Quote:
Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark
As much as we like to express derision towards those who oppose apartment/condo buildings in their backyard, I can see their point even if I don't agree that they should have absolute power to control what is or isn't built in their neighborhood.
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The effect on our home and yard was that any feeling of privacy was now gone as we suddenly had a dozen or so windows peering down on our yard, most of the sunny areas had now turned to shade, which affected enjoyment and gardening (and hence, enjoyment), and an unexpected effect was people now using our yard as a shortcut by cutting through the parking lot of the building, hopping the fence to our yard, and walking through the garden and up the driveway. I have no idea on what effect it had on property values, but in the least it would have made it harder to sell.
Net result is that the building really negatively affected our enjoyment of the property, which my parents had put their whole life into buying and maintaining.
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Very valid points.
A key difference between then and now is that there's greater attention paid to the transition between shorter and taller buildings, so in essence, even if an area is zoned for 26-metre buildings, that doesn't mean the whole lot can be built to 26 metres. It depends what's next door. The other, related factor, is building design. In the past, you might have a concrete slab right next to a two-storey house, whereas today there would be a range of design requirements to mitigate the effects.
Ultimately, someone is going to have to live with a taller building next door they might not like, but ideally it will be a mid-rise rather than a tower, and better designed to minimize negative effects. Then the towers can be adjacent to the mid-rises, etc...