You can thank HP for giving up substantial land value through the development agreement with the City in order to get this property off their books - HP paid dearly for this at a greatly reduced land price and that is why this project is proceeding. If this were an individual, they'd be bankrupt and therein lies the problem - diminished competition and increased costs which makes the words "affordable housing" meaningless. My children need market rate affordable housing, not subsidized housing or more trees for that matter! Thankly they do not qualify for subsidized because of their jobs and work ethic yet they face the same challenges as everyone else.

From a redwood info site....
If you absolutely have to have a redwood tree, consider the costs of maintaining it, and be sure your homeowner's liability insurance will pay for the damage it will do. There's a reason they're in the parks.

WARNING! Even though a redwood is an awesome tree, Sequoia is NOT a good choice for a suburban lot if you wish to remain a good neighbor. Even in average soil it will quickly overwhelm the surrounding area.

The year-round heavy shade will not allow grass to grow and landscaping will be limited to shade-loving plants such as ferns. Winters underneath a redwood tree are cold and wet. Redwoods control the growth of other plants around them by 'bombing' them -- dropping chunks of wood and branches on competing plants (and your house.) The area around a mature redwood resembles a war zone. It is not possible to leave the paths in the redwood parks without having to clamber over the mess on the ground. The redwood is also by nature a messy tree, dropping a third of its branchlets each year as it renews them, clogging gutters and drains.

Its roots are very efficient at removing nutrients from your and your neighbor's soil. They are shallow and extend many feet from the tree, damaging foundations, driveways and cracking water and drain pipes. Many years after a tree's removal, the existing roots will continue to send up sprouts in the surrounding landscaping.