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Circle K redevelopment at former SunTrust site will remove large maple; planning staff say project is "use by right"
Summary
Planning staff told the council that the Circle K site plan for the former SunTrust lot meets zoning requirements in the Highway Business (HBA) district and that a large maple tree must be removed to accommodate stormwater work. Residents urged the council to seek alternatives and stronger tree protections during public comment.
Michelle Kennedy, the town planning director, told the Town Council on Aug. 11 that Circle K’s commercial site plan for the former SunTrust lot on Highway 9 is a permitted “use by right” in the HBA (Highway Business) zoning district and that the approved site plan requires removal of the large maple tree at the property to accommodate stormwater management.
Kennedy said the plan includes 13 new trees (oaks, dogwoods and magnolias) and 237 evergreen shrubs and that the developer’s landscape plan exceeds the town’s minimum requirements. She said an on-site engineering study did not locate a stream on the lot and that the Board of Adjustment granted a variance in November 2024 removing stream-buffer and transitional-area requirements when no stream was found.
"We are only able to say yes or no…
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