BOARDMAN — Township officials have accepted a remediation plan that the owners of a large undeveloped parcel intend to use to build a senior independent living apartment complex.

During their regular meeting Monday afternoon at the fire station on Market Street, trustees voted to allow Cincinnati-based Pivotal Housing Partners LLC to continue with its plans to build the four-story Pointe at Walker Mill, a series of one- and two-bedroom apartments for those 55 and older in the 8000 block of South Avenue close to Rulli Bros.

Recently, a subcontractor Pivotal had hired improperly mass-graded the westernmost portion of the property by removing about 20 trees as well as shrubs, which exceeded what was in the original approved site plan and violated stormwater regulations, Thomas “T.J.” Keiren, the township’s zoning and planning inspector, said.

Recent photographs of the site showed a largely cleared area with sporadic mounds of tree branches and uprooted shrubs. Consequently, that subcontractor has been fired, Keiren added. The new contractor will be Miller-Yount Paving Inc. of Cortland, Denise Blake, Pivotal’s management director, said.

A primary objective outlined in the remediation plan is to mitigate the portion of property cleared during site redevelopment. Specifically, the plan calls for replacing the space’s natural habitat and screening the area from nearby residences, Keiren noted.

The “ecological functionality” will be replaced with about 20 trees and 0.4 acres of shrubs and shrub habitat, according to schematics that were presented to the trustees.

In addition, the plan’s long-term features include a two-year monitoring period beginning when all plants specified are installed, an annual site visit during the growing season between April 15 and Oct. 15, at least six photo locations established in specified areas and a report containing the results of the yearly monitoring, the renderings show.

The plan also calls for a two-year warranty on all plant material. Bare-root trees, shrubs and seed are required to be replaced to maintain a minimum 75% survivability rate at the end of the two-year monitoring period, according to the plan.

The zoning inspector said that about 200 calipers worth of trees were improperly taken out, but will be replaced with nearly 300 calipers of white pine, hardwood and other deciduous trees native to the region. Planting will occur between Sept. 1 and Oct. 20, he added.

After Pivotal agreed to remedy the situation, a stop-work order issued a few weeks ago was lifted. A preconstruction meeting was scheduled Tuesday with the new contractor to ensure certain ecological and stormwater measures are in place and up to code. Otherwise, a stop-work order likely will be reinstated, Keiren said.