City Council revisited discussion on the Coval Long Plat, the site of a proposed 18 townhouses, Monday night just past Reporter deadline.

Staff recommended that council direct the Planning Commission to reopen the public hearing process for additional fact finding with the understanding that many questions had gone unanswered when Council rejected preliminary plans for the historic Island home in February.

At the time, Council asked if it had the authority to do more than just approve or reject the application. Further research revealed that resuming the open-record public hearing could focus attention on the issues that demanded more answers like the steep slopes, critical areas and the 200 of 300 trees expected to be razed for the new development.

City code does not require that Council approves or rejects the application at the additional public hearing, only that it deliberate on the commission’s recommendations.