Downtown Amarillo is growing and changing, but not without controversy. The removal of several long-standing trees as part of a renovation project near the Amarillo Municipal Court has sparked concern among local leaders and organizations, especially those who have spent decades investing in downtown’s beautification.
A Legacy of Green
For many, trees aren’t just landscape — they’re legacy. Richard Ware, Chairman of Amarillo National Bank (ANB) and a former chair of the first Downtown Planning Committee, was instrumental in the original downtown revitalization efforts in the 1990s. One of the committee’s major goals was simple but impactful: line Amarillo’s downtown streets with trees.
“Well I think the importance for the feel of downtown — what makes downtown different — is the quality of life, and the grass and trees do that, and the asphalt never does,” said Ware.
According to ANB, the bank has planted over 500 trees in the downtown area throughout the years. So when bulldozers moved in and started clearing trees at the court building's parking lot, emotions ran high.
“It’s crushing for us to see the destruction of something that we’ve worked so hard to build,” Ware said. “They needed more parking spaces. We’re reminded of the Joni Mitchell song – pave paradise and put up a parking lot.”
A City's Tough Trade-Off
But the story isn’t as one-sided as some fear. City officials say the decision to remove the trees wasn’t taken lightly. According to Jerry Danforth, the City of Amarillo’s Managing Director of Facilities, Capital Projects, Engineering and Building Safety, the current parking lot sits a foot and a half higher than the front doors of the courthouse — a design flaw that’s led to frequent flooding during heavy rains.
“The parking lot that exists in front of the municipal courts is actually a foot and a half higher than the front doors of that building,” Danforth said. “So, when we get major rain events, the rainwater actually runs into the court building.”
To correct this, the City is completely reconstructing the parking lot to improve drainage and meet ADA accessibility requirements — a challenge in older downtown spaces. Part of that process required the removal of three trees, including a mature 35-year-old tree at the corner of 4th and Tyler.
“We looked at potentially boring into that tree, but the depth of the roots on that tree — once we bore through it, we would have killed the tree anyway,” Danforth said. “So, we made the decision to go ahead and remove it. And like I said, we hated taking it out.”
The Bigger Picture — and Future Trees
The tension, then, lies between two competing but valid priorities: preserving the charm and history of downtown Amarillo versus updating outdated infrastructure to meet modern safety and accessibility standards.
Danforth emphasized that although three trees are being removed, ten new trees will be planted, mostly oak trees that will eventually grow 35 to 55 feet tall. These will include a new irrigation system, and the layout will reflect the aesthetics already seen at Hodgetown and City Hall.
“There’s actually an irrigation system that will be built with this,” Danforth said. “We’re taking three trees out, but we’re putting ten trees in.”
A Call for Better Coordination
Still, some leaders say the real problem lies in communication and planning. Jim J. Brewer, President of Downtown Amarillo Inc., was blunt in his disappointment.
“It was disheartening to see that the City of Amarillo has chosen to destroy decades-old trees outside the municipal court building for the sake of a few parking spaces,” Brewer said. “Surely the City of Amarillo could come up with solutions to save our cherished trees.”
The removal may comply with downtown design standards, but many feel the spirit of those standards — to create a more vibrant, livable downtown — was compromised. Brewer and others hope this will prompt more collaboration in future projects, especially when decades of investment are at stake.
Final Thoughts
Development doesn’t always come without cost. In this case, Amarillo finds itself trying to balance heritage and progress — preserving the feel of a downtown shaped by generations while upgrading the infrastructure that serves its future.
Yes, trees can be replanted. But for some in the community, the loss of those original trees feels personal.
As Ware put it, “They needed more parking spaces. We’re reminded of the Joni Mitchell song – pave paradise and put up a parking lot.”
