Board approves 1 Town Center preserve relocation and land‑use amendment, 5‑2

On June 5 the Planning & Zoning Board voted 5‑2 to approve a future land‑use amendment and conservation easement that relocates a 2.1‑acre preserve and establishes a new 0.7‑acre preserve area at the 1 Town Center site east of Town Center Mall.

Senior planner Heather Waldstein told the board staff’s review found the existing preserve has been significantly diminished and that the proposed new preserve, protected by a conservation easement and a formal management plan with biannual monitoring, would better meet the conservation element of the comprehensive plan. The Environmental Advisory Board had unanimously recommended denial at its May 22 meeting but submitted suggestions that staff and the applicant incorporated.

Applicant representative David Millage described a two‑year collaboration with staff, cleanup of invasive species, a revised management plan, and outreach to regulatory bodies on pesticide use; he also referenced a complex history of county plats and prior resolutions that, in his view, limited the city’s enforceability without the new easement. City environmental officer Joshua Botte said staff had worked with the applicant to select planting species that tolerate periodic inundation and that the revised plan addressed concerns about invasive species.

Neighbors who testified said they were told the area would remain a preserve and expressed concerns that the change could clear the way for a seven‑story building on the larger parcel; the applicant and staff said development of the remaining land would require separate approvals. After questions and debate over enforceability and preserve size, the board approved the land‑use amendment 5‑2 (site‑plan companion later approved), and the applicant agreed to additional conditions including courtesy presentations to the EAB and conservation easement and management‑plan implementation.

The board later approved the companion site plan resolution by separate roll call.