The city announced Halifax River Partners (HRP) will be clearing the existing trees on HRP’s property, located in the River District, east of S. Ridgewood Avenue, between Ocean Avenue and Herbert Street.
Port Orange Clearing Trees on Riverwalk Property
To comply with federal, state and local stormwater management and floodplain development requirements, about 3 to 4 feet of fill will need to be placed in this area to provide water quality and flood protection for development.
Due to the extent and amount of fill required to realize the Riverwalk vision, the existing trees are being cleared since placing the required fill on the existing trees’ established root system will significantly reduce the trees’ ability to survive.
According to the property owner, the clearing plan will include all trees and vegetation, as well as the majority of pavement and concrete slabs within the boundary (blue outline in graphic).
The Riverwalk Amended and Restated Master Development Agreement (MDA), approved by council in September 2016, exempted the property owned by HRP from the city’s tree preservation requirements due to the amount of fill required to develop the site.
As the Riverwalk vision continues to develop, landscaping and trees will be planted to provide a cohesive, pedestrian attractive feel to the destination venue along with restaurants, condominiums and other planned structures.