Some residents have expressed concerns regarding the grove of trees located at the corner of Space Park and Point Lookout Drives. Here are a few of the questions we have received. Please let us know if you have any further questions.
| Did the City sell the trees on Space Park Drive to the developer? |
A: No. The City of Nassau Bay has never owned these trees, and the property is not a public park or community amenity. The trees are the private commercial property of Griffin Partners. However, the city does own the trees planted along the rights-of-way, and these trees are protected.
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| Can the city stop the developer from cutting down the trees? |
A: No. The City does not have a preservation ordinance to “protect” the trees. Just like our homeowners, it is the right of the property owner to remove or relocate trees from their property as they wish. The city’s Zoning Ordinance under the architectural review and approval procedures requires developers to preserve existing trees where possible; however, it is necessary for many of these trees to be removed in order for the developer to create useable space. As part of the redevelopment, Griffin is including beautiful landscaping in their design for the property. In addition, Griffin plans to save as many trees as possible located in the internal courtyard of the multi-family complex.
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| What is the benefit of removing these trees? |
A: The property in its current state only produces $2,700 in annual tax revenue. Redeveloped, the property is expected to provide the city an estimated $196,971 in annual tax revenue. This represents 7.9% of the city’s total property tax revenue, and about 4 cents of the city’s tax rate.
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| Does the leadership of Nassau Bay have a plan to compensate for the removed trees? |
A: Nassau Bay leadership is tree-friendly, planting and relocating more than 1,200 trees in parks, street rights-of-way and public areas during the last 10 years. The City also relocated 85 trees that were in the way of various city redevelopment or infrastructure projects.
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| How has the city paid for all these new trees for NASA Parkway landscaping? |
A: The City funded new plantings through hotel tax revenue and matching state and federal funds. Additional funding for tree projects in parks and street rights-of-way are part of the city’s annual budget process.
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| What other environmental efforts has Nassau Bay undertaken? |
A: The City uses only organic fertilizers to care for city landscaping and encourages our community to do the same by providing organic fertilizers for sale at a reasonable cost. In addition, the City is involved in numerous area environmental conservation and education programs.
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