One homeowner made an urgent Reddit post last year when they found out their HOA was planning to remove all the trees lining the neighborhood's sidewalks.
Trees provide massive benefits to people, especially in urban areas. They provide shade and keep their surroundings cooler in summer, help purify the air, and beautify the area.
At a time when ancient rainforests like the Amazon are in danger of being cut down or drying out, trees are more valuable than ever. However, HOAs often make decisions that are bad for the environment just to control the appearance of the neighborhood or save money.
One Redditor has just found out how extreme an HOA can be.
"My HOA is removing all the trees that line the easement in my community," they said in a post. "I talked to the HOA president, and she is doing this because a minority of the trees are causing buckling of the sidewalks."
Tree roots growing under pavement can cause it to warp and crack, which is a genuine problem that calls for repairs. But the user believes that removing all the trees is a drastic response, especially since most of the trees aren't causing any damage.
"I feel they did not properly inform the residents of such a massive change," they added. "I believe this will have adverse effects on the value of my property. They voted and now we are just stuck with this horrible decision."
The Redditor posted, hoping for a way to stop the project. Some commenters suggested a vote at the next HOA meeting or even taking over the HOA board, but the original poster said there's only one meeting each year.
"You're mostly screwed because they will have the trees down way before anything works in your favor," one commenter concluded.
Another user offered an alternative route. "I'd reach out to the city and see if she actually got a permit. There is a chance she is lying, and you can report her."
The next day, the original poster responded, "They were lying. The city confirmed to me the last permit on file was July 2021. They told me they will be sending someone out to the HOA on Monday."
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