A tall hedge on a 9th Avenue property has caught the attention of city staff who say the shrub is a traffic hazard.
City council last week slapped the property owner at 183 9th Ave. with a remedial action notice for violating the city’s public nuisance bylaw.
Karl Read, the city’s bylaw officer, said the hedge is more than 2.5 metres in height and limits visibility for traffic at the intersection of 9th Avenue and Alder Street.
“This property is a corner lot that has been identified as having a well-established hedge encroaching within the area described in the bylaw as required to be kept clear of visual obstruction,” Read said in a report to council. “The purpose of this provision of the bylaw is to enhance safety for traffic at intersections. The property has been in breach for some time and while no imminent hazard is identified, there remains the need to lower the risk associated with obstructed visibility.”
The city sent the home owner a letter on January 22 asking the owner to trim the hedge but received no response.
Council approved a remedial action notice last week which gives the owner 30 days to bring the hedge into compliance or else the city will do the work at the home owner’s expense. Any unpaid costs would be added on to the owner’s property tax account.
This is not the first time the city has gone after home owners with shrubs and hedges in violation of city bylaws.
Last December the city issued a remedial action notice to a property owner at 397 Hilchey Road. A hedge on that property was blocking the view of drivers at the South Alder and Hilchey intersection.
Read said that hedge had vegetation that was obstructing motorists’ view.