BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) – Local engineers have altered the site plan for a proposed Chili’s Restaurant to spare a 200-year-old oak tree, according to officials.

The tree was set to come down last month to make way for the eatery, but planners reconsidered after local residents showed up to protest.

All work has been halted at the construction site while Chili’s prepares an Act 250 application. District Environmental Coordinator Warren Foster confirmed on Friday that Chili’s has come up with a plan to save the oak, said Dan Monks, the town planning director and zoning administrator.

A building and Dumpster will be relocated to meet the buffer zone requirements set for the tree by local forester Jim White, said Monks.

Chili’s has also addressed its access issue in anticipation of filing an Act 250 application. The company had wanted its customers to use an access road that was already in place, but the state Agency of Transportation deemed that use inappropriate. The access road will be gated off, but maintained as a second entry point for fire departments.

Those who protested the cutting of the tree were pleased by the news.

“I’m really really pleased to hear that. It’s encouraging to know that change can be made on a local level,” said Allen McCullough, a North Bennington resident.

Protesters cited the tree’s age, beauty and shade as reasons for it not to get the ax.

Michael Biddy said he hopes that construction workers respect White’s buffer zone around the tree and don’t drive over that area or put heavy materials there, he said. Leaking car fluids and soil compaction can cause irreversible damage to trees that doesn’t show up for three or four years, he said.

AP-ES-09-04-04 0954EDT