Homeowners Upset Over Oncor Tree Cutting

Oncor's plans to cut down three trees close to power lines in Arlington's Southwind subdivision has upset homeowners. The power company will remove the trees Friday near the entrance to the neighborhood on Southwind Drive at Highway 360.

At first, homeowners thought Oncor was going to chop down 25 trees. They say they lost 15 trees last month when Oncor removed them and residents don't want to see it happen again.

Oncor regularly removes trees across the Metroplex to prevent power outages during severe weather.

Homeowners in Southwind say losing beautiful trees that help shade people from the sun and block the eyesore of power lines will hurt property values at a time when the homeowners association is already in bankruptcy and new home building is on hold.

"Very frustrated to see all that happen and have a blank space left. And these few behind us are the big ones that are going to have a real impact because this is a very visual entrance to our community off of 360," said HOA board member Debbie Heitmeier.

Oncor spokesperson Jeamy Molina says the company is talking to the HOA and the city about the option of replanting the three trees elsewhere in the neighborhood.

Oncor says it cannot simply trim back the trees because they'd have to trim them back so much, the trees would die. Molina says the trees must be removed because they affect one of the most important transmission lines in the DFW area, serving a lot of people in Arlington and beyond.

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