REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - The City of Rehoboth Beach is asking for public comments on proposed revisions to the city’s tree code. The revisions come after two years of efforts to revamp the code and are designed to address tree retention, reforestation, and preservation.
Some of the changes to the code include:
reducing the size of trees to be planted from 12’ tall and 3” in diameter to 8’ tall and 2” in diameter
maintaining minimum density at three trees, but requiring that one tree must be a native canopy tree and come from a city-approved list
providing greater measures for tree protection during construction, especially of heritage trees
simplifying mitigation for removed trees, requiring tree-for-tree replacement
setting a fee to cover real costs of planting and maintaining a tree on city property for two years.
The Board of Commissioners invites residents, property owners, and tree and landscape professionals to provide feedback. Written comments can be submitted until March 17. The Commissioners also plan to hold a workshop on Tuesday, April 11 to for final discussions.
Written comments may be submitted to City Secretary Ann Womack at awomack@cityofrehoboth.com
Information and documents related to the revised tree code – including the current and proposed codes, proposed approved tree list, and a high-level comparison of the current and proposed codes – is available on the city’s online legislative portal.