“Because the reason I was considering spending extra money disappeared when you cut it down.”
Her jaw tightened.
“We’ll stop this.”
“Call planning.”
“I intend to.”
“Good.”
She turned.
Walked toward her SUV.
I let her get halfway there.
“Vanessa.”
She stopped.
I pointed toward the stumps.
“You wanted the trees gone.”
Then I looked up at twenty feet of dark steel.
“Enjoy the view.”
That line became neighborhood legend.
People repeated it as though I had planned the entire event for months.
I had not.
If I had known what would happen next, I might have kept my mouth shut.
Vanessa called everybody.
Planning.
Zoning.
Code enforcement.
Fire inspection.
Environmental services.
She filed complaints about height.
Setback.
Drainage.
Commercial use.
Emergency access.
Stormwater.
Lighting.
Possible permit modifications.
Visual impact.
She even suggested that because the view had changed after the permit was issued, the county should reevaluate the building.
Most complaints went nowhere.
But complaints create process.
Process creates inspections.