The air was as thick as the canopy over the Wilora Lake neighborhood in east Charlotte. Rain clouds had only just scattered, and the birds were active, their songs battling against the noise of nearby traffic.
That scene will soon change. About two dozen people gathered the morning of May 9 to pay their respects not to a person, but to the trees they will lose.
Most of the 6.6 wooded acres hemmed in by North Sharon Amity and Wilora Lake roads will be razed and replaced with income-restricted housing for seniors. Charlotte City Council paved the way for the development in March when it voted 6-4 in favor of rezoning the property for affordable housing…