Dripping Springs council conditionally approves schooltree removals tied to mitigation and May 1 interlocal deadline

The Dripping Springs City Council on Tuesday approved an appeal by Dripping Springs Independent School District to remove a set of heritage trees for the construction of High School No. 2, but tied the approval to strict mitigation requirements and a firm interlocal agreement deadline.

The decision allows the district to proceed with planned site work around a detention pond and other campus infrastructure while holding the district to mitigation obligations under the city's landscaping ordinance. A motion approved by the council set a mitigation cap of $594,420 "or as otherwise agreed to between the city and Dripping Springs ISD by 05/01/2026, in default of which the maximum value of mitigation fees shall become immediately due and payable." The motion passed after a roll‑call vote.

The issue centered on two waiver requests: a focused request to remove 14 heritage trees (about 316 caliper inches) in the detention‑pond area and a sitewide request affecting about 85 heritage trees. Tory Carpenter, the city's planning director, told the council the site contains roughly 158 heritage trees and that removing those…