Do not under any circumstances plant a Sycamore anywhere near anything you want to not be destroyed by roots. Plumbing, sewer lines, concrete slabs, retaining walls...all will be destroyed by the roots of the Sycamore costing you immense amounts of damage. Then there is the leaf drop which after a fall windstorm can produce drifts of leaves many feet high, all of which are a fire hazard. Then there is the high allergen factor of Sycamore Pollen. Then the tree is also prone to rot on the inside, so that the tree falls on your house when you least expect it. What's worse is the tree is hard to kill even after you've cut it down, ground the stump, burned it, dumped round up on it, it'll still grow back. The only thing a Sycamore tree is good for is firewood and maybe woodworking. We recently bought a property with 7 Sycamores on it and so far they've cost us about $50,000 in damages. I've cut down half of them, the others will be gone by the end of the year.

Just saw a bunch of these during a couple days on the western edge of the Big Thicket and don't believe one of them was growing straight... suspect it's an odd tendency they have. Even the ones in the linked photos are leaning a bit. Sorry no personal experience with them, but don't recall many with busted limbs or uprooted in the forest. A relatively uncommon yard tree in Dallas. The only one I know of in our immediate neighborhood is probably about 50+ years old and, though a beautiful tree, also has a pronounced tilt to the left. Might find more experience with these on the GW tree forum.

I have a few mature Mexican Sycamores. Despite being very tough and sticking it out through all the drought, they don't love August. My one that gets the most sun exposure at the roots, starts looking rough every year around this time; with a dulling of leaf color and a bit of browning around the edges of leaves. My two others that are shaded at the roots fare much better. Hopefully it's fine and just got tired of the heat!

Different types of trees grow differently, especially when young. Some only make one flush per growing season, others many, especially under favorable conditions. Occasionally young trees will grow late and have tender growth nipped by the first freeze, usually its not a problem. I'd be happy to see a young tree growing now, it's still a ways til frost, it means growing conditions are good and the tree is healthy.