Planning commissioners back Post Oak Phase 1 plat, press developer to limit heritage-tree loss

Fair Oaks Ranch planning commissioners recommended approval of the Post Oak Subdivision Phase 1 preliminary plat and urged the developer to explore design changes to reduce the number of heritage trees removed.

City planner Jessica Relucio presented the Phase 1 preliminary plat, saying the concept covers roughly 344 acres and proposes 65 total lots: 60 single-family one-acre lots and five easement lots. Relucio told the commission staff recommends approval to city council provided the developer makes six corrections and design edits, including stormwater-plan approval and minor drawing fixes.

"This item number 5 begins on page 6 of the agenda packet," Relucio said while listing the staff conditions and the edits the developer must make before final plat submittal. Commissioner Joe Markling moved to recommend the preliminary plat to the city council; the motion carried.

The more contested discussion centered on item 6: the tree removal and preservation plan for Phase 1. Anthony Lobwick, the city's environmental program manager, summarized the plan and the city's mitigation requirements. He said 55 heritage trees (24 inches and larger in caliper) and 93 protected trees (18'24 inches) are proposed for removal, totaling 148 trees to be removed. Under the development agreement's mitigation ratios, Lobwick said the developer would plant three 2.5-inch trees for each heritage tree removed (55 heritage trees x 3 = 165) and one 2.5-inch tree for each protected tree removed (93 x 1 = 93), producing a proposed replanting total of 258 mitigation trees.

During public comment, engineer Paul Schrader of ESP Associates urged the commission to press the developer to save more trees, saying, "They're wanting to remove 54 heritage trees, which has been a big argument on this project site for the last 20 years of losing big trees in a high density development." Schrader said he could identify roughly a dozen heritage trees that might be preserved with modest design changes and urged the commission to ask the developer to try harder before final plat.

Design staff and the project's engineer responded that many of the trees slated for removal lie in rights-of-way, drainage easements, or within areas required for detention basins and major utility runs. The developer's design engineer explained that safety and utility standards constrain some options: "If you were to bore a 12-inch water line, it goes in a 24-inch casing," he said, noting that some utility corridors will preclude preserving trees in those locations.

Commissioners pushed for clearer mapping to see only the trees proposed for removal and requested layered exhibits showing which trees are in lots, which are in easements, and which are off-site. Several members said they wanted the developer to "sharpen their pencil" and demonstrate that they had explored alternatives to reduce heritage-tree loss.

The commission recessed for staff and counsel to review the city's ordinances. After the recess, attorney Amanda Padilla (Denton Navarro) told the commission the tree plan runs concurrently with the preliminary plat and that a 30-day state "shot clock" applies, which requires the commission to make a recommendation (approval or denial) so the process can proceed within statutory timelines. "Statutorily, we have to meet the 30 day shot clock," Padilla said.

With that guidance, the commission settled on a motion to recommend approval of the tree removal and preservation plan to city council but asked the developer to investigate all feasible mitigation measures to limit tree removal and to prioritize saving heritage oaks. The motion passed; the commission did not record a detailed roll-call tally in the public transcript excerpt.

Next steps: the commission's recommendations on the preliminary plat and the tree plan will be forwarded to the Fair Oaks Ranch City Council for final action. The commission asked staff and the developer to provide clearer, layered exhibits and to study possible layout adjustments to reduce heritage-tree removals before the council packet is finalized.