Dear reader,
I have a high tolerance for noise. My first apartment was a basement unit that would rumble when the 506 flew by. I’ve also lived in a walk-up above both a restaurant and a bar. Today, I live sandwiched between a giant condo complex and the DVP. It’s not always ideal for sleep, but that’s the devil’s bargain I signed the day I realized that I was a city person.
I’m also sensitive to the fact that excessive noise can take a toll on mental and physical health. In recent weeks, condo dwellers near Stackt—some of them only steps away—have sounded the alarm over the market’s raucous bars, restaurants and events. One video from a resident seemingly shows their balcony blinds shaking from the racket. So what’s stopping a by-law officer from throwing the hammer down? You guessed it: an arcane city hall noise exemption that can’t be repealed without furious and protracted debate. A Toronto anthem if I’ve ever heard one.
Also in today’s newsletter: $4.9 million for a Burlington mansion at the foot of Mount Nemo. And one of Canada’s real estate giants moves into student housing.
