SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — The sounds echoed in the the air. The sound large machinery made was mixed with that of decades old trees being hacked down.
“The sound of the wood cracking. It is just heartbreaking,” said Yolanda Art. “Beautiful 40-year-old mature trees that provide oxygen, shade and clean air.”
Art is part of a group of residents in Rancho Penasquitos who are upset over an apartment development project, on the old Hotel Karlan property, that according to them, is taking away part of the green landscape in the community.
“When they started taking down all those trees, that’s when I started feeling like this is not right. Someone has to say something,” said Art. “The community needs to be aware.”
News 8 initially reported on the demolition a couple of weeks ago when another resident sent in a picture of the first round of trees, several dozen, hacked apart.
The construction project is taking place near Carmel Mountain Road and Penasquitos Drive.
This week, neighbors got even more upset when another couple dozen trees that lined the street were ripped apart.
Residents said they are not against development in the area, but the feel these trees especially were un-necessarily removed in a careless way.
"I’ve even gone over there and looked and there’s absolutely nothing left but piles of dirt and trees. It’s heartbreaking it really is," said Art.
She feels especially devastated for the wildlife who inhabited the trees.
“It’s prime breeding season, and there’s a lot of nests in there,” she said. “You would see the little mom birds flying around trying squeaking trying find their babies and that continued on for days.”
News 8 reached out to the developer, Dinerstein Companies, on multiple occasions to ask about the community’s concerns, but they did not respond to a request for comment.
“I don’t want to see this keep happening in our community,” Art said. “Rancho Peñasquitos is a beautiful community with a lot do trees, nature, hiking trails and I don’t want to see this continue happening.”
While she can’t save the trees that have already been torn down, Art hopes awareness about the issue, motivates more people to get involved in community issues.