Infill Housing # 17

# 65 Kenora is history. It was demolished on September 23rd.

Although I notified the city forestry department of this impending demolition, months in advance, the two city trees in front of it were also destroyed. I understand that it would have been difficult to construct the doubles with both trees remaining, but I had hoped that maybe the tree which was on the front corner of the property, might have been spared.

However, upon reading the forestry departments' explanation for this decision, I understand that perhaps these particular trees were not the best ones for this location.

According to the city forestry department:

"All trees are greatly impacted by even a little site disturbance. In this case, the site will be massively altered. The amount of root loss is too significant for the overall retention. Trees will foliate for a few seasons but inevitably slowly die back, leaving the Forestry dept to remove the tree and stump, then replant, all at  our expense.

-Large site alterations and root loss would create a structural stability concern with this Norway Maple, thus leaving the tree to be compromised and a safety concern.

-The Crimson King “Norway” Maple is not suitable to have been planted under the Hydro Utility lines and should have most definitely never have been planted in that location. Both trees were planted under the lines and very much too close to one another to actually thrive for any length of time.

-This species of tree is considered invasive in our region due to numerous ailments and site conditions.

-As the building permits were granted, receiving monetary compensation for the inevitable death of these trees was a best case scenario. We now have more funds to plant within the community, Forestry will require the developer to plant the “Right tree in the right place”  considering the overhead hydro lines. Additionally, building code services collected the $700.00 tree planting deposit per address, to ensure planting takes place. If the developer opts out of the planting, Forestry will also retain these funds and plant through our program." 

However, that first paragraph, about site disturbance causing too much root damage, does not bode well for the decision about the tree I desperately want to keep, at #77.  In fact, it seems to sound the death knell for all trees, who are guilty of the venial sin of living in the path of developers' plans for massive houses.

With the house and trees out of the way at #65, we now have the resulting construction madness of a blocked street, truck traffic and constant noise.

Last Sunday, the excavator worked all day long, until darkness fell. In my last post, when listing the characteristics of living in a construction zone, I neglected to mention the shaking of our house. Some mornings I wake up, thinking that we may be experiencing an earthquake. Then I realize that it's 7 am and work has resumed at this latest work site. I'm no structural engineer,  but I'm guessing that this shaking is not beneficial for neighbouring houses. In recent conversations in the neighbourhood,  I was reminded of perhaps the most serious  problem with infill construction - the very real damage which sometimes occurs to neighbouring properties, resulting in long and acrimonious dealings.

So here's my revised list, of the problems associated with living in the middle of a construction zone:

1. The hassle of having large vehicles all over the street, often blocking driveways

2. The dust and dirt that blows everywhere

3. The workers who sometimes leave garbage around

4. The debris, including the cement that was allowed to flow down our street

5. The constant, ever-changing  NOISE!

6. The shaking of neighbouring houses

7. You can never sleep in.

8. The loss of trees, shrubs, gardens and lawns.

9, The damage sometimes inflicted on neighbouring properties and the resulting stress

Infill Housing #16

Our summer of construction was actually a little quieter than expected. That's because the planned renovation at Elmdale School has not started yet. For families affected by the relocation to a distant school, this delay is a major disappointment. Although I'm very weary of the construction in our area, it seems a shame that project has missed out on Ottawa's best months for working outside.

However,  here on Kenora Street it was business as usual. Most days there were maybe ten or twelve trucks and pieces of construction equipment parked up and down the street.

A typical summer day. On the right is the landscaping job at #73. The street is blocked off because of the work at #79.

This view of the commotion at #79 shows the tree at #77. That's the tree that we'd love to save, but we'll probably be told it is too damaged to keep. It looks pretty healthy to us and hides a multitude of sins.

Many days we felt trapped in our own home. It would have been pleasant to sit or perhaps even nap on the verandah, on those perfect summer days. However, we often stayed inside, with the windows closed, become of the ongoing construction chaos. It's not that they tore down the next two houses, slated for demolition this summer. No, instead we endured the exceedingly slow progress of the two projects at #79 and #73.

It's hard to say which aspect of living in a construction zone that I mind the most:

1. the hassle of having large vehicles all over the street, often blocking driveways,
2. the dust and dirt that blows everywhere
3. the workers who sometimes leave garbage around
4. the cement that was allowed to flow down our street
5. the NOISE !

I'd have to say it's the noise. That's the worst. There are different noises every day. As I write this, someone is loading heavy metal objects into a truck, resulting in loud, jarring, clanging  smashes.
Believe me, if there is a noisy way to do something, these guys will do it. Remember the old days when you would shovel dirt into a wheelbarrow? Gone. Now you have to listen to a mini excavator that beeps constantly, as it scrapes across the pavement to load the wheelbarrow, one painstaking load at a time.

The absolute worst day of the summer was the day we endured this particular procedure. Workers parked their vehicle on the lawn of the lovely house (#77) awaiting demolition and ran a hose out to the backyard. When asked, they told me they were removing fill from the back yard at 79. This was accomplished, not with your old fashioned digging but by sucking the dirt out with this truck/hose contraption. The noise was horrific, absolutely horrific. Inside our house, with all the windows closed, you could not hear yourself think. It went on all day long.

The house across from us (#73) has been under construction since May of 2018. It is their landscaping that dragged on so long. It wasn't the owners' fault. There were problems with the wrong materials being ordered, a change in design for the back yard etc. For most of the summer we looked at this.

The landscaping was finally finished sometime in September. Last week there was a cement truck and other equipment there, to repair the sidewalk in front of the house. They have replaced a couple of sections of sidewalk but there are more damaged sections to be replaced. Apparently developers have to pay for the sidewalk sections that they damage.  The city will be back to replace the other sections at a later date.

With the landscaping finally complete at # 73, we can be thankful that project is finished. However the doubles at #79 are nowhere near the finish line. There are always trucks there, with workers coming and going.

Here's the worst thought of all. There is no end in sight. Even when they finally finish # 79, we have two other properties on our block to go through the same horrible process.

Summertime

As you can tell by my prolonged absence, I have enjoyed our season of repose. It's so true, that getting out in the natural world, away from our ever-present screens, does a person a world of good.  I always feel better after a swim in a lake, a drive in the country, a bike ride, or some time at a cottage.

We are truly blessed to have the entertainment, the excitement and the love of our grandchildren. Time spent with them is a welcome diversion from the steady stream of negative news which threatens to overcome us. Being outside with them was my favourite part of summer.

What fun, to watch kids running on a summer day.

Water fights are just so much fun.

It had been years since I'd been to Toronto's Centre Island. One fine July day I visited there with our grandchildren. What a wonderful oasis! While walking around there, in the vast fields, beside the water, or around the gardens, one can easily forgot you're so close to Canada's largest city. It's wonderful to see so many people, of all backgrounds, enjoying a day away from their regular city life.

Enjoying the merry go round on Toronto Island

The grandkids (and I) were thrilled with the rides on Centre Island. It was so much fun to watch their excitement. While watching them on the boat ride, I had a flashback to my own childhood.

Back in the late fifties and early sixties, Dad would take us to the Ottawa Ex. As a child, I went on this same ride. How did my life slide by so quickly? While watching my grandchildren, I could suddenly remember my own excitement all those years ago. I really thought I was in a boat and that we were in deep water!

Camping at Sandbanks was another special time shared with family this summer. I don't have a photo of the kids' faces, as we jumped up and down in the waves, but I hope I'll always remember that magical time of pure joy.

This past year and a half, since Dad's death has been filled with so many firsts. This summer was my first time back at Sandbanks. As I walked  onto the beach after a swim, on a wild and windy day,  I looked over to the campsites which we've been lucky enough to occupy over the years. While camping at those beach-side sites, Dad would set up a hammock in the trees, overlooking the lake. As I contemplated that area, as I walked along the sandy roads, as I roasted marshmallows with the kids, I was filled, not with sadness but with a profound sense of gratitude. I have been so lucky, to have had all those times with my family in such a peaceful place. When I returned home, Mom and I shared our memories of early camping days and I thanked her for all our wonderful family trips.

Infill Housing #15

Now it's on to # 65. Infill truly is like a cancer on this block. This house will also be destroyed and replaced by yet another set of doubles.

Here's an example of the cowboy mentality of some of these builders. One morning last month, an excavator appeared on the front lawn of this house. You can see the marks on the lawn.

Thankfully, a neighbour ran across the street to confront  the operator and ask what he thought he was doing. Of course he replied that he was about to tear the house down. She informed him that the hydro and gas were not yet dis-connected. Also, the contents of the house were still inside. It took some convincing, but he finally turned off his machine. What if she hadn't stopped him?!

And so, once the utilities are really and truly shut off and the proper permits issued, this house too will bite the dust.  Will the two trees also go? On just that one side of our block we will have lost five of our original houses.

And so we anticipate summer. After this long winter, it would be nice to think of spending some time relaxing on our front verandah. However, there will be a steady parade of trucks, noise, dust and dirt as we deal with three infill projects on our block at one time.

Happy Holidays indeed!

Infill Housing #14

Many residents are saddened when they learn that #77 is slated for demolition. The front of this place has so many unique features and we recently learned that it's on the city's heritage list. It turns out that heritage status offers little protection, other than the requirement that owners provide sixty days notice before demolition.

It sold for $905 000 so that's how much a property is worth here now, regardless of the building on site. It's only worth that much because the city will allow developers to build a double on this size (fifty foot) of lot, in our zone. That's what is planned here. Will either of the families who build, still live there in three years time? Time will tell.

We don't have a chance of saving this lovely dwelling but I still hope that the tree out front may survive. The two Japanese lilacs closer to the house will no doubt go. The tree near the sidewalk is an Amur Maple. It's a city tree with a circumference of 246 centimetres so that qualifies it as a distincintive tree.

It will be some kind of miracle if it survives. From recent tree news in Ottawa, it seems that if a building permit is issued and the tree is in the way of service hook ups like water and gas, then the tree goes. The city's tree conservation bylaws are rarely enforced.

Disregard for trees seems to be a characteristic of all developers. This tree at 77 is not only under possible destruction from its current owners but has also faced attacks from the builders at 79. When they were hooking up their hydro, the hydro company simply hacked away at branches that came anywhere near the new house.

March 25

When I complained, the young man had the nerve to tell me that it would probably help the tree. I reported the incident to the city forestry office and they sent out a forestry inspector. In early April I learned that the forestry inspector arranged to have the maple pruned, to address some of the damaged branches from the hydro connection. They noted that the tree was in good condition for its size and age.

April 10

Next came this lovely machine, to do the gas hook up. All our residential streets now feature these cuts across them, at the sites of all the new builds. Anyhow the operator of this machine also took a few good whacks at the tree branches until I told him to stop. He reluctantly re-positioned his machine.

In early May I had the opportunity to speak to the developer at #79 and I voiced my concern about the manner in which his workers were treating the tree at 77. There was no apology. Instead he told me that the tree was coming down, that the arborist working for the new owners had told him the tree was dead anyhow. At that point, I told him to look at the tree which was full of buds. It is definitely not dead.

June 4

If this tree lives,  it will shield us from the doubles he is building. It will enhance the look of whatever happens at 77. However, I'm not counting on that. Chances are, we'll be looking at two sets of doubles with not one living thing in front of them.  We didn't buy in this area so that we could look at a street that resembles a brand new suburb!

Infill Housing #13

Forgive my lack of updates. Of course, the site at #79 looks a lot different now. Over these past few months I have heard about a few specific problems, related to this build, but I am reluctant to publish them. Instead I will provide a photo update.

March 14

With the walls up, the roof trusses were dropped into place.

Even in winter, you can appreciate why we are hoping that the tree in front of #77 survives. With just a little snow on its branches, it provides a lovely visual screen.

March 25

So by this point we knew what the final size of this project would be. A city inspector checked the height. It complies with the height restriction  for our area, which is 11 metres.

Of course, there has been a steady parade of trucks of one kind or another.

Apri 10

How many of these road cuts will our block have, as infills are built up and down the street?

April 21

With the roof on and windows installed, work has shifted to the inside of these structures.
Too bad they don't match. If they were both going to be a more traditional design, like the right side,  that would be easier on the eyes.

Pot Shop Re-visited

So, I'll reverse my opinion once again. On May 14th  I wrote that the local plot shop was not causing any big traffic problems along Wellington Street. If anyone from Warren Avenue ever read that version of events, they would be furious. The potshop (Superette) is at the corner of Wellington and Warren.

Last week I attended the AGM of our local community association. The meeting was fairly calm until many residents of Warren Avenue voiced their concerns about their new situation. Those poor people. Warren Avenue is only one block long, a dead end street. Until the past two months, it was probably one of the best blocks to live on, in this neighbourhood. Kids played out on the street on this quiet block. No more! Parents are now afraid to allow their children near the street because of the constant stream of cars who, in spite of the dead end sign, come looking for parking on Warren. Because it's a dead end,  they then have to turn around, when there is no parking available. People who have lived on this block for years, said that it's now a living hell. Besides the traffic and parking woes, they've also encountered extremely rude behaviour, with some people urinating on their lawns.

I felt badly for them at the meeting. They are desperate for someone to help them. There doesn't seem to be any easy solution to their problems. What a terrible transformation for them.