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Retarded feud in my neighbourhood (pg. 2)
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| Jayx1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by MarkT
I don't have a problem with tearing down a house and rebuilding...as that can obviously be a good thing for everyone. Having lived in Cabbagetown, until last year, for 4 years, I agree that area is a great example. You'll notice that people generally try to blend in with the surrounding style and architecture when they rebuild.
Those two slim, tall rental-specific houses though...that would likely have a negative impact on the other houses. |
They said the same about cabbagetown 15 years ago when there were nothing more than glorified cottages.
The reason the new buildings now fit in with the surrounding areas is because its been almost 2 decades of gentrification.
It had to start somewhere and i remember in OAC geography (1993 for me)we learned about NIMBYs back then who were fighting cabbagetown infill with the exact same arguements as those in north york use today.
"its ugly, it doesnt fit in"... well if they let the neighbourhood progress as it should then eventually it would all blend in. And blend into what exactly? Last i checked that area was a tract of wartime houses that look almost identical. And thats worth protecting?
If people in that area didnt want north york to become a second downtown then they shouldnt have voted for Mel Lastman while north youk was actually a city. |
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| MarkT |
the original Cabbagetown you speak of...the wartime housing...was bulldozed after WWII and eventually became Regent Park.
What is now commonly considered Cabbagetown (north of Gerrard, east of Parliament) is a mixture of cottages and huge century and heritage homes.
"Old Cabbagetown" (west of parliament, east of Sherbourne, south of Carlton) is also large, older homes.
so, while there has been gentrification and some infill, along with much reconstruction and renovation of existing homes...the entire area hasn't been as transformed as you seem to suggest.
anyway...point being that there needs to be some consideration for your neighbours. I'd like to see MORE neighbourhood associations preserving some character and sense of community, while at the same time recognizing that not all change is bad. |
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| Euphorica |
thats nuts. i think we all have our fair share of wacko neighbours though.
My old neighbour used to be white trash drunk. some shady went on there. it was scary sometimes :crazy: |
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| tatgirl |
We have a duplex next to our house, houses a sweet elderly Japanese couple with a nice yard, & on the other side, young Chinese landlords who used to house MANY young tenants and keep the grounds a mess. They've been arguing for years over reno's the Chinese do (always without permits, which wouldn't matter so much if their work didnt always affect the Japanese neighbor's house). They really started fueding the weekend of our wedding (Aug) after noise complaints and police were called to complain about renos going late w/out a permit. Chinese guys were told to stop work & get a permit. Then the poor old Japanese lady's jeep gets spraypainted with black paint. Police cant do anything w/out witnesses. They leave their house shaken, and within 2 hrs, a 'mystery man' in a balaclava shows up a takes a baseball bat to the Chinese house windows. Police come, nothing can be done- again, no witnesses. I told the Chinese to cut it out- put an end to it now. All was quiet til a couple weeks ago, when someone threw bricks thru their windows during the night. Again, no witnesses. A week later, heated debate again over renovation noise. I swear, this 1 Chinese guy woulda hopped over and killed poor old George if I hadn't been there to intervene. Apparantly, these Chinese guys have cut his car off in the street and gotten out of theirs, wanting to fight him in the past too. I mean, really- what kinda person wants to fight an 80 yr old man???
So, both the houses still have their busted windows, unrepaired. I even heard that the Chinese were seen going into the Japanese's house to do some repairs last week- yet to be confirmed. Hopefully, they patched things up.
Never a dull moment on our street.... |
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| Jayx1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by MarkT
the original Cabbagetown you speak of...the wartime housing...was bulldozed after WWII and eventually became Regent Park.
What is now commonly considered Cabbagetown (north of Gerrard, east of Parliament) is a mixture of cottages and huge century and heritage homes.
"Old Cabbagetown" (west of parliament, east of Sherbourne, south of Carlton) is also large, older homes.
so, while there has been gentrification and some infill, along with much reconstruction and renovation of existing homes...the entire area hasn't been as transformed as you seem to suggest.
anyway...point being that there needs to be some consideration for your neighbours. I'd like to see MORE neighbourhood associations preserving some character and sense of community, while at the same time recognizing that not all change is bad. |
i meant the area that is known today as cabbagetown. And yes compared to 20 years ago the area has changed significantly.As for the north york area in question. What is there to preserve? Old cookie cutter 1940s houses with big lots? |
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| zokissima |
| Just another reason to live as far out of the central city as possible. |
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| Jayx1 |
BTW mark one more thing. The neighbourhood associations you speak of used to be about community activities like organizing street bbqs, bake sales and rides for people without cars. Unfortunately today all it is is a bunch of strangers who get together so they can collectively whine to city hall.
Very sad indeed |
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| dEsidEL |
| quote: | Originally posted by zokissima
Just another reason to live as far out of the central city as possible. |
i think this type of behaviour can be found anywhere in the GTA..
i know that in my old area, located on the border of Scarborough and Markham, various residents were banning together to get council to restrict the number of 'illegal' rooming/boarding houses that were being setup without proper permits and such. the homes were often occupied by 20 or more people (often new immigrants) in a single family unit. this wasn't aimed at trying to spoil anyone's fun, but concerns over increased traffic congestion, garbage output, and safety hazzards due to firecode violations.
from what I've heard this type of problem is starting to pop up in some rural areas of the GTA that are now undergoing new housing development..
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| Jayx1 |
| perhaps if housing werent so ridiculously priced in the first place this wouldnt be happening. |
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| dEsidEL |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jayx1
perhaps if housing werent so ridiculously priced in the first place this wouldnt be happening. |
doesn't the market control the prices or .. ?
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| Jayx1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by dEsidEL
doesn't the market control the prices or .. ?
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to an extent but sadly people are also resigned to paying the prices in the first place. Its not because they can always afford it, its because they feel they have no choice.
Canadian marketplaces are funny because often times oligopolies and essential services will take advantage of the fact that while canadians will bitch till the cows come home, they will usually resign themselves to just paying it anyways instead of boycotting or seeking out alternatives. (which is how market prices traditionally lower themselves) |
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| MarkT |
I kind of doubt that an organized boycott of the housing market is at all feasible.
people here are too greedy for one and don't give a about anyone other than themselves (e.g. the landlady in the original post).
so you think all the people who CAN afford to live here (which is plenty, given the sales records that continue to be broken) care that so many others are being priced out of the market?
yeah, right! ;) |
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