Playa del Carmen halts poplar tree relocation

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The city’s environment commission agreed to halt work to relocate a poplar tree on a private lot at Quinta Bis and Calle 38, in the tourist district of Playa del Carmen, after a group of residents asked officials to stop the job.

Municipal Environment Secretary Kandy Mendoza said she will meet with the property owners to look for alternatives. The secretary said the tree has already been assessed by Civil Protection specialists and by a certified arborist from outside city government, and that the meeting will focus on which options can be applied at the site.

Cenote question remains unresolved

Another point still to be settled is whether the lot contains a cenote, as residents have said. Mendoza said she will seek support from Cenotes Urbanos and Centinelas del Agua to verify whether a water body exists on the property and to assess its condition.

The secretary noted that other lots in the city have seen trees grow large enough to damage residential structures. In the Quinta Bis case, officials have not yet decided which alternative the poplar will receive.

The commission’s decision came in response to the neighbors’ request. The next steps are talks with the property owners and a review of the site to determine whether the possible presence of a water body should factor into the final decision.