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Commission approves Merit Crossing preliminary plat and tree‑removal permit with conditions
Summary
The commission approved the Merit Crossing preliminary plat (approximately 23.6 acres for 186 townhomes and related infrastructure) and separately approved a tree removal permit allowing removal of 54 protected trees while requiring the applicant to plant 154 new trees (totaling ~1,114.2 caliper inches); the tree permit passed 5–2.
The Planning and Zoning Commission voted to approve the Merit Crossing preliminary plat for roughly 23.6 acres at the corner of Merritt Road and Fayetteville Avenue, intended to accommodate 186 townhomes and associated open space and infrastructure.
Senior planner Siliana Morijon presented the project and then described a related tree removal permit application: of 147 total trees on site, 66 met the form‑based code's protected‑tree threshold and staff reported 54 protected trees were proposed for removal while 12 would be preserved. The applicant proposed planting 154 replacement trees totaling approximately 1,114.2 caliper inches and retaining some unprotected specimens. Morijon said those replacement plantings satisfy the form‑based code credits so no mitigation payment to the reforestation fund is required.
The preliminary plat passed 7–0. The separate tree removal permit vote passed 5–2; staff said the commission may approve, condition, or deny tree removal permits and noted the code requires City Council approval for removal of more than three protected trees in some contexts. The record indicates the commission approved the permit with the planting plan described by staff.
