The Brooksville City Council approved tree removals for two separate projects during their Monday, March 16 meeting. Mayor Christa Tanner expressed her satisfaction with the level of cooperation from developers, saying, “I think this could be used as an example of a great collaboration.”
The first project, located at 440.2 acres at Broad Street and Croom Road, was submitted by Landmark Engineering Corporation on behalf of HBWB Development. The project requires the removal of 114 18-inch live oak specimen trees for Phase 1 to move forward, down from 119 trees previously. In their place, 1,430 new trees will be planted, including 94 with 3-inch trunks. The development will include ponds for drainage purposes, and tree removal is part of the process. Todd Amaden, president of Landmark Engineering, explained that the tree removal is necessary “to control flooding, provide floodplain encroachment compensation, and really improve the drainage situation.”
Councilman Louis Hallal questioned the number of trees needed, suggesting that fewer trees could be planted and the remaining fees could be placed into the tree mitigation fund. However, the council ultimately approved the tree removal request. The city will receive 1,430 new trees instead of paying roughly $800,000 in fees.
Originally reported by Hernando Sun
Sources: Hernando Sun
