Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tree Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wilmington Tree Commission weighs pushing native-tree list into city code
Summary
Commissioners discussed targeting one or two achievable changes—including adding a native-tree guide to the Land Development Code or submitting a resolution to City Council—and agreed to coordinate with planning staff on drafting technical amendments and supporting materials.
The Wilmington Tree Commission discussed ways to move a native-tree guide and other Code in Canopy recommendations into the city’s regulatory process at its Jan. 28 meeting.
Chair Tom Bowlin said the commission has several options for advancing priorities and suggested a formal approach: “One thing we can do is write a resolution and present that to the City Council about something we’re passionate about,” he said, framing a resolution as a tool to show the commission’s focus to elected officials.
A planning-department staff speaker described how planting and design features for new development are reviewed by the city team, including the city arborist, and encouraged commissioners to work with planning staff to benchmark other cities and prepare suggested Land Development Code (LDC) amendments. The staff member said technical standards and recommended species lists already live in city documents and that the planning department could help convert recommended changes into an LDC amendment application.
Commission members framed strategy around achievable, narrowly defined wins. A commissioner who has worked on local native-tree materials urged starting with the native-tree guide already used at regional events: “We’re already halfway there with just that business; see if we can implement it even further,” she said, describing a pragmatic first target that could gain developer and public support.
Members agreed on a two-track approach: refine suggested amendments in consultation with planning staff and, if needed, present either an informational resolution to City Council or a formal LDC amendment package supported by planning staff for presentation to the Planning Commission and Council.
Next steps recorded at the meeting included planning staff sharing the city’s current developer guidance and the commission preparing three proposed amendments or a native-tree guide for review at the next meeting. No formal vote or ordinance change occurred at the session.
