Conway tree board approves mitigation reduction for Mill Upon townhomes: 252 plantings plus capped credit for retained trees

The City of Conway Tree Board approved a mitigation plan for the Mill Upon townhomes development that allows the developer to count 252 on-site plantings at a reduced 2.5-inch caliper toward mitigation and to apply the cumulative DBH of retained, non-protected trees on a portion of the property as credit — but limited only to the DBH needed to meet mitigation requirements for this project.

Staff told the board the project would remove roughly 2,264 inches of DBH. Under the city's mitigation calculation, replacement requirements are typically based on inches removed: at the usual 4-inch minimum caliper standard that would equate to about 566 replacement trees; at the applicant's proposed 2.5-inch caliper standard it would equate to about 906 replacement trees. The developer asked the board to permit…