Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Board Action topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
BZA says variance meets ordinance criteria; approval requires arborist measures, mitigation plan and sidewalks
Summary
After weighing public testimony and ordinance criteria, the board concluded the variance met criteria A–G and approved the tree‑removal request; approval included mandatory implementation of arborist report recommendations, required buffer and parking lot plantings, and confirmation of sidewalk and multiuse path requirements.
During deliberations the board worked through the ordinance criteria (A–G) for granting variances under the Town's ZLDR §153.049. Members discussed uniqueness of the site, whether removal would substantially detract from adjacent property or public good, and whether the need for a variance was applicant‑created. Several members requested traffic information but concluded that the only issue before the BZA was tree removal under the ordinance criteria; the use of the property is permitted in the zoning district.
The motion approved by the board (made by Joshua Hayes, seconded by Sheila Blair) adopted staff recommendations and explicitly made the arborist report's suggestions mandatory. The approval includes three specific types of conditions outlined by staff: installation of tree barricades around protected trees during construction, pre‑permit pruning and fertilization by a certified arborist, and submission of an inch‑for‑inch mitigation plan for removed grand trees. The board also confirmed that the site will provide the required sidewalk on Highland Avenue and a 12‑foot multiuse path along Folly Road per ordinance.
