My guess is, they cut it down because of the shade it was causing @violetmed, going by the photographs of the neighbouring houses.
I'm always surprised at how little long term thought developers put in when they are planting trees.
We have lots of cases in the UK with a particular type of tree that should never have been planted in the first place. It's very fast growing and way too big for the gardens it was put in but people are allowed to cut it down. Some do anyway and then pay the fine.
I hate to see old trees cut down and, for the most part, they are pretty well protected here and have to be taken into account in new developments etc. I'm happy to say. #sm