Neighbors in south Charlotte, North Carolina, gathered in early October to say goodbye to two 100-year-old live oaks near Freedom Park that are set to come down for a new house. Approved site plans show a home of nearly 6,500 square feet on the lot, WBTV reported on Oct. 6. Both oaks are classified as heritage trees, and under the city’s rules the developer pays $1,500 for each one removed and plants a replacement tree.
Residents put signs on one of the oaks in hopes of stopping the removal, but they have found few options, the station reported.
Neighbors call the fee too small
Meigan Alexander lives across the street from one of the trees, and the second heritage oak stands behind it. She told WBTV that neighbors are angry because they do not believe the removal has to happen.
Alexander said the character of the street “is going to be wiped out, and it doesn’t get replaced by a sapling.” She called the required payment “not even a slap on the wrist” and said a replacement tree would not mature in her lifetime…