To the editor:

Why do our local developers feel they must clear cut the land in order to build a new neighborhood? Recently, a backhoe removed several old tall trees from the field behind our house. This stand of trees was a home for an owl and a resting place for many birds. They provided shade for our backyard. Even though the city has a plan for replacing trees, the trees that are planted now won’t mature in my lifetime.

Not everyone wants their trees spaced evenly at 20 feet apart. This city clearly needs a better plan for development that includes green space and leaving rows of existing trees. The destruction of all the trees near Peterson Road and Monterey Way is unbelievable. How difficult is it to build around a few trees? I guess we will be another city that “paved paradise and put up a parking lot.”

I hope that the only “wildlife” we have in the future is not from apartment complexes! The city and developers need to plan together to balance existing land with new development before it is too late.

Susan McClintic,

Lawrence