Toronto Ridiculous NIMBYism thread

[Johnny Au]

So you're confessing to the antics you did as a kid? Say three Our Father's and one Al Chet.

Not me though. Why would I use city property as my personal canvas?

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Not Toronto - but still funny:

Ellen Burgess is leading the campaign to stop the city's tree-planting efforts in the small nameless park in her neighbourhood.

"If you give people more places to hide, more naughty things will be done," she said.

She believes more trees will lead to more crime.

"We've had a significant increase in our little corner of the world and we are trying to put a stop to it," Burgess told the Calgary Eyeopener on Tuesday.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/tree-puns-brentwood-residents-oppose-tree-planting-1.3749728

Guess the denuded/clear-cut Amazonia is the next port of call. Calgarians should watch out for the baby boom however - since "naughty" things are happening. That, or the theory of gravity.

AoD

 

[Johnny Au]

Not Toronto - but still funny:



http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/tree-puns-brentwood-residents-oppose-tree-planting-1.3749728

Guess the denuded/clear-cut Amazonia is the next port of call. Calgarians should watch out for the baby boom however - since "naughty" things are happening. That, or the theory of gravity.

AoD

Not just Amazonia, but much of Indonesia as well

 

[salsa]

Pissed off Toronto NIMBYs - greatest hits



'Density Creep' Feared By Midtown Homeowners | Huffington Post

Scarborough homeowners upset over new sidewalk | Toronto Star

Bleecker St. residents say ‘ghost hotels’ ruining neighbourhood | Toronto Star

Ossington residents up in arms over 'massive' vertical split duplexes | Metro News

Chimes and announcements from new TTC streetcars causing sleepless nights | Inside Toronto

UP Express’ random bell ringing keeping residents up at night | Inside Toronto

Brampton residents worry downtown development threatens lush trees | Toronto Star

Excessive film shoots at Riverdale home irks neighbours | Toronto Star

Scarborough residents get expropriation warnings to make way for subway | Metro News

Debate over sidewalks, trees and development in Lawrence Park heats up| Post City Toronto

Swansea family loses battle to keep giant tree house as is | Toronto Star

Left Field Brewery generates noise complaints in East End | CBC

Toronto couple says view from million dollar dream home spoiled by Hydro pole | City News

Metrolinx rail bridge plan angers Davenport residents | CBC

Toddler sports program booted from park after noise complaints | City News

 

[Skeezix]

I actually don't consider all those examples to be NIMBYs (although admittedly all have been mentioned in this thread). I'm quite sympathetic to the woman who has to live next to that tree fort, and think the media has gotten that story all wrong (as has been discussed at length on these forums). And whether it is on Bleecker Street or elsewhere, the widespread use of airbnb can have some pretty negative adverse planning impacts, and it's a legitimate issue as to whether people and companies can effectively use houses as commercial hotels in residential zones that otherwise would not permit such uses. Don't get me wrong, airbnb has its place, but as a city we need to do a better job figuring out when and where it is appropriate.

But, yeah, the hydro pole, the noisy toddlers, the people near the brewery, people who move next to transit and then are shocked to discover they live next to transit, etc. ... all appalling. Greatest hits, indeed.

 

[Northern Light]

I actually don't consider all those examples to be NIMBYs (although admittedly all have been mentioned in this thread). I'm quite sympathetic to the woman who has to live next to that tree fort, and think the media has gotten that story all wrong (as has been discussed at length on these forums). And whether it is on Bleecker Street or elsewhere, the widespread use of airbnb can have some pretty negative adverse planning impacts, and it's a legitimate issue as to whether people and companies can effectively use houses as commercial hotels in residential zones that otherwise would not permit such uses. Don't get me wrong, airbnb has its place, but as a city we need to do a better job figuring out when and where it is appropriate.

But, yeah, the hydro pole, the noisy toddlers, the people near the brewery, people who move next to transit and then are shocked to discover they live next to transit, etc. ... all appalling. Greatest hits, indeed.

Well said.

The media (and people at large) often don't take the time to grasp nuance.

Sure a tree fort is OK; however, not if its the size of a guest house and situated 20-30ft in the air.

Sure you should be able to rent out your place if you're gone for a month in the summer; great use of space and money...........

But not if your not clear on who you are renting to, not if you don't have someone checking on the guests/property while your gone, not if you don't let your neighbour know, not if you share a common wall/front door, unless there is proper security and sound proofing in place.

Density can be good, no a monster home does not belong in the middle of some post WWII bungalows.

Details matter.

 

[Skeezix]

[...] The media (and people at large) often don't take the time to grasp nuance.

Sure a tree fort is OK; however, not if its the size of guest house and situated 20-30ft in the air. [...]

The guy who built the tree fort seems better at playing the media than he was at gaming the Planning Act process.

 

[doady]

I used to think NIMBYism in Toronto was very bad, but then I read about the recent and ongoing protests against tree plantings in Brentwood in Calgary. I think that is hard to beat.

 

[James]

Would you guys consider this another NIMBY case?

Toronto family lives next to porta-potty for 2 years, city says it can't help
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/toronto/porta-potty-problems-1.3754452

In brief, contractors have a porta-potty on the front of the property where they are building a new house. It's been 2 years, which is typical for a new build in the city. The neighbor complains that it smells. They say their kids can't come out and their parents can't sit in front of their house when they come visit.

^ If you look at that older photo of the site, you'll see the porta-potty on the far end of the driveway. Looking at the neighbor's house on the left, I'd be surprised if anyone would ever want to sit out in the front at all! I don't even see a front porch or any lawn chairs.

^ It looks like it has since moved closer to the house. Of course, the CBC had to get a shot of their daughter riding her bike on their driveway because I guess having her cross her arms in front of her chest wouldn't be quite as effective. Also notice the neighbor's sloped driveway. I have a hard time believing their daughter regularly rides her bicycle on that driveway, especially with training wheels on. My son can ride without training wheels and even he prefers to avoid sloped areas.

Am I wrong here? Am I assuming too much? I'm sympathetic to having an unsightly/smelly porta-potty on your neighbor's lot, in addition to having construction crew on the site for 2 years running, but these arguments come across as very NIMBY to me.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Hyperbole aside, I don't anyone would want a potty or a dumpster next door for an extended period of time - and two years is quite a long time.

AoD

 

[Skeezix]

I agree with that, AoD. If it was me, I would be annoyed, as much as this neighbour Kotra is.

But when I look at the neighbour's front yard on Google streetview, and where the porta potty is located vis-a-vis the neighbour's driveway and front door, James' comments above are well taken. This may have more to do with curb appeal than actual impacts. Also, on a general basis I wonder where contractors could typically put a porta potty on a residential lot without it potentially impacting the front or rear yards of at least one neighbour.

At a minimum, the rules under the Occupational Health and Safety Act should be enforced to ensure the thing doesn't smell from any distance.

I should note that this construction site is at the end of the New Haven Drive cul-de-sac. On the other side of this lot, there appear to be the rear walls of garages serving houses on Latimer Avenue. Without ever having visited this street, it strikes me that the porta potty could have gone on the other side of the lot without impacting a different neighbour. Maybe that's why Kotra is so annoyed in these circumstances.

 

[W. K. Lis]

How tall is too tall?

See link to CTV news.

 

[nrb]

I agree with that, AoD. If it was me, I would be annoyed, as much as this neighbour Kotra is.

But when I look at the neighbour's front yard on Google streetview, and where the porta potty is located vis-a-vis the neighbour's driveway and front door, James' comments above are well taken. This may have more to do with curb appeal than actual impacts. Also, on a general basis I wonder where contractors could typically put a porta potty on a residential lot without it potentially impacting the front or rear yards of at least one neighbour.

At a minimum, the rules under the Occupational Health and Safety Act should be enforced to ensure the thing doesn't smell from any distance.

I should note that this construction site is at the end of the New Haven Drive cul-de-sac. On the other side of this lot, there appear to be the rear walls of garages serving houses on Latimer Avenue. Without ever having visited this street, it strikes me that the porta potty could have gone on the other side of the lot without impacting a different neighbour. Maybe that's why Kotra is so annoyed in these circumstances.

How do you transport and service a port a potty without a road? In case you haven't noticed, they're rather bulky.

I've lived and worked next to lots with these things on them before. This complaint is absurd.

Here's my suggestion to this family: get rid of the port a potty and let the construction workers use your bathroom if it's making you so upset. Problem solved.

 

[Johnny Au]

How do you transport and service a port a potty without a road? In case you haven't noticed, they're rather bulky.

I've lived and worked next to lots with these things on them before. This complaint is absurd.

Here's my suggestion to this family: get rid of the port a potty and let the construction workers use your bathroom if it's making you so upset. Problem solved.

...and make some income out of it as well by charging per use, given that water used to flush toilets isn't free most of the time, the water used to wash hands isn't free most of the time, and the toilet paper isn't free most of the time. The owner can provide the construction workers with magazines or newspapers to read (though they shouldn't flush those down the toilet; the construction workers would have to be fined by the owners for any damage caused by blockage). After all, even construction companies have to pay for the port-a-potty rental service.

 

[W. K. Lis]

...and make some income out of it as well by charging per use, given that water used to flush toilets isn't free most of the time, the water used to wash hands isn't free most of the time, and the toilet paper isn't free most of the time. The owner can provide the construction workers with magazines or newspapers to read (though they shouldn't flush those down the toilet; the construction workers would have to be fined by the owners for any damage caused by blockage). After all, even construction companies have to pay for the port-a-potty rental service.

Used to pay to use toilets in Toronto.

Though, they did have to provide at least one free toilet.