northeast Calgary residents pave entire front lawns

[V]

Since when are you not allowed to pave over a UR/W? That's news to me.

[Ducay]

You can pave over any right of way, setback, and any % of your own property....until you get caught obviously!

Interesting that there is some kind of limit on "valid parking" spaces on your own property per that quoted official. So I can't just park on the grass of my house if I wanted to?

[PsYcNeT]

Just like building over a gas line, or putting up a permanent structure over a ROW/easement, the City and associated utilities reserve the right to destroy said structure/pavement/etc if they require access to the lines underneath.

Not illegal to do it, it's just stupidity, since you're essentially creating a temporary structure for permanent cost.

[Addick]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

Its the same as putting a rusted out pickup on your front lawn. If someone complains, you'll have to move it.

While it is probably covered in the Land Use Bylaw, rusted vehicles are covered on their own as Dilapidated Vehicles.

Originally Posted by ernie

While it doesn't look nice I'm of the opinion that the most offensive thing in those pictures is the 4 feet between the houses not the lack of a front lawn. That irritates me and is actually a big reason I don't live somewhere like Calgary.

That space comes at a cost. It is a cost that municipalities up and down the Province are trying to reduce and cover but, tellingly, it is developers who initiated this change to lower their costs.

Originally Posted by chemgear

I wonder if this sort of thing will come up more and more as the City continues to discuss things like secondary suites.

Yes and no. Parking issues can arise at certain points of a neighbourhood's lifecycle. As communities mature and the once young children in once young families begin to drive and get their own vehicle, parking becomes increasingly sparse. Parking issues can and will arise regardless of policy changes like secondary suites.

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by Land Use bylaw

(4) Vehicles may only be parked in the actual front setback area when the vehicle is located on a driveway or motor vehicle parking stall that is hard surfaced.

5) That portion of a driveway, including a motor vehicle parking stall, within 6.0 metres of a public sidewalk, or a curb on a street where there is no public sidewalk, must not exceed a width of:

(a) 6.0 metres where the parcel width is 9.0 metres or less; or

(b) 7.0 metres where the parcel width is greater than 9.0 metres and less than 15.0 metres.

So in effect, you can only park where it is paved, and there are restrictions on how much you can pave, and thus, park.

[habernac]

we had a house nearby that had four cars parking on the lawn all winter. In the spring, they were still there. Enough people 311d them that the city made them replant the lawn and have all the cars moved.

[The Familia]

Good. I hope the city goes to every house with a paved lawn and leaves the owner with a hefty bill after they jackhammered the thing into oblivion. I'm thinking of 311'ing a few people in my area (Sage Hill) for paving across the entire front lawn. Here are my reasons why paving the front yard is a ridiculous thing to do.

1) Lack of green space: Yes the spacing issue between houses is a big concern, but at the end of the day, we need all the green space we can get based on the existing suburban layout. Some grass and a couple trees goes a long way in turning a concrete suburban jungle into a somewhat more environmentally friendly place. Not to mention it helps with rain water runoff.

2) Attractiveness: As mentioned above, the suburbs can sometimes be a pretty sterile place. This can easily be changed. Mandating every house to have grass and trees can go along way to improving the attractiveness of an area. Compare the following two suburbs (Panorama Hills and Martindale). The main road into Panorama Hills estates is now complete with fully grown trees. Each house on the main drag was given two trees. These trees have gotten quite large over the past 15 years and it is a very attractive drive. You see many people walking up and down the sidewalks or biking. Martindale on the other hand looks like a nuclear wasteland. People invest a lot of money into houses and property. Do they not have any pride in maintaining their investment?

3) Laziness: The houses in my area that are paved are not used for parking. My only conclusion is that the owner is too lazy to cut their grass and look after their property. You want to own a house with a yard? Than take care of it. If you are too lazy to do so, get an apartment. A house in my area ripped up their front lawn, left the tree, and paved the whole thing except a small opening around the tree. The tree stops it from being a parking spot so I ask myself, why?

4) Resale: How do these people resell their house? I would personally not touch a house that has been paved over. While I get that obviously some people like this, I would imagine that is the extreme minority. It also brings down the value of neighboring houses. I'd be pissed if my neighbor paved right up to the property line.

5) Legality: It is against city bylaw. Enough said. Follow the rules or find another city to live in. Tired of people trying to make their own rules for everything and thinking the universe revolves around them and their self entitlement.

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by The Familia

I'm thinking of 311'ing a few people in my area (Sage Hill) for paving across the entire front lawn.

Ahhh, not just the NE. Seems to be a suburbia thing I guess?

And why are you just thinking about it? You've spent way more time crafting your (clean and logical) post than it would take to report these morons.

[The Familia]

Originally Posted by chemgear

Ahhh, not just the NE. Seems to be a suburbia thing I guess?

And why are you just thinking about it? You've spent way more time crafting your (clean and logical) post than it would take to report these morons.

.

You are right. I will do it.

[wretched34]

Originally Posted by The Familia

3) Laziness: The houses in my area that are paved are not used for parking. My only conclusion is that the owner is too lazy to cut their grass and look after their property. You want to own a house with a yard? Than take care of it. If you are too lazy to do so, get an apartment. A house in my area ripped up their front lawn, left the tree, and paved the whole thing except a small opening around the tree. The tree stops it from being a parking spot so I ask myself, why?

When we bought our house, I was stoked about having a 6 car driveway (previous owner paved for their RV), I was so sick of street parking. Then it snowed....
I'd happily mow an extra couple hundred square feet of grass for a few months, then have to shovel that ****ing thing 1 more time.
I guess my point is, is it laziness? Isn't it a bylaw that they have to shovel the paved area clear? If so, they have created more work for themselves. My guess is they don't shovel it though?

[The Ditch]

I am fairly certain that you do not have to shovel a driveway, only the side walk according the bylaws.

But what is a bylaw is that you can't put snow from your driveway onto the road, and with no lawn where are they putting all of that snow? Of course they're just dumping it onto the street, but someone who would pave their whole lawn is someone who is selfish and doesn't care anyways.

[wretched34]

Good to know, lol. Here, I thought I had to shovel a safe passage for people to approach my home as to avoid a lawsuit. Turns out, I just have to protect the city...
Good luck getting to my door next winter, you can try and sell whatever you're selling from the sidewalk!

[Wormius]

I thought you still had to have a clear path to the front door? No?

[Vulcan]

I shouldn't be one to talk as I've got a lawn covering about a 1/3 acre but there are alternatives to lawns. With me it's either have a lawn or watch blackberry bushes take over the yard.

Turf lawns take a lot of time and money to maintain. They require the use of precious water resources to keep them alive, and the pesticides and herbicides we apply to them can damage the environment. More and more, people are turning to low-maintenance, no-mow lawn alternatives like meadows, rock gardens, and ground covers. These fresh options prove that you can have a beautiful yard without growing a single blade of grass. If that sounds right up your alley, check out these 10 no-mow alternatives to a grass lawn.

http://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/no-...nal-lawn-47640

[llwhiteoutll]

Originally Posted by wretched34

Good to know, lol. Here, I thought I had to shovel a safe passage for people to approach my home as to avoid a lawsuit. Turns out, I just have to protect the city...
Good luck getting to my door next winter, you can try and sell whatever you're selling from the sidewalk!

Hope you don't have your mailbox at your door. CP will halt delivery if they feel it is a hazard.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by llwhiteoutll

Hope you don't have your mailbox at your door. CP will halt delivery if they feel it is a hazard.

Didn't CP end all door delivery last year? Or is that still being phased in.

[Wormius]

I guess the question is, it my neighbour accidentally shoots a puck over my fence during winter, comes to knock on my front door to ask if it's okay to retrieve the puck, won't I be held liable if they slip because I didn't clear a path to the front door?

[Swift]

Can anyone explain the reasoning behind leaving this little clump of grass?

https://goo.gl/maps/I0uJS

Are they somehow bypassing the by-law by leaving a "lawn" there?

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by Cameron Swift

Can anyone explain the reasoning behind leaving this little clump of grass?

https://goo.gl/maps/I0uJS

Are they somehow bypassing the by-law by leaving a "lawn" there?

I doubt that counts for anything but jesus I'd hate live anywhere near there. Pity the poor people living on the other side of that street and seeing that continuous row of garbage all the time. And they call downtown a "concrete wasteland".

[WhiteTiger]

Originally Posted by Cameron Swift

Can anyone explain the reasoning behind leaving this little clump of grass?

https://goo.gl/maps/I0uJS

Are they somehow bypassing the by-law by leaving a "lawn" there?

Underground utility access, would be my guess, so that you can get at an important part without needing to rip up the entire driveway.

I see something like that entire strip, and it just makes me want to park in front of it, then tell them that they don't get to claim the entire chunk of street just because they've paved their lawn away.