I think there definitely should be some things that can only be placed on green - definitely the more nature-focused builds like the forest and lake at least. Also doesn't the sprinkler let you change terrain under buildings already?
Yeah, the advanced sprinkler lets you change it under other nearby tiles.
Ah and I noticed I misread, thought you disliked the trade-off :D
And yeah, currently only the forest requires the green underneath. The lake might make sense as well. Thanks for the discussion! :)