Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce enjoy NYC date night as new neighbors furiously oppose plans to ‘knock down trees’

LEAVE A COMMENT Taylor Swift's "Wish List" for the perfect life may include a "couple kids" and a "driveway with a basketball hoop," but it's going to take longer than hoped for as her new neighbors are holding up plans put forward for approval.

Taylor, who released the song on her 2025 album The Life of a Showgirl, and husband Travis Kelce recently purchased a $5.35 million lakefront home in Bratenahl, Ohio, only several miles from Cleveland Heights, where Travis was raised before he became a Super Bowl-winning NFL player.

But on October 9, as the singer and Travis enjoyed a date night in New York City – where they have spent the last week celebrating Travis' 37th birthday – residents of Bratenahl attended a board meeting and shared their fears over lake views, tree removal, and a 115-year-old sewer line, with one neighbor admitting she was frustrated to be arguing about homeowner issues with someone who is only "going to live there occasionally."

Before Taylor and Travis move in, the pair asked the village’s Architectural Review Board for approval on a rear-yard tree plan that appeared to include plants and trees taller than 10 feet, which is illegal in the neighborhood.

Tiny Construction LLC, hired by the newly-married couple, admitted there had been confusion over restrictions but were happy to make adjustments

However, local residents continue to share their concerns, with Katherine Bolton telling the board on October 9: "I'm asking for your help in a neighborly way to try to come up with a solution so that, they can have the trees, which they want for their privacy because of the person who’s going to live there occasionally, versus our sewer, which could really go to pieces in five years."

Trees cannot be planted too close to sewer lines as growing roots can cause backup.

"This applicant may decide to sell her house next year, maybe move on and buy another house," she added.

Taylor also owns a luxury condo in Nashville, a $25 million Georgian mansion Beverly Hills, and a $30 million two-story condo in New York City, where she stays when she is in the city. She also owns the iconic Holiday House in Rhode Island.

Travis owns a $6 million, 17,000-square-foot mansion in Leawood, Kansas, located near the Kansas City Chiefs' home stadium, where he plays football.

The board also questioned the plans, suggesting it was a screening plan – a design dedicated specifically to privacy and blocking unwanted views – that had been submitted, and not a landscaping plan, which focuses on the entire outdoor property.

Other neighbors, who have lived there for decades, were also disappointed that they may lose lake views they had enjoyed their entire life.

Chuck Bauernschmidt, who has lived there for 47 year, said: "I take offense when we start knocking trees down. I’m just trying to protect our place. That’s pure and simple."

The review board will meet again Tuesday, November 10, to review a revised landscape plan.

HELLO! has contacted reps for Taylor and Travis for comment.

Taylor and Travis have already faced pushback after they proposed a six-foot-tall black, powder-coated aluminum fence which would extend around the entire property line.

It was finally approved after two rounds of appeals, but it must be erected two feet inside the property line to avoid affecting sewer lines, can only be as tall as existing stone walls, and must match the design and appearance of another fence on nearby Ingall Brook Lane.

The eight-bedroom, 11 bathroom home was built in 1895 and features Gilded Age architecture. It sits on 3.5 acres of land along Lake Erie and includes a heated in-ground pool, a bluestone patio, full fitness center, sauna, game room, home theater, bar, temperature-controlled wine cellar and a billiards/poker area.

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