Council approves removal of 12 ‘Tucker Oaks’ at Oak Mountain Drive with 1:1 replacement requirement

The City Council on Feb. 24 approved Planning Commission’s recommendation to grant an oak tree permit for case 24-001 that allows the removal of 12 Tucker Oaks at 13582 Oak Mountain Drive to create a building pad for a proposed single-family residence.

Planning staff reported the trees were rated as structurally compromised with dead wood or defects and not classified as healthy specimens. Under the city’s oak tree policy (staff cited Resolution 96-03), the permit requires mitigation in the form of one-to-one replacement plantings with a minimum 15‑gallon size; the permit also requires protection in place for three additional trees during grading. Staff and the city’s contracted certified arborist advised that dead or clearly hazardous trees would not require mitigation, but trees rated C or D (compromised) typically trigger the mitigation requirements; the arborist said he has been directed to take a practical approach that does not discourage hazard-reduction by property owners.

Council discussed Firewise community considerations and the desire to balance homeowner hazard reduction with tree preservation. After questions from council about cost (staff noted a mitigation-fee estimate of roughly $150 per replacement tree), a motion to approve the permit was made, seconded and adopted.

The permit conditions, as detailed in the staff report, require mitigation plantings or payment into the city’s mitigation bank and protective measures for retained trees during construction. Staff said the development-code update under way will codify some of the practices (including clarifying how dead or hazardous trees are handled and expedited defensible-space actions for existing homes) and could change thresholds for administrative approvals.