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Council tables Milkaway Farms specimen‑tree removal after residents press for proof trees must be removed
Summary
Developers seeking to remove large numbers of trees in a 40+ acre Milkaway Farms subdivision were asked to return with documentation showing trees would die from proposed fill and grading; council voted to table the application to allow applicant to provide additional analysis.
The Brooksville City Council on Feb. 2 tabled a specimen‑tree removal request for the Milkaway Farms subdivision after lengthy debate about whether developers could preserve large trees while raising lots above the floodplain.
Applicant representatives described a plan that requires raising lot grades and installing utilities and roads; they said those actions would change the critical root zones and hydrology for many mature trees, making survival unlikely. The developer also offered mitigation: code‑required reinsertion of roughly 459 trees, plus 78 additional mitigation trees and an estimated mitigation payment (about $220,000) to offset removals.
Council members pushed back and asked staff and the applicant for proof that the specific trees identified could not be preserved. One council member said, “I just cannot sit here and vote for a complete leveling of this property” and asked the applicant to target a small set of front‑yard trees the council would like evaluated for potential preservation.
The applicant’s consultant explained that fill up to 1–4 feet would be added to lots that are currently in wetland or low‑lying area and that utilities and road construction would intrude into root zones for many specimen trees. He cited industry guidance on critical root zones and the difficulty of saving trees that would be surrounded by fill.
After extended questioning, the council voted to table the request and directed the applicant to return with additional documentation and alternatives that might preserve select trees or otherwise substantiate why removals are necessary.
Next steps: the applicant will provide the requested evidence and potential redesigns or mitigation alternatives; the council will take up the item again once the supplementary materials are submitted.
Speakers quoted or named in the record include the applicant’s representative (Mr. Hainley), the developer’s landscape architect, and council members who asked for proof of tree mortality under the proposed grading plan.
