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Planning board approves limited tree removals on seven Madeira lots after public objections
Summary
Toll Brothers won approval to remove specified significant trees on seven contracted Madeira Phase 3 lots after presenting an arborist inventory and stem-wall construction plan; neighbors pressed flood, habitat and long-term survivability concerns and asked staff to preserve more canopy.
The Planning & Zoning Board voted to permit targeted removal of significant trees on seven contracted lots in Madeira Phase 3 after the developer presented an arborist inventory and revised lot layouts intended to minimize canopy loss.
Toll Brothers representatives explained the company had reduced its original request (which covered dozens of lots) to a seven-lot package that reflects contracts and finalized footprints. The applicant presented an arborist’s tree inventory and argued that stem-wall construction and careful siting would reduce the need for fill and protect more trees in the long run. An applicant representative said the proposal results in a net preservation of trunk inches across the seven-lot package and that the team had repositioned several houses to preserve larger specimen trees.
Residents spoke at length and urged greater protections. “This particular area of land is already deemed a special flood zone of interest,” neighborhood resident Vicky Payne told the board, adding that removing trees along shorelines increases erosion and flood risk. Another resident said the preservation of back-pond canopy supports birds and wildlife and warned that trees close to planned footprints might be lost once construction begins. Several speakers submitted photos of tide inundation and asked the board for stricter conditions.
Board members said they appreciated the applicant’s inventory and adjustments while noting the reality that construction sometimes forces further review of individual trees once foundations are in place. Several members emphasized that stem-wall construction and graded plans are important protections. The board approved the seven-lot removal package with the understanding that additional, very near-term tree removals would return to the board for review.
The board’s approval is conditioned on the submitted arborist inventory and the applicant’s representations that build-to elevations and grading will follow the approved water-management and erosion-control plans. Staff noted the lots are part of a permitted subdivision and that the Army Corps and St. Johns River Water Management District permits govern drainage and ponding on the site.
