The rings of history chopped to pieces. It makes me sad.
Maybe roots can seep into basements but unlikely if the tree is away from the house. Trees may also block the view and block sunlight but I think you get enough sunlight in your neighborhood. You need as much shade as you can get.
Coming back home to Chicago I noticed my dad talks to some neighbors but some neighbors are just impossible to talk to. In my neighborhood in Korea we are so close together we end up talking about whatever bothers us whether we like it or not. Then the neighbors either solve the problem together or explode and yell at each other and then go home. I don't suggest you explode at your neighbor. It is also too late to do anything about a tree that is already down. Planting a new tree would be nice but it wouldn't be the same.
peace
Well @mineopoly, there are no basements in this part of Texas! I went by there again today and they look like they had 2 workers taking out all of their bushes also! Maybe they are starting over on their landscaping; but cutting down the tree completely is extreme! They could have had a tree arborist trim out a bunch of branches to let more light through so they could grow grass and flowers... or maybe the tree roots were causing problems...