The old song that says "You pave paradise and put up a parking lot" is all too true at 1700 North Elm St. A new condo complex is tearing down every tree on the lot next to Latham Park. This new building boom has reduced the verdant green arbors in our neighborhood to zilch.

While you cannot stop progress, it would be nice to leave a few trees standing for shade this summer. How could these old trees inhibit the progress of a huge development? Or perhaps the better question is why were they torn down without considering the ecological ramifications? Does the fact that they were part of the floodplain affect the zoning rules?

There are signs that there used to be a park here back when the apartments were built in 1938. It's too bad the trees do not have the same protection as our building, which is a part of the National Register of Historic Places.

Megan P. Fink
Greensboro