The developer building a new Goodwill outlet and warehouse and the city of Greenwood are close to an agreement over replacing trees that were cut down.
In two weeks, Sullivan Commercial and the Greenwood Board of Zoning Appeals will meet to decide if construction on the new retail store, which was halted last month after the trees were cut down, can resume.
Before that can happen, the city board must approve the modified landscaping plans that Sullivan Commercial presented.
This week, Sullivan Commercial came to the board with a plan to plant more than 40 trees and more than 100 bushes, according to documents filed with the city. The number of trees that will be planted will be more than the amount of trees that had been at the site, board member Phil Tinkle said.
Now, the city must decide if the height and species of the proposed trees and bushes will provide the proper sound and sight barrier to surround the warehouse. If the plan gets the OK, construction can resume on the proposed Goodwill retail outlet store, which will be part of a 125,000-square-foot facility located off Emerson Avenue, south of County Line Road. Construction has been allowed to continue on the warehouse facility while the city and developer reached an agreement on the trees.
In September, Sullivan Commercial had its construction permits revoked by the city after cutting down too many trees at the site.
The trees were included in the city’s agreement with the developer because they served as a sound and sight buffer. The new Goodwill outlet store and warehouse will neighbor a sleep therapy office, among other businesses, and the city wanted to ensure the sound of semis coming and going would not be a disturbance, Greenwood Director of Planning Bill Peeples said.Â
Later that month, Sullivan Commercial presented a plan to correct its mistake by planting more trees along the property. The company is aware of its mistake in cutting down too many trees and wants to fix the problem as soon as it can, Sullivan’s commercial developer Scott Rogers said.
The board of zoning appeals had two weeks to review the proposed plan, and this week members agreed to the number and species of trees that will be put in place of those cut down. In two weeks, the board will decide whether those trees should be planted before Thanksgiving or in the spring.
The time to plant the trees is decided based on what is available at nurseries where the developer would be getting the trees from, said Rob Taggart, parks and recreation director, who also serves as the city’s landscape consultant.
