Cabbagetown

[Stupidandshallow]

This kinda' made me chuckle.. I wonder what street this is.

Peeved neighbour insists basketball net, Christmas lights not up to Cabbagetown snuff

The game may have been invented in 1891, but one Cabbagetown resident thinks basketball nets have no place in the historic neighbourhood.

The peeved neighbour left a note registering his or her discontent with the state of a nearby home in the historic downtown district.

“It would be appreciated if your home could look a little more like it did in the 1800s,” the neighbour wrote.

What with the spring garden tour season approaching, and historical walking tours to follow — not to mention the fall house tours — Cabbagetowners are working “even harder than usual to show off the 19th century heritage of this community,” the letter goes on.

The note-writer offers some gentle suggestions for the offending home to get in line, such as moving the basketball net to the back alley.

“The Christmas lights perhaps to Goodwill, the bicycles stored at the rear, and the general clutter cleaned up.”

The peeved neighbour would “deeply appreciate” the changes.

 

[44 North]

It's on CityNews, it was one of their broadcasters' homes. I don't want to announce the street, but if you know the area or watch the whole clip it should be pretty obvious which street.

http://www.citynews.ca/2015/04/09/cabbbagetown-resident-receives-anonymous-note-urging-clean-up/

 

[Stupidandshallow]

It's on CityNews, it was one of their broadcasters' homes. I don't want to announce the street, but if you know the area or watch the whole clip it should be pretty obvious which street.

http://www.citynews.ca/2015/04/09/cabbbagetown-resident-receives-anonymous-note-urging-clean-up/

Ah that makes total sense. I was wondering why this story first appeared in the news vs somewhere like Reddit... I totally know what street that is. Granted that, that house used to be in TCHC hands that neighbour should be ecstatic that it's now in the hands of a homeowner who can most likely afford to repair it/maintain it.

 

[UserNameToronto]

Ah that makes total sense. I was wondering why this story first appeared in the news vs somewhere like Reddit... I totally know what street that is. Granted that, that house used to be in TCHC hands that neighbour should be ecstatic that it's now in the hands of a homeowner who can most likely afford to repair it/maintain it.

Agree...though I've walked by that house many times recently and thought it was a bit naff to have all that junk in the front yard. Most other people are able to substitute their garbage/recycling bins for bags or park the bins in the alley. Cabbagetown is not a place that tolerates ASBOs.

 

[ChesterCopperpot]

How are things up on that high horse there?

 

[hawc]

(Roger Petersen's Twitter Pic)

 

[slicecom]

Honestly it looks pretty bad. I'd be annoyed if I was his neighbour too.

 

[UserNameToronto]

Google streetview from July/14 looks the same.

 

[hawc]

Are you allowed to put a fence in front of a City fire hydrant like that?

 

[nfitz]

So back to Victorian standards? So a vegetable patch in the front garden? Some cabbages? Better cut down all the trees to let the light in.

I see someone has already stuck an outhouse in ...

 

[hawc]

Alright so the note was a little silly, but the points are valid. Take some pride in your property. Because the rest of us have to stare at it too. You want to be a hoarder indoors? Fine. But keep your front yard tidy and don't put up a big honking basketball net out that's completely out of place on the street you live on. It's selfish to not keep up with neighbourhood standards. You live in a community not in the middle of the desert.

 

[Skeezix]

Not sure that the basketball and hockey nets are all that out of place, and they are certainly not a sign that someone doesn't take pride in their property. They are a sign that a family with kids lives in that house. I don't see anything selfish about them whatsoever. The busybody neighbour who wrote the note doesn't establish the "neighbourhood standards". If it was trash, okay. If it violates a city by-law, okay. If the equipment has been abandoned (i.e. never used), okay. Otherwise, it's row housing and it is difficult to move these things back and forth from the front to the back. If the busybody neighbour wanted to an actual "fellow Cabbagetowner", (s)he could have introduced him/herself and offered to help move the things for the winter. It's possible that in the summer these items could be kept more out-of-sight next to the front porch - but to arrange that type of solution, the neighbour in question would have needed to have had an actual discussion with the owner, in an effort to find a solution, rather than just leaving notes.

According to the news report, the owner's biggest complaint was that the neighbour didn't just come up to him to discuss it, and instead left an anonymous note. Community respect works both ways. The person who wrote the note showed none.

 

[Jonny5]

One way to improve the aesthetics would be to remove the busted sign on the utility pole (as if those really deter crime), and fix it properly so it doesn't need that giant cable support which appears to be about 7 meters long. Or is it just an optical illusion that it goes behind the basketball net to the house?

 

[can332]

Are you allowed to put a fence in front of a City fire hydrant like that?

Yes, you are, as long as you don't obscure its visibility from the public roadway, or impede its use by building the fence too close to it (usually about 2' clearance.)

 

[James]

As some others have openly admitted, the house does look a little derelict. While there's no clear black-and-white bylaw that's been infringed, it's just an unwritten expectation that someone living in this neighborhood would want to maintain a certain level of curb appeal to their property. Unfortunately it's a grey area that really can't be enforced.