Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Trees topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves reduced specimen‑tree removals for CBD Real Estate plan, requires staff conditions and good‑faith preservation efforts
Summary
The council approved TR200601 for CBD Real Estate Investments LLC after the applicant revised maps to save roughly 40 additional trees; the approval included staff conditions and a requirement that the applicant attempt further preservation near the dog park and entrance, passed by voice vote.
The Brooksville City Council approved TR200601 on March 16, allowing specimen‑tree removals for the CBD Real Estate Investments LLC project after the applicant submitted revised exhibits that saved additional trees. The council adopted staff‑proposed conditions and asked the applicant to make a good‑faith effort to preserve trees near the dog park and the left side of the main entrance.
Mark Bentley, representing the petitioner, presented larger‑scale maps showing a reduction in regulated trees slated for removal from 119 to 79, representing roughly 40 additional trees preserved compared with the prior plan. "The proposed plan before you tonight reduced the removal of regulated trees from 119 to 79, saving 40 more trees," Bentley said.
Technical testimony and protections: Engineer Dave Schmidt and a certified arborist described where grading and required fill prevent preservation (trees impacted by more than 3 feet of fill are unlikely to survive) and outlined measures such as barricades, root‑protection systems, and post‑construction retaining features. The applicant agreed that any preserved trees that do not survive five years must be replaced, as specified in staff conditions.
Public concerns: Richard Ross (speaker 7), an immediate neighbor, raised worries about flood runoff on WISCON Road and asked that replacement plantings be native Florida hardwoods rather than scrub pines. The applicant agreed to consider those requests and to make additional efforts where feasible.
Council action and conditions: The council approved the application with staff conditions—including requiring a licensed landscape architect to design root‑protection systems and specifying replacement tree minimums—and added a motion that the applicant make a good‑faith effort to save extra trees near the dog park and entrance. The measure passed by voice vote, with the chair announcing adoption.
Next steps: The applicant will finalize compliance with staff conditions and return to council if additional phases or modifications are required.
