A desperate homeowner has taken to Reddit for advice in his battle with the developer next door.
According to the OP, they have a huge, 80-year-old silver maple tree on their property. However, a developer next door is trying to build a three-story apartment building and wants to cut down OP’s tree. Even though the tree is clearly within the OP’s property, the developer has been fighting the OP.
Photo credit: Reddit
Photo credit: Reddit
In addition to threatening to cut down the OP’s tree, the developer is also demanding access to the OP’s property for the better part of a year to remove the tree and begin construction of the apartments, since the new building will be immediately adjacent to the OP’s property line.
OP has contacted an arborist and attended planning board meetings about the situation, but the city will not get involved.
“The tree would theoretically be torn down and the building would theoretically be built, I’d lose a lot,” the OP wrote. “Home value? Fence replacement? Trees gone, building up, privacy lost?”
Reddit users in the r/treelaw forum encouraged the OP to explore other solutions.
“You can deny him access without providing any explanation,” one Reddit user commented. “This will hopefully force him to have to change his building plans so that his building is no longer adjacent to your property and hopefully protect that tree.”
While this incident was incredibly frustrating for the OP, luckily the law was on their side. Because the tree is the owner’s property, the developer cannot legally cut down the tree.
There are many benefits to planting trees on your property. Not only do trees provide privacy and shade, they can also increase the value of your property. In fact, according to the Arbor Day Foundation, trees can increase the value of your property by 3 to 15 percent.
From an environmental perspective, trees provide food and shelter for local wildlife while absorbing carbon from the atmosphere and helping to keep the planet cool.
Reddit users on the r/treelaw forum continue to urge the OP not to back down and take steps to protect the tree and their property from the development next door.
“I would definitely recommend buying a camera,” one user suggested. “Not just because of the tree, but because it sounds like he plans to use your property to build his building.”
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