General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours

[danbrotherston]

What privacy! There is ALREADY a 20 story apartment building across the street, you're saying a 4 story building will reduce privacy compared with a 20 story building?! And a 2 meter difference in setback won't change it much anyway. I don't CARE if they're happy about it or not, if they wanted to have an empty lot next to them, they should have BOUGHT that lot...because the idea they should have control over who lives next door to them is offensive.

But people need to stop looking at satellite views because they do not actually explain the experience of being somewhere. I've been in...I dunno...two dozen Dutch homes in the past month (and no, I still haven't managed to rent one :'( ). Not one has been under 3 stories, and most are taller.

The setbacks these homes have from adjoining properties is measured in millimetres, yet while *IN* those back yards, it's hard to even notice nearby buildings. This really isn't the pedophile apocalypse that NIMBYs seem to believe.

The 20-story building doesn't overlook the two properties with the pools. It overlooks a low rise apartment building. I am not saying I care about them. I was just pointing it out. It is a small site, and it seems to me that there would be not much space between the building and the other properties, which would probably concern the homeowners.

If you define "overlook" as "is immediately adjacent to"...

I define "overlook" as "to look over, by being above and proximate"...at which point the building absolutely looks over or..."overlooks" the homes with the pools, as well as many other homes in the area.

By even by your definition, the apartment building also overlooks two single family homes. I'm also not sure why "overlooking" an apartment building (which has a dozen households living in it is better than overlooking a single family home with one).

It's not a small site, the site is in fact, almost as large as the site with the apartment building on it. The only reason there is any constraints is because they are retaining the existing buildings...which we all know if they planned demolishing is something that these very same people would oppose.

As for "there isn't much space", that isn't even true. Last time I saw the plans (which I admit, I cannot find again to confirm) there was a driveway between the building and the property line. There's actually quite a bit of buffer, again, even by Kitchener standards, that's still a reasonable buffer, and like I said, I haven't been to a property even half that far from it's neighbouring property.

Edit: For bonus points, since you mention the mid rise apartment building next door, that building is almost (one story shorter) the same size, scale, and proximity to the adjacent homes, again, I haven't seen the plans, but it might actually be closer to the adjacent homes. It's funny because we don't even notice that building, and yet this tantrum is being thrown over a very similar building.

You know, I though "fired is a bit much" for anyone who voted against the development, but I'm rethinking my position, you're absolutely right, that is the proper response.