509 Amelia Road: two specimen trees and one protected tree to be preserved; preconstruction meeting required. - 2501 Amelia Road: two specimen trees and two protected trees to be preserved; preconstruction meeting required. - 775 Old Amelia Avenue: seven protected trees to be preserved; a tree-removal permit will be required for one specimen tree being removed. - 781 Old Amelia Avenue: two specimen trees and one protected tree to be preserved; preconstruction meeting required. - 787 Old Amelia Avenue: two specimen trees and one protected tree to be preserved; preconstruction meeting required. - 793 Old Amelia Avenue: three protected trees to be preserved; preconstruction meeting required.

Thomas Ford of Fire Rescue and the county health department (which provided comments by email) told the committee they had no objections to the conditional-approval approach. Planning staff indicated the drafted conditions were consistent with code and with recommendations discussed by the Amelia Island Tree Commission.

No formal vote was recorded at the DRC; the committee’s role is advisory and staffs’ comments and endorsements will be forwarded to the Amelia Island Tree Commission and to department heads as appropriate. The applicant and staff will proceed with the Tree Commission meeting and any subsequent formal submittals.