Eug
Senior Member
A green solution to a neighbour's spat
At issue is Mr. Jain's eight-unit townhouse development, near Main and Gerrard Streets. While seven of the units quietly snake behind the backyard fence of Mr. Clark's handsome century home, the sole detached unit comes within inches of Mr. Clark's quahog shell-covered driveway, and its tall, blank wall substitutes a good deal of his blue-sky view with unwanted shadows.
Mr. Clark did have a small bargaining chip. In order to finish masonry and roofing work, Mr. Jain would need to rent Mr. Clark's driveway to erect scaffolding. But, instead of a simple cash payout, Mr. Donnelly suggested that Atria install a solar-thermal unit on Mr. Clark's roof so he could "capture what's left of his sunlight and turn it into green energy," says the lawyer. That way, "every time Rodney takes a shower or does his dishes he can think, 'You know, there's something positive that has come out of this experience about being impacted by infill development.' "
I can tell you, this green solution would still have me seeing red. The amount of light blockage from that new development seems like it would be huge, at least if that picture is any indication. Plus, that wall is completely devoid of any redeeming aesthetic features.
At issue is Mr. Jain's eight-unit townhouse development, near Main and Gerrard Streets. While seven of the units quietly snake behind the backyard fence of Mr. Clark's handsome century home, the sole detached unit comes within inches of Mr. Clark's quahog shell-covered driveway, and its tall, blank wall substitutes a good deal of his blue-sky view with unwanted shadows.
Mr. Clark did have a small bargaining chip. In order to finish masonry and roofing work, Mr. Jain would need to rent Mr. Clark's driveway to erect scaffolding. But, instead of a simple cash payout, Mr. Donnelly suggested that Atria install a solar-thermal unit on Mr. Clark's roof so he could "capture what's left of his sunlight and turn it into green energy," says the lawyer. That way, "every time Rodney takes a shower or does his dishes he can think, 'You know, there's something positive that has come out of this experience about being impacted by infill development.' "
![Dave_Leblanc__Ju_115341gm-a.jpg](http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/00115/Dave_Leblanc__Ju_115341gm-a.jpg)
I can tell you, this green solution would still have me seeing red. The amount of light blockage from that new development seems like it would be huge, at least if that picture is any indication. Plus, that wall is completely devoid of any redeeming aesthetic features.