Can we move this to "Off Topic" please.
It is a fine debate but it has nothing to do with anything other than one (wo)man's plight.
Many older Neighbourhoods are facing development and infill issues.
I think this is the plight of many.
Many people have a significant amount of net worth, as well as general life happiness, tied to their homes so it is a MMM issue.
Now we can't stop infill or developers, and I do not want to.
But we can all become more involved in what is happening in our community and what the future will look like.
I would suggest you get involved before something is right next door.
When developers & planners follow current zoning & Guidelines there is little problem.
I also think people need to be creative and think out of the box sometimes.
But when developers ingore the current rules and ask for drastic zoning changes the community should become involved.
Chopping down 100y old healthy trees has become a sore point in my area. Do you support that so a McMansion can be built?
Let's say you are an avid gardener and now your Neighbour wants to build a 6-plex that is 2 stories higher than allowed and covers most of the lot so now your yard is in total shade. Currently only 2-plex are allowed and the last 40% of the lot should be yard. They need to apply for a zoning change and some planner rubber stamped the change because they are pro-density.
I think this scenario is more extreme than what the OP suggested but not impossible.
I would hope fellow Mustacians, especially if you are retired, would take the time to review the issues and support this Neighbour.