The developer at the old Cottonwood Mall property told the neighbors that dead trees would be removed across the street from them. However, we were shocked and sickened to see that not only dead trees were removed but all the mature bushes and most of the live trees were also ripped out. We are now looking at a scene that is reminiscent of the famous Dust Bowl of the 1930s.
The plan for this portion of land is to sell half acre “estate lots’' to individuals. Our side of Arbor Lane is characterized by moderate-sized homes on large acreage with substantial mature vegetation. Our experience with new neighbors is that their tendency is to build much larger homes on the same size lots.
Sadly, they seem willing to spend enormous amounts of money to purchase cleared land and to build these new homes. But, in comparison, they spend very little to re-landscape. Certainly, larger trees and bushes aren’t inexpensive. But Kentucky blue grass, saplings, a few small bushes and a row or two of flowers does nothing to reduce air pollution or to fight climate change. And that limited landscaping is not in keeping with the existing character of our side of the street.
We can only hope that this disjointed approach to the appearance of our street is addressed by the city of Holladay in some meaningful way.
Camille Pierce, Holladay
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