Developer working with community

Last night was the first working group meeting regarding the development of the property on the north side of Green Belt Drive.

Just a little background: After the full community meeting held at the Don Mills School, Councilor Denzil Minnan-Wong's office offered to host working group sessions where the community's concerns could be reviewed with the developer.

The Results: the discussion was soley about the east parcel of land. No discussion was entered into regarding the west parcel. The developer presented a modified planned footprint for the proposed new condo building on the east site that would reduce the massing and density on the site by taking away the formerly proposed 8-story wing of the building that fronted directly on Green Belt Drive. This adjustment was met with enthusiasm by the community, however there were still strong concerns with the proposed overall height of the main building (sitting farther back on the site closest to the ravine area) - 10 stories.

The Follow-up: there will be a second meeting to specifically address traffic, parking and other concerns arising from extra density. Date and time to still be confirmed.

Watch out for the MELT

As winter slowly lets go of it's bone chilling grasp, we will be facing new challenges as all that snow and ice begins to melt. To help your house stay safe from potential flooding follow a few simple steps:
1) clear drains, make sure that melting water can access the drains on your property and on the road
2) for front balconies/porches, ensure that the drain is not plugged with ice. It may take a few kettles of water, but poring boiling water down the drain should open up frozen drain pipes.

Good luck and stay dry.

Dog walker/Pet Sitter/House Sitter

Dog walker/Pet Sitter/House Sitter who lives right in your neighbourhood....on Humphrey Gate. Can't say enough good things about her but that would be tacky as her is me!!! You can check out my website Pawsalot.ca

Sara Pardy (Rogue's mom) on Haldenby Terrace added this comment
Magic Touch is great for cleaning dryer vents, Magictouch.to, 416-425-6864

The unspoken rules of dog etiquette

The following post is here under request from multiple neighbors including dog owners (and will probably be reposted several times until the message gets through). Just to set the record straight, I'm Molly's mom. I love dogs but we need to step up our etiquette skills.

We have a fantastic, inclusive neighborhood with great friends that include dogs. But to maintain friendliness, we need to restate some basics of dog ownership.

RULE # 1: PICK UP YOUR POOP
The following image came from a campaign in the UK but it is something that we need to be aware of in our little neighborhood. We have a great park that is actively used by children everyday the weather accommodates. And children will pick up everything.

This should not need to be written down. Picking up your dog's poo should be dog walking etiquette 101, yet we have a huge problem in our little neighborhood. It doesn’t matter that there is snow on the ground, we need to pick up the poo. That includes in our lovely wooded areas. If your dog likes to relieve themselves in the local wooded areas you still need to pick up after them. The smell can be intense and other neighbors are all around.

RULE # 2: WATCH WHERE YOUR DOG PEES
People work hard on their gardens (and we want them to, well presented gardens increase property values), don’t let your dog pee on someone’s lawn or garden. The nitrogen in urine kills grass.

Comments and contributions are welcome

This is an email received. Please feel free to add all your comments. And if you know of someone that is not on the email list, please forward their email address. We need everyone to be included.

My mother lives at 76 David Dunlap and she’s been talking about having some type of community forum for people to share ideas and help improve the neighborhood. The blog seems to have more of a home improvement theme at this point but I was wondering if it would spread out to other areas.

We have a diverse neighborhood with families, professionals, first-time owners, renters, from all different backgrounds. With the end goal being a communal understanding of what it is to be a good neighbour and how to improve our surroundings, this blog seems poised to do both.

Here are a few blog postings I would be happy to contribute to if you deem them appropriate. I’m happy to elaborate on any of them and get your feedback.

1. Snow Removal
2. Property Maintenance/Landscaping
3. Mocassin Trail Park
4. Humour/Anecdotal