Mayor, developer reach accord to remove 700 block trees

The developer of a planned downtown condo project will give $10,000 to the city’s Take Root program, allowing him to remove two trees that block a proposed entrance to a parking garage.

The agreement, stemming from a meeting with Mayor Ron Littlefield and city forester Gene Hyde, permits developer Trey Stanley to avoid reconfiguring the project and moving the entrance.

“We made a case for why it had to happen,” said Mr. Stanley about why the 60-foot willow oak trees need to be cut down before demolition can start.

Mr. Stanley and Mr. Hyde previously hit a sticking point over the trees, which sit on the north end of the site on the 700 block of Market Street.

The city’s Take Root program permits individuals, groups and businesses to buy trees, which the city plants and maintains.

The oaks are among more than a half-dozen that line the sidewalk in front of Mr. Stanley’s vacant buildings. He said he’s satisfied with the agreement and that the discussions were not adversarial.

Richard Beeland, the mayor’s spokesman, said that once Mr. Stanley makes the donation, he can cut down the trees.

“We want to ensure the (tree) canopy in the city is as good as possible,” he said.

Mr. Stanley plans to tear down more than half of the east side of the 700 block. In its place, he will build a high-rise, $16 million structure for 58 condominiums, parking and ground-floor commercial space.

“We’re preserving six of the eight large trees on the site,” he said.

The project, called Mayfair on Market, is aimed at earning Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction.

Mr. Stanley said demolition is expected to start this month. Interior demolition may be done before work starts on the outside.

Pedestrian lights at the site have been removed, and barricades are to go up within about two weeks, Mr. Stanley said. T.U. Parks Construction Co. is the general contractor.

FAST FACT

The $16 million Mayfair on Market project is slated to house 58 condominiums, parking and commercial space on the 700 block of Market Street.