GEARHART — Earlier this year, the city developed a plan to cut noxious weeds on Gearhart’s foredunes, with the goal of maintaining public safety, protecting firefighters and beach habitat.

But after concerns from residents that a proposed amendment to the city’s beach and dunes overlay zone was over-reaching, information incomplete and ill-timed, city councilors agreed to postpone Wednesday’s public hearing.

“The city finds the opportunity to address the fire hazard and noxious weed growth in the subject area has passed until later this year,” City Planner Carole Connell wrote in a report delivered to councilors.

In January, residents filled the Gearhart Fire Station for an education forum and town hall meeting on an amendment permitting the removal of noxious weeds.

The panel of city officials, state parks representatives and other experts was organized by Margaret Marino, a resident who had expressed concerns about the vegetation at city meetings and reached out to state departments and ecologists for assistance.

The amendment would have permitted the “removal, destruction or uprooting” of vegetation in areas of Gearhart’s foredunes. The amendment would have required revegetation of native plants or grasses after removal. Letters on behalf of the amendment stressed the risk of fire from overgrown vegetation.

“As a child in the 1980s, I witnessed the power and speed of a large dune fire that started close to the northern end of Ocean Avenue and spread down the dune to nearly in front of our home,” Gearhart property owner Joe Gregoire wrote. “Had there been the high fuel-load currently in place in the dunes with the added height … I believe the outcome would have been much worse.”

“I am in support of clearing and cleaning the safety lane for fire and police access to Little Beach,” Gearhart’s Ted Amato wrote in late-April.

Fire Chief Bill Eddy provided testimony that a wildland fire in the area would be left to burn itself out because of the amount of flammable fuel load.

“As the dune area now exists, there is a real public safety concern, with the limited access for emergency vehicles,” Police Chief Jeff Bowman wrote in March. “We have responded to incidents such as unattended campfires, unlawful lodging, illegal fireworks, minors in possession, parties and other minor disturbances.”

Future council decisions will also be driven by not only public safety but on impacts to threatened or endangered wildlife.

Any proposed land use action may negatively impact bird habitat in the area, Connell said in her staff report.

Five bird species — marbled murrelets, northern spotted owl, short-tailed albatross, streaked horned lark and western snowy plover are threatened or endangered species nesting in critical Gearhart foredune habitat, according to correspondence from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Leatherback, olive ridley and loggerhead sea turtles may also be found in the Gearhart dunes.

The Sand Dune Vegetation Committee, created to help the city identify a strategy to manage the vegetation on the dunes, will meet Saturday at 10 a.m. at Gearhart City Hall.